The venue has the right square footage, acceptable room rates, and availability on preferred dates. Several months later, attendees leave unmoved and engagement metrics fall flat because nobody considered whether the space actually reflected who the organization is.
Carola Molinares-Risch, Vice President of Global Accounts at HPN Global, has spent over 30 years partnering with convention planners, venues, cities, associations, corporations, and academic organizations from Colombia to Colorado, Miami, and now Pittsburgh.
Her view is that most venue sourcing treats space as a commodity when it should reflect organizational identity and shape attendee experience.
Understanding Client Values Before Evaluating Properties
Venue sourcing that starts with availability and pricing treats space as an interchangeable commodity. Venues communicate values and shape how attendees experience events.
“I don’t start with venues, I start with people,” Molinares-Risch explains. “What are your values? What feeling do you want attendees to leave with?”
Organizations with a strong heritage might choose historic European properties where architecture and tradition amplify their identity. Technology companies emphasizing innovation might select sleek contemporary spaces in cities known for forward-thinking design. Academic institutions valuing collaboration might prioritize venues with flexible spaces encouraging interaction.
The right venue feels like an extension of organizational identity rather than a neutral container for programming. When academic conferences happen in sterile hotel ballrooms, the disconnect between institutional values and physical environment undermines engagement. When innovation summits occur in dated facilities, the venue contradicts the message.
“A historic European property can amplify heritage, a sleek United States hotel can underline innovation,” Molinares-Risch notes. “The right venue should feel like an extension of your identity.”
This requires understanding what organizations value and what they want attendees to experience before evaluating properties. Most sourcing processes reverse this, reviewing available venues and then selecting the best fit from the options presented. Starting with identity and working backwards to venues that reflect it produces different results.
Considering Destination Experiences Beyond Meeting Rooms
Venue sourcing focused narrowly on meeting space ignores that the attendee experience includes neighborhood, local customs, accessibility, and what the destination offers beyond conference programming.
“Look at the neighborhood, local customs, accessibility, and the experiences your destination offers,” Molinares-Risch explains. “In Latin America, hospitality and storytelling can make an event unforgettable. In Europe, architecture and art add depth. In the United States, logistics and scale often win the day.”
Neighborhoods shape attendee experience outside formal programming. Urban districts with walkable dining and culture create a different energy than suburban properties requiring shuttles for any activity. Local customs influence how people interact. Hospitality norms in Latin America encourage connection differently than efficiency-focused service in United States business hotels.
Accessibility determines who can fully participate. Venues meeting compliance minimums might still create barriers through layout, transportation options, or neighborhood infrastructure that limit mobility-impaired attendees.
Destination experiences beyond meeting rooms affect whether attendees engage deeply or treat events as obligations to endure. Cities offering rich cultural programming, distinctive food scenes, or unique local experiences create opportunities for informal connection and memorable moments that formal sessions alone cannot deliver.
“Those local flavors shape how people connect,” Molinares-Risch emphasizes.
Marrying Creativity with Practical Execution
Culturally attuned venues matter, but so do contracts, food and beverage quality, technology infrastructure, and risk management.
“Beauty matters, but so do contracts, food and beverage, tech, and risk management,” Molinares-Risch explains. “My job is to protect you, negotiate value while preserving authenticity.”
Venues that feel perfect during site visits can create problems during execution. Contracts with unfavorable cancellation terms expose organizations to financial risk. Food and beverage minimums that seemed reasonable during planning become burdensome when attendance projections don’t materialize. The technology infrastructure is inadequate for hybrid programming, which limits accessibility and reach.
Years working with global brands and independent properties taught Molinares-Risch to navigate different service styles and business practices. Global hotel chains offer consistency and predictable contract terms but sometimes lack local character. Independent properties provide distinctive experiences but may have less standardized operations or fewer resources for complex logistics.
“Years with global brands and independence taught me to navigate different service styles and business practices smoothly,” Molinares-Risch notes.
Sourcing Venues That Create Meaningful Experiences
“When a space fits your audience, participants feel seen and engaged,” Molinares-Risch concludes. “That alignment turns meetings into moments people remember. Choose venues with intention, keep strategy at the core, and focus on the people you are bringing together. That’s where real impact lives.”
Organizations treating venues as a commodity based on square footage and rates get functional spaces that meet basic requirements. Organizations sourcing venues with the intention of getting spaces that amplify identity, enhance engagement, and create experiences attendees remember.
Understand client values and audience identity before evaluating properties. Consider neighborhood, local customs, accessibility, and destination experiences beyond meeting rooms. Marry creativity with practical execution on contracts, operations, and risk management.
When these factors align, venue sourcing stops being transactional procurement and becomes a strategic decision that shapes how attendees experience events and whether meetings create lasting impact.
Connect with Carola Molinares-Risch on LinkedIn for insights on venue sourcing with intention.
