Retreat Venue Selection Trends for 2016

Event Manger blog author, Julius Solaris, recently released a report on a survey of 1,000 event managers. For us in the retreat world, two very important bits of information came forth.  I will write about each in this and the next blog entry.

The first is in a section called “7 trends affecting venue selection”.  The first trend mentioned is that unusual venues are on the rise.  Hotels remain the top choice, but more and more event planners are on the hunt for unusual settings.  And as we mentioned in a recent post, hotel costs are expected to rise significantly this year.

For retreat owners – This is our moment! 

Retreat center owners must work together to promote the world of retreat centers as viable alternatives to hotel gatherings.

As it says in the report “Events are increasingly more about creating wow factors…..Unique venues stimulate curiosity and engagement with the experience being proposed.  Unique venues are often incredibly creative spaces that challenge attendees to break traditions and evaluate events on the basis of what they see rather than on their expectations”.

Let’s seize the moment and work to let event planners know about the many benefits retreat facilities offer.  There are several actions you can take today to extend your reach.

• Get active on blogs within the event industry. The Retreat Centers USA LinkedIn Group and Event Manager blog are two great resources for event planners and retreat center owners.
• Make sure your website is helpful.  Ask someone who is not familiar with your property to actively critique your site.  No egos allowed!
• Invest in a good collection of photographs of your retreat facility and use them everywhere.  Images are a strong connector emotionally and through internet searches.    

Most important of all, you must be responsive!

By Jaynie Schultz

Jaynie Schultz created Garrett Creek Ranch with her mother more than 20 years ago. She served as the founding Director of Sales and Marketing and is involved in many non-profit organizations and leadership development programs. Jaynie is the co-founder of Retreat Central, a free online retreat directory that lists hundreds of retreat centers nationwide.