Think about it, successful events do not happen by accident. Besides advance planning, they are the result of selecting the right destination. Often, the destination can make or break the event, affecting the association’s income and membership engagement. With the growing competition for sponsors and members, an association needs to be strategic about selecting a destination. Below you can read how selecting the right destination may work in your association’s favour.

#1 Selecting the right destination may help with subsidy and sponsorship

Cities evolve and invest in certain fields to create knowledge hubs. It is good for the economy, and it helps the cities to stand out from the crowd. For instance, a city can be a prime region of healthcare, high-tech and creativity. An association benefits greatly by choosing a destination with a strong sector-related presence. Their conference can be supported in terms of content and their delegates will have an opportunity to experience the city with a strong dedication to their field.

Additionally, since cities want to boost their profile by becoming a knowledge hub in a specific theme, they are eager to host an event that matches their theme. This already brings you one step closer to making the right destination choice. But there is more, selecting a destination with a knowledge hub has other advantages as well. For instance, it makes the organization of your association’s event easier as local governments are most likely willing to invest in an event of their field’s interest and there is a greater chance of attracting more sponsors.

Furthermore, when a destination becomes a knowledge hub in a particular field you are more likely to find local talent such as academics, researchers, businesses and public speakers that align with your event’s mission and goals. This means that finding talent for your event also becomes less of a hassle when you select a destination with local support.

#2 Selecting the right destination may help with increasing member engagement

As an association, you are probably constantly trying to find new smart ways to provide value to your current members. Besides keeping the existing member base engaged, you also wish to attract new members. This is where selecting the destination comes in.

Diversifying the location of your event will help with increasing member engagement and will prevent some members from lapsing. Why? Well, when you select a new destination for your event every year, it is likely that the members of your association won’t feel left out. One year, the destination might be in the advantage of one member and the other year in the advantage of another member, in other words, there’s something for everyone.

#3 Selecting the right destination may help with attracting more attendees

According to the University of Birmingham, the event’s destination is the second most important factor for the delegates in their decision to attend. However, it does not only have to do with how close an international airport is located, but also with how authentic a destination is.

Today, attendees are looking for more than just the conference itself. To make the most of a business trip, attendees wish to enjoy the destination outside of the meeting rooms. In addition, adding a couple of days of fun to a conference is becoming more popular.

Therefore, selecting a destination where ‘bleisure’ can be mixed - business and leisure - might attract more attendees. As a result, it is a wise move to select a destination that offers your guests plenty of leisure activities such as tours, museums, restaurants and cultural experiences.

Additional benefit: leisure activities form the ideal situation for networking!

There are a lot of possibilities but also a lot of pressure when it comes to selecting the right destination. The best way to start your research is to carefully compare your potential host cities. At Conferli, we are offering a free benchmarking tool that will help you to get and compare all the necessary information about potential destinations. Here is how to sign up and explore your options already today.