Everything You Need to Know About Finding A Melbourne Conference Venue
There’s much more to the hunt for Melbourne conference venues than a room big enough to hold your delegates. As well as wanting to show off all that this stylish city has to offer — from the foodie culture and famous sports scene to the lively bars and nightlife, conference organisers will also need to think about practical factors that take events from bland to brilliant. Our Venue Specialists thrive on detail and they’ll guide you toward a Melbourne conference venue suited to your unique needs.
Here are some tips to get you started.
Venue Finder Tip No. 1: Consider Which Melbourne Location Is Right For Your Conference
- Are you planning a Melbourne conference from interstate or overseas? Delegates travelling into Melbourne will likely appreciate a central-Melbourne conference venue, in and around the Melbourne CBD. Not only is it accessible to airports and public transport; the buzzing city centre with attractions like Fed Square, the rooftop at QT and famous cafe culture will make for a memorable and energised experience.
- Start your Melbourne CBD conference venue search with Metropolis and Park Hyatt Melbourne.
- For an annual Melbourne conference where variety is key, there are just as diverse and interesting options for conference venues outside of the CBD – check out Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, St Kilda or Carlton for your next Melbourne conference.
- For longer Melbourne conferences, you can treat your delegates to day trips; like the Dandenong Ranges, Phillip Island and Werribee Open Range Zoo.
Venue Finder Tip No. 2: Help Your Delegates With Convenient Melbourne Transport Options.
- Conferences can be high energy which is why you’ll want to offer lots of easy travel and transport options for your Melbourne conference delegates. The free city tram is excellent for CBD events.
- Delegates staying off-site and travelling in will appreciate useful information you can provide about on-and off-site parking and public transport, including nearby train stations, tram stops and bus routes.
- Attendees travelling from interstate will want to know the best way to get from Tullamarine or Avalon airports to their hotel or the Melbourne conference venue you’ve selected. Many of the Melbourne luxury city hotels are about a 25-30 minute drive from Tullamarine Airport (and about an hour from Avalon.)
- For the ultimate service, why not arrange airport transfers for all out-of-town delegates?
Venue Finder Tip No. 3: Assist Delegates with Melbourne Conference Accommodation; Whether Onsite Or Offsite
- If you’ve got a cohort of interstate or international delegates; or culture-building within your organisation is important, then one of the many Melbourne conference venues with onsite accommodation would be an ideal choice.
- Alternatively, you can book room blocks at many of Melbourne’s luxury 5-star hotels, boutique hotels and apartments.
- For extra service, prepare a welcome pack for delegates staying in onsite accommodation with directions and transport options to the nearby Melbourne attractions they can enjoy in their downtime.
Venue Finder Tip No. 4: Avoid The 3pm Slump With The Right Conference Catering
- While the purpose of your conference will be about quality content, exciting speakers and networking opportunities – for delegates, equally, it’s about the food!
- Catering at your Melbourne conference venue needs to be carefully considered. What dietary requirements and preferences do delegates have? How much food is included in the venue’s package? Conference catering is not just about delicious and abundant food, it’s also about the right foods to ward off the 3pm snooze-zone!
- Ask your Melbourne conference venue about raw and unprocessed foods, fresh fruits and healthy snacks, and minimising heavy, starchy meals during the day.
Venue Finder Tip No. 5: Keep Things Interesting & Add Plenty Of Variety To Your Melbourne Conference Programme.
- Depending on the size, purpose and duration of your Melbourne conference, you will want to make sure there’s plenty of variety for your attendees – especially if you want them to come back next year!
- This could mean offering a change of scenery between presentations and workshops, including Melbourne sightseeing and excursions in your conference itinerary or booking top Melbourne restaurants and bars for nighttime activities and after-parties.
- Many Melbourne conference venues have multiple spaces, breakout rooms, lounges and bars all onsite meaning you can spice things up all within the convenience of the one venue. Larger hotels like The Langham Melbourne and Park Hyatt Melbourne are ideal for this.
Venue Finder Tip No. 6: Don’t Forget To Consider All Things Tech And AV For Your Melbourne Conference
- What presentations will you be having at your Melbourne conference? Do you require a stage for maximum impact or a more intimate space where speakers can interact with your audience?
- And what audiovisual equipment will you need? It’s important not to leave tech out of the budget. Find out whether your Melbourne conference venue has in-house tech support, an approved supplier list, or whether you’ll need to provide your own.
- Does every room you require have high-speed WiFi? You may want to consider your own portable wireless network for breakout sessions and networking segments.
