Cindy Payendee, Sales Manager at RIBA at 66 Portland Place
Showrounds and venue visits are a vital part of the decision making process when it comes to choosing a venue for an event. Pre Covid-19 we were hosting on average 25 face-to-face showrounds per month, with a conversion rate of 62%. However when, like so many others, we had to close our doors in March we worked hard (and quickly) to create a virtual tour to ensure potential clients could still have access to RIBA at 66 Portland Place so they could see for themselves exactly what the venue has to offer.
Still images of different rooms, both as blank canvases and set up for events, are of course important as they give a glimpse into what can be achieved, but it can be difficult to convey the feel and grandeur of a space until you’ve stepped into it yourself (either physically or virtually).
Since the start of lockdown, we have sent our virtual tour out far and wide to potential and returning clients, who have enquired about hosting events in our venue, and the response has been fantastic. We even took part in a live virtual tour in June as demand for showrounds increased. Whilst brochures and websites give a good idea about the logistics of a space and it’s capacities, physical or virtual showrounds give us the opportunity to bring the spaces to life and share some of the quirky facts, incredible features and history of the spaces – all of the things that will help create a more memorable experience for guests.
Virtual showrounds may have been an enforced strategy over the last few months, but it’s been a positive for us and it’s a tool that we will continue to use to showcase our venue, even when face-to-face venue visits resume, as we navigate event bookings in a post-Covid world.
