Some Creative Meeting Venues Travelers are using in the new Sharing Economy

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Looking for a cure for monotonous meetings? Event travel planners are seeing an uptick in the booking of ‘unique’ meeting venues sourced from the sharing economy. Creative industries such as those in technology, fashion, and media have long booked non-traditional spaces, however, the trend of turning to more nontraditional meeting venues is spreading like wildfire as companies divert from bland board rooms and hotel meeting spaces in efforts to open minds and inspire innovation. Rather than the standard options commonly found on Breather and WeWork in big cities, businesses are booking privately-owned venues with a bit more pizazz.

What Unique & Interesting Places Could Host Your Next Meeting or Team-Builder?

In today’s sharing economy, opportunities abound in the U.S. and abroad:

  • Floating house boats.Some Creative Meeting Venues Travelers are using in the new Sharing Economy
  • Restaurant venues.
  • Cocktail lounges.
  • Historic wineries, cellars & wine caves.
  • Yoga studios.
  • Photography studios.
  • Museums.
  • Greenspaces.
  • Co-working spaces.
  • Private residences.
  • And more!

How Can You Get There?

Employees shouldn’t have to make their own arrangements to take advantage of unique meeting venues. Many business travel agencies are utilizing the sharing economy to access exclusive opportunities through online marketplaces such as Airbnb for Work and Spacebase. Which might be best for your upcoming engagement?

  • Airbnb
    Operating in over 800 markets globally, Airbnb is continuing to develop its platform, branching out to encompass ‘Airbnb for Work’ and ‘Airbnb Experiences.’ Rather than the usual fare, the former includes unique lodging for business travelers that incorporate a leisure/tourism element into work travel to break the work travel grind. The latter, facilitating experiential offsite meeting locales and internal events. A loyalty program is promised, but as yet, in the works.
  • Spacebase
    Intentionally designed to mimic Airbnb’s platform to make navigation easier, Spacebase was developed by an emerging group of entrepreneurs seeking to marry the needs of the meetings industry with the sharing economy. Matching the needs of businesses with occupancies in independently owned spaces that can double as event venues, businesses can take advantage of unique accommodations in popular destinations such as Munich, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and more. Book a space by the hour or day for 10-100+ people, then retire to upscale or quirky residences by night.

Hooking a Booking

The best travel management solutions make perusing availability and booking a venue easy. It’s easy to specify searches based on factors like space capacity, price per hour, or venue style. Though cost is difficult to compare in an apples-to-apples way with hotel meeting spaces, Spacebase’s website touts booking creative venues can save as much as 40% compared to comparable hotel meeting spaces. Cost per square footage is comparable, as is service quality and response rate. The value of breaking the boredom of office meetings and challenging the traditional to inspire imagination and creativity, however, is immeasurable.

Looking for corporate travel planners with an eye for the exceptional? Experience greatness at GTI Travel today.

Common Event Travel Nightmares (and How to Avoid Them!)

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Planning and managing a corporate event takes a lot of time, money and effort. Event travel management can be particularly challenging, and being aware of potential issues and how to avoid them can prevent problems before they start.  These common corporate event travel nightmares don’t have to ruin your event; with a little help you can pull it off without a hitch and even save a few dollars.

Common Event Travel Nightmares and How to Avoid Them by GTI Travel

1. Overspending

When it comes to corporate event planning and travel, one of the major problems is that the money being spent doesn’t belong to the people who are spending it. Creating a budget and staying accountable is essential if you want to pull off a successful event that won’t break the bank. Corporate travel management companies have access to global networks that provide low corporate rates for air, hotel and ground transportation and can save your company thousands of dollars. They offer rooming lists, arrival/departure reports and cost-savings analysis to help you save money and solve attendance problems before they happen. After your event is over, having access to a money-saving reports, analysis and follow-up assessments can help improve planning and spending for your next event.

 

2. Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

Organizing committees may sound like a good idea, but let’s face it—when there are more people involved there is more potential for conflict and errors. Streamlining the planning and execution of a corporate event can save an inordinate amount of time, stress and money. Putting a few knowledgeable employees in charge of the project and having them work in concert with experienced travel management services professionals will simplify the process and make things easier for everyone involved. These dedicated agents can help with everything from event site selection, transportation and attendee registration to meals, activities, and more.

 

3. Poor On-Site Management

So it’s time for the big event and everything seems to be going well….until it isn’t. Lodging mix-ups, registration mishaps, inclement weather and other factors beyond your control can throw a wrench in pulling off a successful corporate event. On-site program directors can help you and your employees avoid stress while traveling by taking care of both small details and bigger issues, allowing you to focus your attention on the meetings and events at hand.

 

4. Walking a Fine Line Between Business and Pleasure

If an event is too dry attendees may lose interest, but it’s important to keep it professional. The best corporate events communicate a company’s values, culture and intentions with engaging content in an environment that connects guests. Recreational activities are a great way for people to unwind and connect, but providing clear guidelines for employee conduct can help your company avoid personnel disasters that could spell trouble. A company that provides travel management for business travel can assist you with creating well-defined guidelines that outline your employees’ responsibilities, a code of conduct and the procedures they are required to follow when attending conferences, events or traveling for business.

 

Professional travel management assistance and proper planning, coordination and execution can turn these event travel nightmares into a successful and enjoyable event you’ve dreamed of.