Eco-awareness has boomed in the last few years. With the catastrophic levels of plastic pollution and greenhouses gasses, businesses of all levels, from small startups to huge corporations, are now taking it upon themselves to be more eco-conscious in how they direct business and events. Environmentally friendly consumers appreciate when businesses go the extra mile to help save the environment.
Events provide the perfect opportunity to showcase how your business participates in the rising wave of the environmentally aware. Here are a few top tips in planning your event to be more eco-friendly:
CONSIDER ECO-FRIENDLY VENUES
One of the best ways to show your potential attendees you are planning an eco-friendly event is hosting it in an eco-friendly venue. By using these alternatives, they are compliant in reducing fossil fuels and decreasing environmental damage. Some venues offer Biomass Boilers, thermal insulation, natural ventilation and gathering rainwater.The EU’s Future Cities project is an initiative to help promote livable and climate-proof cities. An example beingCambridge Living Future Community Eco-Village, built with the purpose of sustainability. An increasing number of venues and buildings are adapting to reduce future environmental harm and deal with climate change.
RECYCLING
Creating a clear and simple recycling scheme is a great way to encourage your attendees to take the green option. Making it as easy and accessible as possible by having multiple recycling bins listing what can and can’t be recycled reiterates your green policy to your attendees. An increasing number of events like Boardmasters Festivalin Cornwall are taking on a ‘Green Team’ to aid in keeping the festival as clean and green as possible!
TECHNOLOGY
Paper is often used at events because it is cheap and easy to dispose of. However, paper waste accounts for a significant amount of wastage at events, and in the modern world, it’s increasingly unnecessary.If you have the opportunity, make tablets available during your event with all the details needed about the event. Use them to replace sign-in sheets or email marketing sheets. Alternatively, prior to the event inform guests about event details by sharing attachments for attendees to access on mobile or tablet.Send tickets digitally so they are accessible via mobile and use QR codes to avoid printing off tickets.
FOOD AND DRINK
If you plan to supply attendees with food and drink during the event, consider using biodegradable and recyclable packaging. It will make a huge impact on the volume of waste produced during the event. Deposit schemes for reusable cups are another great way to reduce waste as attendees are more likely to return them at the end of the event instead of just disposing of them.Over-catering is also another huge issue when it comes to arranging events. It is estimated that around “⅓ of all food waste” produced or lost comes from the global events industry. Food into landfill is a major cause of landfill methane emissions and is a global greenhouse gas contributor.Estimate the volume of food required by considering the number of attendees, the type of event, and the timetable of activities and always double-check dietary requirements before the event. That way, you should be able to limit the amount of food wastage during the event.
CREATE INCENTIVES
Reward your attendees for their green efforts! Offer a car-sharing scheme, offer priority to those using e-tickets for parking and entrance to the event. You can always offer discounted tickets to the event or to the next event to those attendees who have used QR codes, for example, or another green initiative. And finally, offering prize draws and free ticket prizes can always incentivise attendees to go green! It is unnecessary to take on every one of these green initiatives; however, if more events take on just one of these ideas, it will help the events industry reduce its impact on the environment and provide another incentive for your guests to attend your event!
5 reasons why you should use Helm for your Christmas events
We love Christmas at Helm Tickets, and we’re thrilled to be the chosen platform for so many of your Christmas and New Year’s events. Like Santa, we know our organisers have lots to prepare for the big day, and we want to make this as easy as possible. So, if you’re still wondering why you should use us for your festive event, wonder no more.
Here are 5 reasons you should:
Get paid BEFORE your event! At Helm, you will receive your ticket revenue monthly, even if your event hasn’t happened yet. We never make you wait for your payment. We’ve run events ourselves, and we know how helpful it is to have the money upfront to pay deposits, staff, catering etc. This helps your cash flow and makes running your event easier for you, our aim in everything we do. Just think of us as your own little elves.
Simple, fair and transparent pricing. We don’t believe in confusing or unfair pricing systems, so we charge one single percentage amount for our booking fees. We don’t tie you into contracts or plans, we don’t charge extra for any of our features, and we don’t have any hidden fees or charges. Ever. Leaving you with more money to spend on all those festive treats!
Sell your tickets through your own website (or grotto). With Helm Tickets, you can easily embed your box office so people can buy tickets to your event on your own website. This means more direct visitor traffic to your website, and your attendees stay on your site for longer, increasing your potential for sales. We bet Santa wishes he had such an easy system for his grotto!
Easy to use. Our platform gives you access to all the features you need whenever you need them. All our features are available to everyone (elves included), and you only need one account to handle everything to do with your event – no need to sign up for things like separate payment accounts. You can even synchronise your HubSpot and MailChimp accounts with your Helm account for even easier use.
Memberships. Much like Santa’s naughty or nice list, our unique memberships feature allows you to set up groups for specific things. You can charge a recurring fee to any members you have and give them access to specific benefits, like free or discounted tickets. This is a great way to boost your cash flow through guaranteed membership income, and it increases the likelihood that people will attend your events. Much like leaving a carrot and eggnog out on Christmas Eve, making people (and reindeer) feel appreciated helps ensure repeat attendance at your events.
We hope this has helped you decide to use Helm Tickets for your festive events. We’d love to have you on board, and we’re happy to help with any questions you might have.
With Manchester being ranked the 5th largest city in the UK and containing a population of approximately 540,000, hosting an event will surely be hard on the wallet. However, we at Helm have compiled this list of 9 free/low-cost venues in the city of Manchester to help you find the venue your event deserves at a reasonable price.
Manchester is a city full to the brim with culture, history and architectural beauty. So, the city’s fast pace can be overwhelming, even for the most seasoned event planner, so we chose venues that are closest to the city centre, allowing easier access to your event through public transport, which will boost the turnout and popularity of your event. If you’re struggling to find an affordable yet professional venue, look no further, we’ve got you covered.
Location: Work. Life Manchester, Core building, Brown Street, Manchester, M2 1DH Capacity: 10 guests Price: £70 per hour Travel: 12-minute walk to Salford central station and a 5 min walk to st peters square tram stop
Suitable for: The Burgess room @ work. Life Manchester is an excellent venue for a small intimate gathering such as a small business meeting, group brainstorming session and workshop. The burgess room isn’t a large venue; however, this room is nowhere near cramped. And with its contemporary design,your guests will have optimal room to create new and forward-thinking cutting-edge ideas thanks to your forward-thinking event.
Work. Life Manchester has multiple venues onsite, so it would be worth checking them out through the link and enquiring directly with the venue to find the best possible space for your event.
Location: Free Trade Hall, Peter Street, Manchester, M2 5GP Capacity: 12-30 guests Price: ££ Travel: 9-minute walk to Manchester Oxford Road station and a 6-minute walk to st peters square tram station
Suitable for: Private room 12 is tucked-away, although that doesn’t mean a stuffy old room with no windows, private room 12 is the room with the largest natural daylight source within the Edwardian that will allow you and your guests an uninterrupted space with a sleek and formal design that is perfect for business meetings, seminars, product launches and workshops. This space will maximise the turnout of your event with its professional atmosphere, which will complement your event’s professionalism and boost your guests’ productivity.
Location: 9-century street, Manchester, M3 4QL Capacity: 50 -150 Price: £60 per hour (min. 3 hours hire) Travel: 1-minute walk to Deansgate station and a 1-minute walk to Deansgate-Castlefield tram station
Suitable for: With a brick ceiling and a comfy, relaxed atmosphere, the attic and study at Lock 91 is a great venue for product launches, seminars, workshops and informal gatherings. With the space of two seating areas, the attic and study are a versatile and spacious venue for any event that you can throw at it. In this venue, your guests can relax in an atmosphere that feels comfortable and will breed interest in your event. This old 19th century, Victorian lock keepers cottage is a small independent but with the passion and ability to make your event massive, boosting both turnout and the success of your event.
Location: Eleven Didsbury Park, Didsbury Park, Didsbury Village, Manchester M20 5LH Capacity: 80 guests Price: £300 per day (12:30- 22:00) Travel: 8-minute walk to East Didsbury station
Suitable for: Although this venue isn’t right within the city, it’s great, tucked away venue for any type of event: seminars, product launches, networking events, business parties or a small conference; the walled gardens can suit any event. Its relaxed, spacious and comforting environment makes it a great backdrop for any event you want to host. The Victorian walled gardens is a perfect venue for an outside event that takes you and your guests away from the strains of a simple office room and gives you the space to breathe and let your creativity and productivity run wild.
Location: Deansgate, Manchester, M1 5LH Capacity: up to 560 guests Price: £150 min spend Travel: 2-minute walk to Deansgate station and around a 1-minute walk to Deansgate-Castlefield tram station
Suitable for: With Lola lo Manchester, you can give your guests an authentic tiki experience that would be perfect for workshops, product launch parties, team getaways, and business parties. The space is versatile for anything you can throw at it. Lola lo pull out all the stops when trying to make your event memorable for your guests. They can provide entertainment ranging from firebreathers to sax players; they truly can provide an experience that will leave your guests stunned. The venue also has a bar on-site that can provide a wide range of premium spirits and their very own tiki cocktails.
Location: Pollard Street, Manchester, M40 7FS Capacity: up to 40 guests Price: £25 per hour Travel: 5-minute walk to Butler street tram station and a 4-minute walk to Cambrian street tram station
Suitable for: This quaint little workspace is a great venue to host your creative event. Wellington studios breathe creativity, so why not host your own training day or workshop at this space? The event and workshop space’s open plan layout means that your space has room for your guests to expand their artistic ideas and creations without cramping on others space. This venue is then only enhanced by the natural light that will flood your event, which will help the venue look even more spacious. Wellington studios also provide tea and coffee making facilities and a breakout area if you need to take a break from all the creating.
Location: 24 Hood street, Ancoats urban village, Manchester, M4 6WX Capacity: 6 guests Price: £24 per hour Travel: 12-Minute walk to Shudehill tram station
Suitable for: Meeting room 1 is a small room perfect for those small and intimate crucial business meetings. The room is small; however, it never feels cramped but rather a perfect amount of space for the number of people needed for the meeting you’re hosting. Room one was specifically designed in mind for meetings and had the right technology for all of your needs. Host your next meeting here, and you’ll leave knowing you accomplished the right tasks within the right space.
Location: 24 Hood street, Ancoats urban village, Manchester, M4 6WX Capacity: up to 180 guests Price: £420 (9:00-17:00) Travel:12-Minute walk to shudehill tram station
Suitable for: With a great view and open space, the roof terrace at jactin house is a great venue for an event with a large group of guests. With the spaciousness, the roof terrace is perfect for corporate parties, product launches, seminars or networking events as it allows your guests to intertwine and mingle in an open space. This space is a great place to hold your next event as it inspires creative thinking as well as relaxing your guests in an area that they can feel comfortable in, which in the long run will boost turnout and the popularity of your next event.
Location: Dale street, 20, Manchester, M1 1EZ Capacity: up to 100 guests Prices: from £200 per half-day Travel: 1-minute walk to lever street tram station and an 8-minute walk to Manchester Piccadilly
Suitable for: The side room at twenty twenty-two is a great place to take your guests for a casual and entertaining event that will bring out their creativity as well as their inner child. The ping pong bar is a relaxed area for your guests to mingle and engage in the odd game of table tennis to spark up some friendly competition. Still, other than that, it’s a great place to host events such as corporate parties, team getaways, workshops and product launch parties. The side room has a modern aesthetic that will allow your guests to be as productive at your event as they can but without the constraints of feeling like they’re stuck in an office.
We chose Manchester for this list due to its abundance of venues that would be perfect for any event you wish to throw, sadly we couldn’t put every great venue that Manchester has, but instead we picked these venues to show you a wider range of venues that Manchester can offer. Whether it’s your first event or you’re an event planning master, these venues are perfect for anything you could throw at them. We at Helm always try to show you what’s available, but we love seeing when event planners that use our services find a venue that they have found themselves as we encourage exploration of new venues and amazing events.
Bristol may be the green capital of the UK, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the cheapest city. This list has been created to help you save those green notes in your wallet when choosing your event venues.
Bristol is a bustling city. We’ve researched and found the venues closest to the city centre, allowing easier access to public transport, maximising your events’ accessibility, boosting turnout and popularity. Whether you’re organising a meetup, seminar, training or a product launch – we’ve got you covered. Many of these venues have multiple rooms, so it’s worth clicking through the links and enquiring directly with the venue to find a space suitable for your event.
Choosing the date to run your event is one of the biggest decisions during the whole management process. If you choose a date too soon, you risk not selling enough tickets in time. If you choose a date in the future, your event could be usurped by a larger, annual event that’s announced after yours; there could even be problems if you pick the wrong day of the week.
With that in mind, please take a look at some of our tips for researching the best day of the week and month to host your event, as well as suggestions on how to ensure you don’t clash with another.
The time of year of your event should be based on the type of the event, the industry standard and your target market. The planning could also be ‘time of year’ based if your event is season-specific (we don’t need to tell you not to run your Halloween House of Horrors in March or your Christmas Craft Day in August…)
The starting point for selecting a good date for your event is identifying your target market, then understanding it. Like you would with any marketing or business plan, consider the needs of the target market.
Day of the Week
Overall, choosing a day of the week is more about ensuring potential guests’ availability and appropriate for your industry, type of event and target market. It’s important to position your event in the most accessible and attractive way for attendees. Don’t let potential ticket buyers have any doubt about being able to/wanting to attend.
Professional Events
Suppose you’re running a straight-up networking event. In that case, it’d be more appropriate to host it midweek – no one’s going to attend your accounting meetup on a Saturday night – it’d be extra work. During the week, guests will be in professional mode and may potentially be looking for a reason to skip out of the office early after lunch…
Some professional events are more casual than others; for example, if you organise networking events at cocktail bars, you don’t need to host your event during the workday. Consider Thursday evenings – it’s late enough in the week for guests to feel they deserve a break, but it’s not Friday when everyone is ready for the weekend by 2pm.
Entertainment and Leisure
If you organise club nights for the 25-35 market, it’d be more suitable for your event to be a Friday or a Saturday, allowing those who’ve had a long week to let off some steam. On the other hand, a kids club would be more attractive to parents if it were on a weekday, where the children could go straight from school.
Month or Time of Year
If your event isn’t dependant on the time of year or themed at all, considering when to hold the event should be based on external factors, like what else is scheduled for the same time. Consider this on a variety of bases; from what’s happening in the local area, your event will be held into what’s happening on a global scale that could affect attendance.
Locally:
When organising an event targeted at a certain location, you need to consider a variety of factors. Consider:
Accessibility: Is there anything happening locally that could limit the accessibility of your venue on that day? Even if it’s not another event, consider things like scheduled road closures.
Are there any events in the area that could attract your attendees? Even events not targeted at your specific market could affect. For example, a community fun day or local sports day could pull potential attendees from your event as it attracts a wider, more general audience.
Will there have been an event similar to yours recently that could have saturated the market? If you’re the one organising a local community day, double-check there hasn’t just been one!
Industry:
Perhaps you organise meetups for users of a specific piece of software. You might not be connected much online to the community. Still, if an updated launch is scheduled during a tech conference or everyone will be attending an enthusiasts trade show, it might be better to wait until attendees aren’t distracted.
Seasonal trends
Other notable sector events
Nationally/globally:
What will be happening on the day that could attract national or international attention? Even if you’re not interested in the World Cup Final or a Royal Wedding, those events could take away potential attendees from your event. So, check calendars for the following:
Public holidays (Bank holidays, national holidays depending on your location)
Religious holidays (Consider your target audience and their network, even if they’re not religious, their attendance could be affected by their community observing a holiday)
Potential weather (i.e. if your event could be called off due to snow or ruined by rain)
When guests could be on holiday (July/August)
Long term, notable events like sports competitions (Wimbledon, Olympics).
Tools for Finding Clashes
There are some easy ways to double-check for event clashes in your area, industry and nationally.
Search the date – a cursory search of months and even days on a search engine will draw up any key events, like below. You can even search on Wikipedia for notable, scheduled events by looking at the month/day.
Search local – where relevant, check local sites. Many cities, counties and regions will have a ‘What’s On’ page or a tourism website with scheduled events.
Search communities – look for relevant platforms, forums and groups online for the sector you’re targeting to find potential clashes or dates to avoid.
The words “low cost” and “London” might not sound like they go together, but it is possible to find affordable venues in the capital, even if it involves being creative with your use of the space. We’ve done a little research and found some venues around the city that could be utilised for various events. When organising an event in London, you’ll also have to consider accessibility. In the city centre, look at venues close to an underground station and for venues further out, look for train stations. The wealth of venue options in London means many have lower rates for charities/nonprofits or small companies.
We’ve done a little bit of the leg work for you, and below, you’ll find a mix of small and medium low-cost venues around the capital. Click through any of the images or links to enquire and book directly with the venue! Many of the venues have multiple rooms, so it’s worth taking a closer look to see if there’s a bigger or smaller room more suited to your needs/budget.
So far, the venues have been more focused on the work side of events, so to finish up our list of small venues, take a look at one more suited to play…
