We had the Blue Hat team in recently for a great  team building session – really enjoyable and taught us a lot.

We’re lucky enough to have a drive-in studio here at Top Banana HQ, with plenty of space right next door to our offices. Ideal for the type of session we hosted.

For those less fortunate, however, getting the venue right is essential to really get the most out of this kind of event. The wrong venue will undermine the whole experience leading to frustration and wasted resource.

There are lots of things to consider and working closely with the team building company is the first step to getting it right.  Knowing the kind of session they intend running will define the space required.

• How many people will be attending the session?
• Will there be any outside activities?
• Do they need to break the group up at any point and so require extra, distinct spaces to work in?
• How many facilitators will there be?
• Are any special lighting or sound effects required?

So if you’re looking for a great location to hold a team building session, you need to consider these and plenty more questions besides.

If you’d like us to advise you in your search, drop us a line and we’ll be happy to help.

I read a little while ago that according to leadership and business experts, Professors Nada and Andrew Kakabadse, taking a mid afternoon nap could improve the economic fortunes of the whole of the western hemisphere! A pretty bold statement I thought!

According to the article (in Conference News) a group taking a 90 minute nap improved their ability to learn by 10% … while those who didn’t nap did 10% worse!

This got me thinking …

about how venues would cope with the idea of providing delegates with a private place to take a cheeky snooze part way through an event? I have visions of yoga mats being rolled out on the conference floor with pop up screens to give privacy.

Whilst this may seem ridiculous … the idea makes a lot of sense.

It could be particularly beneficial for training venues, giving delegates a boost part way through the day so they stay focused and maximise the learning opportunity?

Perhaps top notch venues should be considering how to provide somewhere quiet where weary delegates could recharge their batteries ahead of that final session of the day? Or at the very least, a quiet room with comfy seating and low level lighting?

If it could help ‘improve the economic fortunes of the whole of the western hemisphere’ it’s surely got to be worth a try?

Any thoughts from all you lovely venues out there???

In my experience, academic venues offer really good value for money for certain events.

If you’re looking for a great value venue, then universities can be a really good option, with plenty to choose from all across the UK.

Birmingham University’s Centre for Professional Development is a good example of a venue which offers some really great facilities within a five minute walk of the nearest railway station, with easy access by road and plenty of on-site parking once you get there.

The facility is run by a professional events team, which gives a better experience for delegates and makes the whole event much more straightforward to organise.

Most academic venues have purpose built auditoriums with some AV equipment as standard. Many also have beautiful, historic buildings on campus, ideal for dinners in unique surroundings. With good catering available
on-site too, there are plenty of reasons to look at universities and other academic institutions for your next event.”

But there are drawbacks too.

At most academic venues, whilst the accommodation may be conveniently situated on-site, it can be quite basic.  Plus, other meeting spaces can be inflexible, making break-out sessions difficult to run.

Finally, you are limited by the academic diary for availability.

For certain types of event, universities and colleges can provide a lot for the money.  But if you’re looking for a top end location with a luxury feel then you’re unlikely to find what you’re looking for in the corridors of educational excellence!

Our top Venues Geek Helen firmly believes that whilst venues have made the effort to comply with the necessary requirements of the DDA legislation and made physical changes to their facilities, it’s important they match these physical changes with a shift in attitude to make sure that all delegates feel comfortable and at ease at events.

Helen believes the Top Banana approach of focussing on the individual rather than disability is what matters. We don’t treat someone with a physical impairment any differently, we try to understand how we can help ALL delegates to get the most of out of an event.  So we establish individual needs and then do our best to meet those needs … with the minimum of fuss and with the human touch we bring to everything we do.

We like to work with Venues who think of delegates as individuals, rather than seeing them as a tick box on a form.  It’s important to us to create a smooth delegate experience for everyone.

Have you seen our article in the February issue of Conference News ?

On page 60 of February’s issue, Top Banana MD, Nick Terry, asks why event organisers are left to deal with all the venue and logistical issues … leaving less time to focus attention on getting the messages that need to be communicated right.

Of course there’s always lots of pressure to find the right venue, somewhere unique perhaps, with all the right spaces you need – whether your event is a large scale conference, a small meeting or a group training session.

Plus of course, with everyone’s budgets under increasing pressure, getting a good deal is top of the agenda.

It’s only natural to want to do a good job – but it’s so time-consuming and there are lots of other things you need to be looking at too.

Don’t fall into the trap of getting sidetracked.

We can save you a whole heap of time and energy leaving you to get all the other important details right and make sure your event is a big success.

During the course of 2012 we’ve travelled to lots of fab cities to hunt down a host of different venues for our clients – our latest trip was to Liverpool.

And … ‘Do you want to know a secret’?  We’re pretty sure you’ll be ‘Glad all over’  if you ‘Come together’ in this great city”!!! So why not ‘Let it be’ … Liverpool?

OK – so enough of the Beatles’ references now!

But really … Liverpool has got sooooo much to offer; we love this city.

It’s changed a lot over the past five years with venues for all type of events – from large scale conferences, to incentive trips, exhibitions to sales meetings … the list goes on.

For overnight stays, the city has some great hotels too.  There’s the ultra-modern Hilton located in Liverpool One and the very snazzy boutique styled Hope Street Hotel with its acclaimed restaurant.

Liverpool can offer unique and unusual venues including the ultra-modern Museum of Liverpool, Light –  a spacious, modern venue in the iconic Liver Building, plus the industrial feeling Camp and Furness, where exhibition and event spaces collide with an informal eatery and photographic studio on the fringes of Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle.  And of course, there’s a whole range of more traditional locations like the Maritime and Beatles Museums.

So all that’s left to say is Liverpool … a truly ‘Magical mystery tour’ where there’s something for everyone. (Sorry couldn’t resist one more Beatles reference!)

Conference magazine’s November issue included a top ten of small meeting trends from the US.  No 10 on their list was ‘unconferences’.

Intrigued?

Well … according to Wikipedia an unconference is ‘a participant-driven meeting where the agenda is created by the attendees at the beginning of the meeting’.

Essentially, anyone who wants to initiate a topic claims a time and space for an open discussion and it goes from there.

Obviously from a venue perspective, having plenty of flexible space to facilitate lots of different debates is essential.  If this trend takes off here in the UK, conference organisers will need to think very differently about where an event should be held.

We’re already looking at venues wondering how they would match up to the demands of an unconference … so we’ll be prepared to tackle the challenge head on when it crosses the pond.

Honorary Venue Geek Richard Bridge recently travelled to Vancouver and was bowled over …

Vancouver was the biggest surprise … having never been to Canada and having no real draw to go, the visit provided a challenge to my pre-conceived ideas of this destination.  And WOW can this place deliver!

Vancouver is full of the energy and vibrancy of any cosmopolitan city, everything within easy reach, full of very high quality, impressive hotels.  The city has a very rich, interesting history and is evidently keen on progressing.

It’s easily accessed and rivals most cities in the world yet just a stone’s throw away from the vibrancy of the city is Whistler … the countryside, with beautiful landscapes offering a wealth of activities to enjoy throughout the seasons.

Then Senora, a breathtaking retreat in the pure wilderness … at one with nature.

The journey over the glaciers by seaplane simply takes your breath away.  The calm isolation of the resort offers a kind of introspective self-reflection … rarely found in this day and age yet with all the amenities of high-speed technology plus warm and welcoming hospitality.

To experience it, is to love it … and that for me was the biggest surprise about my trip to Vancouver.

Richard is MD of Top Banana – leadership and management event specialists, sister company to Top Banana Venues.

We’ve been getting about a bit this week seeing what Hilton hotels have to offer and I have to say – we were well and truly impressed!

Hilton T5 was simply not what we expected from an airport hotel. It’s very different, with a boutique, quirky feel, fantastic conference facilities and great bedrooms.

We particularly liked the cocktail bar (!) designed with Hendricks Gin (Chief Venue Geek’s tipple of choice right now) – and Mr Todiwals Kitchen restaurant. The cosy atmosphere was a real surprise in an airport hotel.

Next stop on the road trip was the Hilton Wembley and what a location … right in front of the iconic stadium.

This hotel also has a lovely boutique feel and offers fabulous meeting facilities for up to 700 people.  We reckon it would be an ideal location for team building, taking advantage of the facilities at Wembley stadium before heading back for dinner at the hotel …  great for an event’s green credentials too as no transport required.

Last stop was Doubletree by Hilton Milton Keynes.

Along with Stadium MK, this venue is going through some refurbishment at the moment so watch out and make sure you keep it in mind for your late 2013 / 2014 events. The new arena is going to offer some amazing exhibition and events space for up to 3500 seated.  Doubletree by Hilton are adding lots more rooms on site to provide more accommodation for larger events.

All in all a really interesting trip which really opened our eyes to the Hilton Hotels portfolio which now offers some unique, bespoke properties.

As all our girl friends await with eager anticipation the arrival of the new Bond film so they can enjoy a little more of Daniel Craig … we can’t wait to see what fantastic new venues they’ve found for the film!

A little bit sad we know … but that’s because we’re passionate about venues. And the film has some amazing places to live up to from some of the earlier classics.

Thus far our favourite Bond venues have included the grand Château de Chantilly in France, used in Roger Moore’s ‘A view to a kill’ and the slightly less glamorous, but quirky Eden Project which featured in ‘Die another day’  the 2002 Bond film featuring Pierce Brosnan.

But for us, it has to be the uber modern Bregenzer Festspiel- und Kongresshaus from Daniel Craig’s ‘Quantum of Solace’ that clinches the Best Bond Venue award.

And the great news is – they’re all available for hire

… interested?  Just get in touch and we’ll give you the lowdown on these and plenty of other Bond style venues that could prove perfect for your next event.