The purpose of the research was to determine the requirements that should be fulfilled both on the part of the hotels and event venues as on the part of event organizers to ensure the success and high quality of a conference or convention.

The following must-have hotel amenities are a necessary requirement:

• Parking with video surveillance/sufficient parking/garage
• Sufficient number of single rooms
• Accessibility to persons with special needs
• A hotel restaurant or a restaurant in the close vicinity of the hotel where formal dinners can be organized
• A sports field and other facilities convenient for team building activities
• A large and spacious hotel lobby
• Suitable and separate entrances to the meeting room – one for the lecturers and another for the participants
• Flexibility of menus (dietary food, vegetarian/vegan cuisine, catering to people with allergies to certain ingredients)/a varied offer for coffee and refreshment breaks
• Good catering
• Late check-out
• Airport proximity

As for the congress facilities and capacity, the first criterion which must be satisfied concerns the number of meeting halls, their capacity, and possibilities in regard to configuration changes at customer request (the most frequent request cited in the research is for a U-shaped configuration).

Additionally, some of the other basic criteria include:

• Meeting hall flexibility and partitioning, moving walls, tables, and chairs
• A meeting hall allowing for different configurations
• High ceiling
• Natural lighting and ventilation
• Noise isolation
• Registration desk
• Wardrobe
• Sufficient number of toilets
• Adequate space between chairs and rows
• Good visibility in the meeting room for all participants
• A front area or functional lobby appropriate for catering
• Exhibition space
• Separate entrance to the congress center
• Event manager – a person in charge of managing a specific event
• Precise signs throughout the hotel (printed and electronic)
• Restaurant schedule flexibility (coffee break, lunch, etc.)

When talking about event organization, technical equipment is another must. The participants in the research specified the following equipment as necessary for the success of a convention / congress / seminar:

• Screen and projector
• Sound system
• Flip chart, stand, markers
• WiFi
• Video conference equipment
• Simultaneous translation equipment
• Video beam
• Laptop
• Wireless microphone
• White board
• Indicator
• Extension cables / sufficient number of sockets enabling multiple laptop use
  *Technician available throughout the event

The remaining items thought to be must-have for any event organized or attended include:

• Courteous staff able to handle program changes
• Good service
• Cleanliness of facilities
• Separate smokers’ area during coffee breaks (door to balcony)
• Breaks – at least an hour and a half after lunch prior to start of afternoon session
• Adherence to planned schedule
• Bottled water on tables
• Technical support throughout the event

In conclusion, one of the things that affect the choice of venue for an event is courteous, professional, well organized, and friendly staff and good pre-event communication between the hotel and organizer, marked primarily by flexibility, readiness to adjust to group needs, and an experienced team event manager.

M.M.