5 Tips on choosing a castle venue for your next meeting, with advice from the team at Farnham Castle in Surrey.
Never before has the feeling of space been more important and it’s hard to imagine life going back to exactly how it was in the past. But, life does go on and meetings, events, conferences, product launches, parties and celebrations are still going to take place regardless, albeit with more space surrounding your guests.
If you’ve previously envisioned a castle venue being too big for your requirements, think again. We caught up with the team behind the historic and truly stunning venue Farnham Castle, located on the Surrey/Hampshire, border, to get their take on why you should consider a Castle venue for your next corporate booking.
Space and Capacity
In the past, planners may have initially searched for venues by capacity, but moving forward the bigger should be the better, even though your guest numbers may be smaller. Castles, such as Farnham Castle, would have hosted celebrations and events for hundreds and hundreds of years, and therefore they are more than likely to offer larger entertainment spaces. Although you may only need space for a small meeting or conference, the floorplan of a Castle venue could offer you the variety and flexible lay out spaces you require to keep your guests safe. Plus, as Castles tend to be large buildings, you may be able to take
advantage of multiple rooms, and even bedrooms depending on the style or length of your event. In regards to capacity, Castle venues may be able to offer unique options as they may have outdoor space to take advantage of too!
Location
We’ve had to adapt to a new way of life recently and the recent restrictions on transport and distance may have altered people’s willingness to venture further afield. Therefore, choosing a venue to hold your event in a great location should be high on your priorities list. Farnham Castle, for example, although located in a small market town in Surrey, is actually based in a prime location. The Castle is located just 1 mile from a train station offering a direct line in to London Waterloo, and is within 20 minutes of both the M25 and M3 Motorways. Gatwick and Heathrow are each within an hour from the venue and being located in a town makes it easy for guests to explore more than just your venue if they plan on extending their visit beyond the time they are required to be at your event.
Venue Style
Regardless of your event, you’ll want your guests to leave feeling as if they’ve experienced something special. It is easy to book a traditional conference centre, but why not think outside the box and explore venues that provide a unique twist? A Castle venue offers history, character, space and as no two Castles are ever the same, your guests definitely wouldn’t have experienced visiting such a rare building. Even if you haven’t considered booking a Castle venue in fear that it wouldn’t be to the style you’d imagined, it’s definitely worth visiting a variety of venue styles because seeing a location in person and meeting with a specialist planning team doesn’t compare to what you can learn online. And, even if you don’t end up booking the venue for your next event, having seen the venue may inspire you to book it or enquire further in the future.
Facilities
There’s nothing worse than arriving at your meeting, conference or event, un-prepared or missing something essential that you may need during the day or night. Specialist event venues will be prepared to assist you with all of your requirements, from technical issues to extra food or drink if they have a kitchen on-site. You may also want to consider a venue that offers free parking, airy rooms with high ceilings offering the feeling of space, and staff who understand and will look after your every requirement.
Accommodation
Depending on the time or day of your meeting or event, you may need to prepare early or require the space late in to the evening. Therefore, choosing a venue with accommodation on-site is a huge benefit. Even if you don’t wish to stay the night, your guests might, so having the option available is an added bonus.
A message from Farnham Castle’s Head of Marketing, Francesca Cribb
“There’s a reason Castles were built with such grandeur in the past, and that is because they were made to host incredible events for royalty and people with status many years ago. Nowadays, Castles across the world have been modernised and updated to host a wide variety of meetings, conferences, weddings and events, but as they still retain so much of their history, they are truly special and can most certainly offer something different to what you would have ever experienced in the past. Castle venues also have the added benefit of space, and here at Farnham Castle we are extremely flexible, open to suggestions and love nothing more than helping turn your plans in to a reality.”
For meetings, conferences, product launches, Christmas parties or events, please contact Farnham Castle directly to discuss your plans and ideas.
01252 720409 | events@farnhamcastle.com
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