Purpose Hosting business events is no longer the preserve of hotels and purpose-built conference and exhibition centres. Today, visitor attractions, theatres, museums, universities and sporting complexes also compete for their share of the lucrative business events sector. However, few of these venues were originally designed and built to accommodate events but are now multipurpose in function and marketed to the events industry to secure a secondary source of income. This paper aims to evaluate the supply and design of venues for business events from both a historical and contemporary viewpoint. Design/methodology/approach As business events have specific venue requirements, ranging from extensive, accessible space for exhibitions to numerous rooms for plenary and syndicate conference sessions, choosing an appropriate venue from those available has become a considerable task. A review of key moments in history demonstrates how different types of venues have emerged and developed. Findings This study reveals how venues that have a similar background typically share features such as architectural design and layout. The paper discusses the characteristics of unusual, academic and sporting venues as well as hotels and purpose-built space to include factors such as availability, cost and location. Originality/value This paper provides an insight into the benefits and drawbacks of using different types of venues for business events and the advantages and challenges that these present to organisers. Case studies are embedded within this paper, illustrating the range of venues that are used to successfully host business events today. As there is limited literature that explores venue development for events, or commonalities of venue characteristics by type, the synthesis of these two important elements of event management makes this study an original and valuable contribution to the developing literature.

No abstract

International association conferencing is the largest and most profitable segment of the events industry. Competition to host these events is fierce and many destination management organizations (DMOs) offer a range of incentives to attract professional meeting planners to their destination. Many second-tier destinations have invested in their facilities and incentives in order to compete with more traditional conference cities. However, to date there has been a limited exploration of the process of destination or site selection. Prior research has generated conceptual models of site selection, which, though insightful, do not adequately reflect the role of DMOs in the process. A critical evaluation of these models and the supporting literature on site selection has provided the basis for a qualitative inquiry which has involved twentyfive elite professionals (meeting planners and DMO staff). The results from the interviews has led to the creation of an amended conceptual model of site selection which incorporates Weber's (2001. Meeting planners' use and evaluation of convention and visitor bureaus. Tourism Management, 22(6), 599-606) list of DMO services and draws particular attention to the role of subvention in site selection.

Signing the venue hire contract is a significant stage in the event planning process as it formalises the agreement with the principal supplier to the event. Venue contracts can be quite lengthy and detailed documents as they cover all aspects of the agreement between the two parties. As well as confirming the hire charges, it will stipulate a number of rules and regulations that will govern the event, and it will outline the penalties for failing to comply with the contract. Much of this is rooted in the venue's plan to ensure that the event complies with relevant legislation and health and safety guidance. This chapter covers the purpose of a venue contract, typical terms and conditions, likely penalties for breaching the contract, plus an overview of venue specific laws and health and safety guidance.