Escaping the Ordinary: Destination Events

Destination events can be a great way for organisations to celebrate their successes and achievements. They’re also a good opportunity to network with other businesses and individuals from other countries or regions. But delivering a successful destination event requires some knowledge of event management and a lot of planning!

Let’s get a clearer picture of what destination events are, and why they are so popular with organisations in the first place.

What is a destination event?

Any event that takes place outside of the location of your day-to-day operations in another city or country would be considered a destination event. These events usually take place over a number of days, with multiple mini-events planned within it. This might mean team-building activities, meetings or conferences.

Why are they so popular?

Organisations often plan destination events for their employees, but why don’t they just rely on local venues for these events? Here are some reasons why:

MILESTONES

Organisations often hold destination events to celebrate big achievements and milestones within the company and to show appreciation to their employees. This could be anything from a big anniversary to a new product launch. A destination event is perfect for celebrating your BIG THING with a BANG!

MEETINGS

Smaller destination events are the perfect way to meet with remote clients, potential investors or other businesses on location. A lot of planning is involved with organising meetings, dinners and other smaller affairs, which is why they are considered to be an event.

CONFERENCES

Conferences can help employees expand their industry knowledge, share ideas and network with others. They are highly beneficial to expanding your business or building on your reputation within your industry. Conferences are some of the biggest corporate events and require a lot of experience in planning.

How to plan and deliver a successful destination event

Your first step is to decide what the event is for, how many people are attending and exactly what you want to do at the event. Here are a few tips to help you make sure it’s a total success.

WHAT’S YOUR BUDGET?

Establishing your budget sets the stage for determining the scale and extravagance of the event. Effective budgeting is crucial as it allows you to allocate how much you intend to spend on each aspect of the overall event.

There are so many different factors within a destination event that it is easy to lose track of a budget. Watch out for flight packages and hotels, activities, local suppliers and other expenses that are likely to add up on the trip. Deciding on (and then sticking to!) a budget is one of the most important factors to get right.

PICK THE RIGHT LOCATION

Choose your location to fit your budget and accommodate the number of people attending. Suppose you expect over 150 people at your event; you want a location that is not too far away, but also not in a big city that might take you way over your budget. Select a destination close to you so you have more control over the planning. With an event of this size, you will need to have a lot of expertise in event planning, or you need to be close enough to get your hands in the mix if necessary.

Also, choose a hotel that will be able to accommodate the number of guests you anticipate and where you are able to host a number of activities on site. Holding as many activities as possible at one location will help you save on your budget. Plus, it will be a lot easier to coordinate with one venue instead of many.

FIGURE OUT THE LOGISTICS

You don’t want to be scrambling around on the day of your event, figuring out schedules, timelines or transportation. Work through the logistics early to avoid any confusion once your guests start arriving at the destination.

Speak with your chosen hotel beforehand and see what transportation can be arranged. If they do not offer a shuttle service to and from the airport, or transportation around your destination throughout the event, you will need to arrange something that will be appropriate for the number of guests you have.

When all activities have been planned, print out itineraries for the entire event and give them to the guests as they arrive, or have them placed in their rooms at the hotel. This way, everyone will know where they are expected and at what time, avoiding confusion.

GET HELP FROM THE VENUE

Try to get as much help from your chosen venue as possible. As mentioned, your hotel should be able to help you throughout the event planning process by providing transportation, recommending and booking local attractions and even providing a space to carry out activities. When booking the hotel, make sure to ask the right questions so you can make sure they are equipped to handle everything that you need.

Whatever the reason may be, and whatever destination you choose, we hope your destination event is a success! 

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer,
David Yakas