Veni, vidi, venue

The choice of venue is central to the planning of any event. For some conferences it's simply a matter of finding the right sort of hotel, located with easy motorway access from most parts of the country. For others it has to be an international venue that has good connections globally and offers a touch of glamour - like Budapest, which is featured in the picture above.
Most conferences require overnight accommodation, so organisers are generally looking at hotels with a 4+star rating, but the challenge then is that conference hotels are all very much of a muchness. The event can end up in a conventional ballroom, with a standard platform, looking like the venue for a concert or some sort of rally. The result is predictable: the delegates march in to the soothing tones of "walk-in muzak" and take their seats in the role of audience, to be entertained by the show on the stage - or motivated by the political messages from the platform.
It's more imaginative to use the hotel for what it's best at - a place for dinner, bed and breakfast. Then choose an alternative venue for the conference, somewhere that can serve as a blank canvas for the creativity of the internal communications department and event producers. Premises that become a stimulating location for interaction and debate. Conferences are not about being in an audience, politely listening and then applauding: conferences are a dynamic communication tool that can change the mindset of the delegates, getting them to think and act differently once they return back to base. Conferences belong to the delegates, not the platform, because the delegates are the ones who make it all happen, whether they are employed by the people on the platform, or are the distribution channels that move the company's products.
This isn't anarchy and it's certainly not communism, but for many organisations it will come as something of a revolution. For years Budapest suffered under "management" that told the people what to do. It didn't work, and once the power returned to the people the country rediscovered its identity and dignity. Companies and organisations that think this way are the ones that will thrive in the 21st century: it's all about belonging to something that you believe in.
Caesar may have come to Britain, seen and conquered, but leadership today is more about involvement and less about control - and that takes both foresight and courage.