MEETINGS & EVENTS REBOOT: ‘People want to get back to interacting face-to-face’ – Roehampton Venues

In our on-going series speaking to venues and event companies about the return of live events, we catch up with Anna Fowler, Marketing & Events Manager at the Roehampton Venues…

When are you expecting your venue to open for events?
We have been open for small business meetings, overnight stays and on-site training, but we are looking forward to opening on May 17^th and welcoming our clients back.

What sort of demand are you seeing currently for events and meetings to be held at the venue once restrictions are lifted?
We are seeing a positive demand. People want to get back to interacting face-to-face and have been to our venue after the previous lockdown – so they know we are offering a safe and secure space.

Do you think there’s a big ‘latent demand’ for events and meetings?
We feel companies are keen to get back out into the business arena, but maybe with some new parameters – looking at more leisurely food offerings, creating a fun element to the event meeting, inviting family members along. A lot of the companies we work with are training companies so also want to get back to their business, which in turn is our business.

What are the biggest concerns from venue bookers – and how are you alleviating their fears?
The biggest fear is loss of money when booking events, paying and losing deposits. We have changed our terms and conditions and also offered a lower holding deposit on our meeting rooms. The are also concerned about other people mixing in the building so we are offering exclusivity. And with the availability now of being able to do home testing, this gives people peace of mind that everyone attending is being as safe and conscientious as our team on-site.

We also have updated our website as we know there will be lots of questions and we have also introduced a new graphic welcome wall as to give everyone something else to talk about when they come back to us!