Where to Host Your Next Event: How to Choose a City

where to host your next event

Choosing a place to host your event is easy if your audience is local. But if you’re reaching a global audience, figuring out where to host your next event can be daunting. Whether you are planning an upcoming meeting, convention, or other event, consider the following tips to choose the right city for a successful event.

If choosing a location for your next event isn’t a cut-and-dry process, ask the experts for help. Our custom, curated data can help you choose the right city for hosting an event.

#1. Locate Your Target Market

where to host your next event

As a business, you should know exactly where your target audience lives. Are you a global, national, or regional company? Oftentimes, your target audience is not willing or able to travel to attend your event. So, you want to make sure you reach a large chunk of your market at one location.

Statistics on social media and other analytical tools can help you find your target demographics. Of course, calculate in your targeted language and economic status. You don’t want to promote to villagers in South Mexico if you’re selling business technology to brokers in Spain.

Once you have your target audience in mind, create a list of potential cities. Questions like the following may help you narrow down your list:

  • Where is your target audience located?
  • What places do they like to travel?
  • Where does your niche reside?

#2. Narrow Down Your Niche

Many niches find their place in a certain part of the world. For instance, the skiing niche is more often found in places like Canada than Central America. If you haven’t already, find where your niche mainly resides. You can do this by defining your niche, then doing research online.

Many social networks will give you insights as to where to find a certain market. You can also research your competition. If you are unsatisfied with the results, you may want to consider changing your niche. Altering, expanding, or narrowing your niche may help you reach a more appropriate target audience.

These questions may help you better distinguish your niche:

  • What niche is interested in my product?
  • Where can I find my niche online?
  • Where do those in my niche host events?

#3. Consider the Venue

where to host your next event

Some cities have better venue options for certain types of events than others. For instance, a smaller city in Germany may not be able to accommodate a large, niche convention. If you plan on hosting an outdoor event, California may be a better option than Canada. Instead, choose a location that best suits your type of event.

Venue research is simple—perform a Google search of “places to host my event” to find plenty of options for conference rooms and more. If you are not satisfied with the results of the search engine, you may want to do more in-depth investigation. Think of your perfect venue, then find similar places in your chosen city, and call to ask about potential options.

Really focus on distinguishing your ideal location from other event venues. Before searching for the perfect venue, you’ll want to answer the following questions:

  • Will I host my event indoors or outdoors?
  • What accommodations does my event require?
  • How much space will my event need?

#4. Expand Your Audience

where to host your next event

Thinking of where you can expand your audience can potentially alter where to host your next event. Geography plays a key role in this step. Consider the native language of nearby countries and regions for the potential of expansion. If your business isn’t ready to expand, don’t focus on this step.

For instance, let’s say you are an English-speaking company, with bases in England, Australia, and the U.S. If you choose to host your upcoming event in New York, you open up opportunity for expansion in Canada and other parts of the U.S. On the other hand, Australia and England are islands, which means limited expansion.

Expansion can certainly impact where to host your next event. Check out these questions to create a more defined outline of your potential for audience expansion:

  • Is my brand ready to expand into other locations?
  • Would my event attract nearby clients?
  • Which city is best suited for expansion in my niche?

#5. Revise & Rotate Your List

where to host your next event

To reach a global market, you can certainly rotate where you host your events. Experiment with different cities, if appropriate, and determine where you achieve the most engagement. For instance, if your event is a flop one year in Las Vegas, try Honolulu next year (if both cities meet your criteria from the first four steps).

As your business evolves and grows, revise your list of potential event locations. Check event marketing trends to keep up with the hottest locations for events across the world. Beyond looking at statistics, you may also distribute surveys or live polls among event attendees for their opinion on your event location.

The following questions can help you revise your list of potential cities, as well as guide you in the rotation process with every new event:

  • Where have your events been successful?
  • What is your audience’s feedback?
  • What new locations could you add to your list?

Takeaway: Where to Host Your Next Event

Choosing the right city for your event can make or break your experiential marketing campaign. The wrong location spells disaster, whereas the right city can lead to a ticket sell-out. Follow the steps above to determine where to host your next event.

Still don’t know where to host your next event? Valoso can fix that. Visit our homepage and fill out the contact form to get in touch. Our team of professionals can curate custom data to inform your event marketing strategy.