Selecting a Location

In the seminar business, location can bring in the crowds or keep them away. It can also spell the difference between a smashing success and a miserable failure. Your choice of seminar location will impact the mood of your seminar, particularly because it is a huge component of the setting. Choosing the wrong location can make your seminar unpredictable and difficult to control. Here's how to avoid these problems by learning the right way to select a location:



Determine your topic.

The subject matter that will be tackled by your seminar will play a huge factor in the selection of the location. Setting counts. If you conduct a seminar in an open location, for example, you could expose your audience to unnecessary distractions, something that could ruin the very engaging lecture you took weeks to prepare. Try to match the location with the topic you will be talking about.



Choose a location that will not steal your thunder.

Have you ever been to a seminar before? Try to notice how the room is built and the decor. Can't remember what they looked like? That's exactly the point. Clever speakers know that the more intricately designed a room is, the more it will take your audience's attention from you.



When selecting a location for your seminar, look for venues that are light and airy but not too brightly colored that the participants will be checking out the magenta against the gold grain of the walls. Your participants came to listen to you, so don't give them a reason not to.



Take note of who your audience is.

Generally, you can determine who the participants will be depending on the topic you want to offer. Find out how many of them will be coming and rent out a venue of an appropriate size. Trying to squeeze in 500 participants in a room that can only accommodate 300 is ridiculous and amateurish.



Show your audience some respect and make sure they are comfortable and capable of focusing on the topics that will be discussed.



Will your audience come from out of town?

If many of your participants will be traveling to your seminar location, it would be a good idea to hold your seminar in a location near an airport, hotels or even interstates.



Consider the style of the seminar.

Not all seminars feature classroom-type scenarios where a speaker stands on a stage or behind a podium speaking in front of an audience for a good four hours. Some seminars might include a workshop or a hands-on demonstration. If yours will, look for a location or venue that has some extra space in which your participants can move or interact.



If your seminar is strictly educational or informative, you might have to set up the location differently. If your seminar involves lectures, you probably won't need a bigger area.



Consider how you will be working the room.

Some speakers like to stay in one place, such as a stage while others want to move around. When selecting a location, consider if the location is compatible with your speaking style. Can you arrange the chairs in such a way that the audience can face one another and you can walk among them? Can the stage be set up to accommodate a podium or a multi-speaker panel?



Include the equipment you will be using when selecting a location.

Will you be using or bringing equipment with you? Generally, speakers need only a microphone and a place to stand. These days, though, it's about the presentation. You might be using a huge screen behind you on the stage and a digital projector. Choose a location that can accommodate these equipment. If you will be using electricity, for example, the venue should have the necessary outlet and facilities.



Mind your budget.

The more exclusive the location, the more expensive it is. Decide whether an expensive location is truly necessary and helpful in ensuring you achieve the goals you have set. Your seminar location matters but remember that the cost of the venue will be carried over to the rates you charge. If you charge a higher rate for your seminar, will people still come? Try to find a middle ground for your preference and your financial considerations.