The two most important factors to consider when selecting a seminar location are distance and type of venue.

‘Distance’ is not necessarily the actual distance, but the perceived distance, and this will vary greatly depending on what type of market you are dealing with. In a densely populated metro area with lots of traffic, prospects aren’t likely to drive more than 15 or 20 minutes to come to a seminar. That could translate to an actual drive of only 3 or 4 miles. In a rural area, people are accustomed to driving longer distances to go to the store, doctor, etc., so you can mail to a much larger radius in this instance. Prospects are much more likely to attend an event in an area that they consider to be ‘their neighborhood’.

As far as the type of venue is concerned, restaurants consistently outperform hotels, country clubs and community centers. If you’re serious about getting a good number of quality attendees, serve a dinner at a well-known restaurant that’s a good fit for your target demographic. Some advisors balk at the cost of ‘feeding the masses,’ but if you target well and don’t oversell the meal on your invitation, using a quality restaurant will yield a lower overall cost per prospect when you tabulate all of your seminar costs. You really can’t afford to eliminate it.

You should choose a restaurant with a strong reputation for high quality food and a comfortable atmosphere. You don’t have to go overboard, but generally speaking, the better the venue the better the response. Nationally recognized chains or well-established local restaurants offer the benefit of familiarity to your prospect. If they are comfortable with the venue, you have a greater likelihood of their choosing to attend your event. You should try to avoid brand new or lesser known restaurants. If prospects have never heard of your seminar location, you run the risk of their not coming just because they haven’t heard of it or don’t know where it is.

As a general rule, stay away from ethnic restaurants – with the exception of Italian. If prospects are unfamiliar with the cuisine or are concerned that the food may be spicy, you will lose attendees. A good local or national steakhouse or Italian restaurant is hard to beat.

Regardless of the type of venue you select, a private room is a must. You want distractions kept to a minimum. Never book a seminar without checking out the setup first.

Questions?  Call us at 800-771-9898, or e-mail us at info@acquiredm.com