So when should you start your event and which day is best? Over the years I’ve heard many different event managers comment on this, all with gusto and most with experience to back up their decision.  At the end of the day it depends on your audience and your topic - are you aiming for business or consumer and is it something that people want to make time for in their busy days or would they rather team it up with some drinks and make an evening of it?  The questions (as ever) are never ending but here’s some thoughts to help you decide.

- I’ve found that people like Monday mornings to decompress from the weekend and get their thoughts in order for the week.  Hence Monday’s may not get the best attendance.

- Similarly, Fridays are either frantically full of the work that hasn’t yet been finished or is the wind down day.  Catching up on emails and work in the office so you can leave for the weekend with a clean conscience.  

- So let’s aim for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Being a pragmatist these may already be booked up for travel and meetings so get your invites out early to book these slots.

Should we now go for morning, afternoon or evening?  

- Evenings are great if you want people to network or be sociable - I concede that some are happy to do this on company time but a lot of people will be focused purely on their job during the day and so evenings, give them the option of a learning/networking opportunity with the possibility of a a free drink or canapé thrown in.

- Afternoons have never been particularly successful for my clients.  The audience fills up the morning with work and then it’s hard to justify/find the time to leave for an event.  Something always seems to come up be it traffic, bad weather, another meeting, a shortened deadline - small things can tip the scales to prevent attendance.  Do you want to risk it?

- Mornings are often the best option as people go into automatic pilot, check their diary and head to the first appointment - your event!  OK, traffic can affect timings but you can plan around that.  The crucial thing is that something else hasn’t managed to squeeze it’s way into the diary that day.

And don’t forget to look up bank holidays, any strike action due, election days, school holidays and annual national holidays ie some European companies effectively shutting down in August. It’s a complex business working out the best time and date to hold your event.  The best advice is to research your potential audience and find out how they plan their week.  Fit that research into knowledge about the local calendar and you should be able to make a rational and effective decision which gives you the best chance to get your audience to attend.

I have to admit - this blog post is a shameless promotion but I was so impressed by the venue that I just had to mention it.  I recently visited the Quantum Hotels in Bournemouth and the wonderful Alice Smee gave me a show around the work in progress.  

Three hotels on Bournemouth sea front have recently changed hands and the new owners Quantum Hotel Group are gutting the Cottonwood  Boutique Hotel, the Ocean View Hotel and the Bay View Breeze Hotel. Stepping over the rolls of carpet, the pots of paint and the new furniture deliveries I was impressed by the vision and sense behind the plans.  The three hotels are next to each other on the spectacular Bournemouth Eastcliff.  With stunning sea views and plenty of light these hotels have already ticked off two of my event wants.

However it was the vision that really impressed me.  The three hotels are being designed to meet all needs. The basic Bayview Hotel has the value rooms.  There are no mod-cons but for position and price I see little to beat it. The mid-range Cottonwood Boutique hotel is wonderfully quirky - from the pink and gold wall paper to the deliciously comfortable seats this is somewhere you just want to sit and chill.  Last but definitely not least is the high-end Ocean View Hotel.  This is the meeting and wedding venue, with a calming serene design feel, you can use this simple backdrop to create any mood you desire.  Watch out for the wall paper in the main areas - it’s fascinating and simply has to be touched.

So that’s the buildings but what about their staffing vision - this is a hotel group that is working to empower staff and make sure that customer service is topmost in everyone’s minds.  What a difference it will make if the staff are looking out for opportunities to impress and make your visit that extra bit special.

There is a long way to go to get all three hotels fully up and running but I do recommend that you keep an eye on progress and sign up to their website to get a cheeky first look. www.quantumhotelgroup.co.uk