Location, on the day delivery and assistance with room set up's, our needs fluctuated and they dealt with it. We would return if their prices were more competitive.
Event Support & Staffing We were advised that a dedicated event professional would be assigned to support planning two weeks prior to the event. While this timing is already quite close to delivery, we accepted it. However, we then had to follow up ourselves to establish who our contact would be, only to find there was no additional support in place and that our usual contact would be covering everything. This felt fragmented and, at times, under-resourced. Communication More broadly, communication in the lead-up to the event was slower than expected, which made planning more difficult than it needed to be. There were also inconsistencies between teams. For example, we were initially advised by sales that the foyer could not be used. However, during delivery, we were informed by logistics that coffee provision was self-service and that delegates would need to use the foyer to access it. We ultimately arranged coffee within our exhibitor space while also utilising the foyer, but this was not planned in advance and created unnecessary confusion. It highlighted a lack of alignment between internal teams. Storage & Logistics We were also surprised by the lack of proper overnight storage facilities. Materials were stored in hallways or wherever space was available. While this worked in practice, it’s not what we would expect from a dedicated conference venue of this scale. Commercial Structure Looking ahead, we have been quoted significant additional costs for overnight holds and setup (in the region of £5k–£8k). This is difficult to reconcile given the limitations above, particularly when many other venues are able to accommodate evening setup without additional charges. Overall, while the event was delivered, the experience has raised concerns around operational support, internal coordination, and value for money relative to the commercial model being proposed. We appreciate the team’s efforts on the day and wanted to share this feedback constructively as part of our review process.
Submitted 6 months ago
