Corporate Events

Be among the few to stand in front of the secret bookcase and say the magic words: "Open Sesame." And poof! The Magic Castle, an elusive LA attraction, will reveal itself as one of the most coveted venues in Los Angeles.

It's not an illusion! World-class entertainment in Los Angeles unfolds right in front of your eyes as you enter this four-story Victorian castle smack-dab in the middle of Hollywood. It holds up to 360 people for meetings and special events.

Combined with the most exciting group dining Los Angeles has to offer and the convenience of a hip hotel right on the property, the Magic Castle is a triple threat. Successful Los Angeles corporate event planning includes a creative conference site or diverse banquet hall, and the Magic Castle holds the cards.

Cvent Planner Insider Tip: Put an ace in your pocket! Befriend a magical member to harness your full Los Angeles event planning potential.

To find more unique Los Angeles venues, visit the Cvent Supplier Network.

The Lobby at Twelve is not your run-of-the-mill hotel waiting area. There's no suitcases, bellman, or key cards here, and its patrons are not only guests of the Twelve Hotel but some of Atlanta's elite. Listed as one of the best Atlanta restaurants by Atlanta Magazine and Access Atlanta, this downtown Atlanta eatery is a city hot pot for singles and business professionals who want to see and be seen.

The tantalizing menu includes a variety of land and sea options to appease a wide range of tastes. Awaken your palate with the Red Snapper Ratatouille, BBQ Chicken Wood Oven Pizza or even the Pappardelle Pasta. For dessert, the Flourless Chocolate Cake was named among the city's best by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Pair any dish with a glass of the finest wines around the world from its 115-bottle wine list.

Private dining in an intimate setting is available at the Cellar, an Atlanta private dining facility located within the Lobby at Twelve. Mostly larger groups, business meetings and of course wine tastings are hosted amidst the contemporary mahogany wood tables, which seat parties of 48 or fewer guests.

Many guests go to a restaurant to feed their hunger, but next time you plan an event in Atlanta, come to the Lobby to satisfy all your senses. Smell the American cuisine, taste the urban cocktails, see some of Atlanta's finest, hear your guests compliment your venue selection and feel the warmth of the staff's true Southern hospitality.

More than 100 years after its original opening, The Edison still shines brightly. Conveniently located near the LA convention center, it is set in one of the first private power plants in California. The historic Edison is truly one of the most unique venues in Los Angeles.

A tribute to the sultry bygone era of industry, science and innovation, this LA party venue explodes with provocative history and tantalizing treats. Depression-inspired comfort food, decadent nostalgic design, and glamorous live entertainment are what makes this locale a top LA attraction and "one of the best new bars in America," according to Esquire magazine.

If you are looking for electrifying entertainment, this LA restaurant is sure to spark your interest. It has a lofty open floor plan, making it perfect for accommodating intimate groups of 10 people to grand gatherings of 300 guests.

Cvent Planner Insider Tip: Receive glowing reviews from your clients this holiday season by booking this rare Los Angeles corporate event space.

View more information about The Edison on the Cvent Supplier Network

During the last week of October, Chicago celebrates Halloween with spooky events all across the city. From a midnight circus to a pooch parade, Chicago knows how to give a good scare! 

Chronicles of the Cursed

This haunted house is the largest in the city of Chicago. Located on Grand Avenue, the 20,000-square-foot facility is filled with monsters, ghouls and zombies who will scare you with a bone-chilling experience you will never forget!

Fall Fireworks Dinner Cruises

Many of Chicago's event venues on the water are hosting fall fireworks dinner cruises. The Odyssey, Mystic Blue and Spirit of Chicago are all welcoming guests aboard for a Halloween party unlike any other. Along with the beautiful fall fireworks display hosted by the city, these vessels will be decorated with cobwebs, ghosts and delicious food for guests to enjoy. Like what you see? All of these ships are available for private rentals for Chicago corporate events and social functions.

Franken Plaza

This year marks the 13th annual Franken Plaza Halloween celebration! On-site events hosted by the Special Events Department of Chicago (the hosts of the live taping of Oprah on Michigan Avenue) will include a midnight circus of "high flying aerial entertainers," Pyrotechniq—a show combined with dance, theater and fire—pumpkin decorating, and a farmers' market with fresh fall goodies. Don't forget the best part—it's free!

Seadog Haunted Tours

Experience the lights and freights of Chicago on this specialized city tour. While cruising down the river and viewing some of the most gorgeous architecture in the country, a professional docent will enlighten guests with stories of supernatural occurrences in some of Chicago's oldest structures, including the Fort Dearborn Massacre and the Eastland Disaster. During the regular season, Seadog hosts many types of tours for visitors. From river to lake cruises, Seadog is sure to get your adrenaline running on their clean and fast fleet!

Spooky Pooch Parade

The Chicago Botanic Garden opens its doors to the Chicago canine population on Halloween. Dogs from all over the city are invited to dress up in their scariest costumes and walk in a parade to celebrate the season. In addition to the parade, activities include a costume contest and a barking awards ceremony. 

Don't forget to check the Chicago events calendar before planning your meeting and events in Chicago. The city sponsors great events that are sure to get guests out of the meeting rooms and into the spirit!

Got a sweet tooth? Luckily, Halloween is not the only holiday for sweet treats. There are plenty of holidays that call for celebrating. What about: Got A Promotion Day, Aced That Final Exam Day, or I Need some Chocolate in my Life day. Whatever the need for celebration (real or fantasy) may be, Atlantans have the secret recipe for successful celebratory events: the Chocolate Pink Cafe.

Located amongst many of downtown Atlanta special event venues, this cafe attracts the inner child in all of us. From the colorful pastry display case to the trendy urban design of the cafe's dining area, it's also a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. Chocolate Pink's menu is a decadent array of gourmet chocolates, cookies, cakes and tarts, as well as beverages to complement each treat. Special favorites include the White Choc Raspberry Layer Cake, the Pink Lemonade Cupcake and the Apple Frangipane Tart.

The cozy event room at this unique Atlanta venue seats 32 of your closest friends and family for special occasions. Many brides, future moms and even little "divas" have been spotted sampling the "always dessert" menu. In fact, one recent patron was the ever-so-popular Bravo TV reality Real Housewives of Atlanta show star Kim Zolciak, who held her daughter Brielle's birthday party at the cafe last season.

Catering options are available for off-site Atlanta events. Executive chefs can tailor a delicious menu for your next Atlanta wedding, corporate meeting or even private in-home function. No matter whether you're taking a break from lunch or even from your diet, the Chocolate Pink Cafe in Atlanta is the premier choice for pastry delight.

View more information on Chocolate Pink Cafe, along with other Atlanta special event facilities, on the Cvent Supplier Network

The Hearty Restaurant in Chicago is a small storefront space located in the neighborhood of Lakeview, just north of bustling downtown. Partners Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh are no strangers to the food service industry. You may recognize them from their Food Network television series "The Party Line with The Hearty Boys," from the front of their cookbook Talk with Your Mouth Full, or from seeing them in person at one of their restaurants or at their catering facility in Chicago.

These food experts have mastered the design of mid-century American comfort food in their new 60-seat venue. The space is decorated with sea glass subway tiles, a hand-crafted mahogany bar, walls of exposed brick as well as modern stainless steal kitchen tables and stools. The walls are a burnt orange color with accents of a toned down lime green, which sets off a wall mounted fireplace as well as bespoke stained glass art.

Their upscale menu includes a house dish of macaroni and cheese, a rabbit corn dog, foil-wrapped fish grilled over hot coals, and Southern fried chicken. Beverages at this Chicago restaurant staple include American vintage classics such as The Brown Derby and The Aviation, as well as a few different brilliant twists on the standard Bloody Mary. Also available is a wine list comprised of selections from domestic vineyards in Georgia and Texas.

Not only have The Hearty Boys conquered television, books and restaurants, but they have also been a top Chicago catering company for the last 10 years. Their ample and delicious sample menus are just a start when planning a wedding or corporate event in Chicago.

Whether on-site at the restaurant or at a catered Chicago meeting, The Hearty Boys are sure to please your palate!

Planning an event in Orlando doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be full of cartoons and theme parks. The Orlando metropolitan area is a cornucopia of unique and under-commercialized spaces that can fit your specific needs.

In all reality, Orlando has so much to choose from that it can be overwhelming if you don't have an idea of who your target is. In my experience, I've found that working with generalized groupings of the Orlando area can help when determining where to hold your special function.

The city can be broken into four quadrants that contain four entirely different demographics. Understanding these regions makes planning for specific audiences a lot easier, especially for those unfamiliar with the area.

These four sections are:

• The University Area. This is where to go if your demographic is the college and university set. It's the bargain area, where the less expensive venues and some inexpensive accommodations are located.

• The Downtown Area. If you are looking to attract corporate clients, or want your event to appeal to the young, hip professional, the downtown area offers a surplus of unique venues in a very compact, walkable zone. By looking into one of over 100 Orlando restaurants, bars, or clubs, as well as the Citrus Bowl and Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, an event planner can easily find a space to fit any theme or size criteria. There are nicer hotels and restaurants in this area that are more than willing to discount based on party size and patronage of their industry partners.

• The Winter Park Area. Winter Park is a micro-center of socially and financially influential people in Orlando. If a philanthropic or fund-raising opportunity should strike, this along, with certain parts of the downtown area, is your prime location.

• The Tourist Area. If you are in need of a great corporate event space in Orlando, don't pass up the opportunity to look into what Disney, International Drive, Universal and some of the lesser-known tourist attractions have to offer. With some of the most convention footage in the world and different, over-the top themed venues lining the streets, there is something for everyone. The parks are fantastic at incorporating business and pleasure for whatever purpose you may have; they are also incredibly skilled at co-branding. Not only that, but if an event takes place in the off-season, these tourist area venues in Orlando are more than willing to negotiate!

Remember your excitement at the first time you saw a lion up close, or when you first heard a rattlesnake's tail jiggle? A trip to the zoo has always been thought of as a child's playground, a place to see the animals that you'd only known from television or the encyclopedia. Now, you can offer your event guests a renewed sense of childhood bliss at Zoo Atlanta.

This unique downtown Atlanta venue has some of the most intriguing amenities offered with an entrance ticket. Between the live shows, petting zoo and giant panda exhibit, there will be plenty of options for your attendees, whether they consider the zoo an Atlanta corporate event venue, banquet hall, or even Atlanta wedding venue.

The multipurpose function space at Zoo Atlanta is quite extensive, capable of accommodating for 20 to 5,000 guests. Check out the Chinese Plaza & Panda Veranda in which you can enjoy a meal with 100 of your closest friends amidst the panda's natural habitat. For presentations or seminars, the Coca-Cola World Studio is an excellent selection with theater seating for over 250 guests.

Packages include, if your guests are brave enough, an animal encounter (with trainer of course) with demonstrations to educate and entertain. Catering is provided by on-site caterers Culinary Sol, which serves up savory dishes including brie en croute, chilled smoked salmon and an array of dishes from around the world.

So for your next event encourage your guests to join you on an exploration of the world's finest animal treasures at Zoo Atlanta.

View more information about booking Zoo Atlanta as your next Atlanta event facility on the Cvent Supplier Network

With the economy taking a large hit, unemployment on the rise and tight budgets, companies are facing scrutiny for every dollar they spend toward their meetings and events. Impact 4 Good has come up with a solution that promotes corporate social responsibility while helping companies avoid inquiry on every event they plan. Impact 4 Good operates with the support of a wide network of community service organizations to create activities for corporate groups, helping them benefit from a learning experience that gives back to communities in need.

Over the past few months, corporate planners have been facing a "perception issue." The media has been highlighting how large companies are spending corporate dollars on so-called "extravagant expenses," most of which include meetings and events. Other challenges include narrowing down current planned events agendas, allowing attendees very little time to get out of their hotels and banquet facilities as well as tight budget constraints.

Community service team building organized by Impact 4 Good can be incorporated to shed some positive light on meetings and events as well as on the company that is participating. These types of events are used to motivate staff to work as a team for the benefit of giving back to the community in programs such as Literacy Builders, Go GREEN Racing, Poverty: Beehive Building, and Children: Bike Build for Charity.

Impact 4 Good's programs not only enhance the image of good corporate citizens, but they also exemplify their commitment to their employees and customers. With most programs lasting two hours or fewer and having the capability of hosting from 10 attendees to 10,000 or more, Impact 4 Good is a great option for companies who are trying to make a difference.

Visit Impact 4 Good for more information and details on hosting a team building activity for your next event.

Are you in need of a quick getaway for a group of employees? Need a fun, easy, inexpensive option for a team outing? Or maybe you're simply looking for something a little different than the norm for your next Dallas business meeting? Consider Group Dynamix in Addison! If you've not yet discovered this excellent Dallas event venue, now's the time.

Owner and "Head Coach" Stephen Mackintosh, aka Coach Mack, has turned his love of team spirit and supportive play into one of the largest, most popular indoor team building centers in the country. His team focuses on group performance and reflection through unique and fun-filled activities that encourage 100 percent participation, 100 percent of the time.

When it comes to interactive team building in Dallas, these guys are pros. They will customize and facilitate events to your company's desired theme, timing, and scale. Whether you have 15 IT guys for half a day or 100 PR reps for an all-day rally, they have the space and means to keep any group entertained. Considering a group upwards of 500 people? No worries. There is 18,000 square feet of usable Dallas event space complete with a ropes course, laser tag, or beach balls ready to pump up and motivate even the most passive participant.

Located in the heart of Addison, close to one of Dallas' most notorious shopping, dining, and entertainment districts, Group Dynamix is easily accessible to several well known full-service and select-service hotels. The facility can accommodate simple team outings or full-fledged corporate events with packages that include use of on-site audio-visual equipment, including wireless microphone, video capabilities with screen (check out the 20-foot-by-20-foot movie wall!), and much more. Snacks and beverages can be provided, but outside catering is allowed and encouraged, so you to work within your budget with any Dallas caterer or restaurant—a rare find for Dallas venues these days.

As if hosting the 1939 world premiere reception for the film Gone With the Wind was not impressive enough, The Georgian Terrace Hotel hopes to be the site for your next grand event or business meeting. A night's stay at the Georgian Terrace is not just a good night's rest, but a night of history. The Atlanta hotel is listed as a National Historic landmark, but it's anything but antique. In fact, it recently underwent over $10 million in renovations to keep up with its national competitors.

Live nearby? Guests from neighboring states and Georgia residents can take advantage of this Atlanta hotel deal and enjoy a 15 percent room discount for a romantic weekend in the heart of the city. You'll trade the stale bagels at your usual continental breakfast for a freshly baked pastry from Cafe Mims. For more than a bite, guests can try the Georgian mountain trout at the in-house eatery Livingston Restaurant and Bar.

Anyone can find an Atlanta hotel with meeting space, but this venue has much more than simply a "space" for your meeting. The 16,000-square-foot conference center includes six conference rooms, three luxurious ballrooms seating 350 people, with state-of-the-art equipment available. Halogen-lighting, ergonomic seating and on-site concierge services are just the tip of the iceberg for Georgian Terrace meeting packages.

Planners can also take advantage of the hotel's Atlanta meeting promotions, such as the "Go Green" package, which includes reusable water bottles, recycled paper products and optional post-function food donation. Write your event agendas or wedding vows on the recycled paper with eco-friendly pens.

So when debating over venues for your next Atlanta event, why chose the rest when you can give your attendees the best? Find more information about booking The Georgian Terrace Hotel on the Cvent Supplier Network today!

Can't make the trip to Italy this year? Then grab your passport and visit Atlanta's Villa Christina. This three-story Italian gem is a hidden international paradise located in the city's perimeter summit complex. Atlanta's contemporary haven for your next wedding, business meeting or special event, Villa Christina is surrounded by cascading waterfall fountains, winding streams and in a picturesque floral scene seemingly from the gardens of Rome itself.

Whether you need a classroom, U-shaped or theater style arrangements, this Atlanta special event facility can accommodate your needs. Take a stroll down the lighted pathways to the Grand Ballroom, which seats 250 Atlanta event guests. This event site also has four designated meeting rooms with 20,000 square feet of versatile meeting space. The outdoor pavilion is a great Atlanta wedding venue or perfect for a  candle-lit dinner under the starry sky.

Guests and Atlanta meeting planners return to Villa Christina for the cuisine just as much as the scenery. An assorted selection of Italian delicacies is available for your pleasure. Delicious and eye-catching, this menu incorporates the freshest collection of seafood including: steamed little neck clams in a wine butter broth, jumbo shrimp rigatoni, and seared tuna Orzotto.

So whether or not your trip calls for an overnight stay, pack your bags and head to Atlanta's little Italy, the Villa Christina.

The Atlanta History Center is a unique Atlanta venue that invites its meeting planners to host their event surrounded by pieces of the city's past. From weddings to corporate business meetings, this Atlanta landmark has the historic setting with a touch of class to accommodate your next event.

With humble beginnings in 1926, the center was combined effort of a small group of Atlantans who wanted to encourage pride in the city and establish a place for visitors and locals to learn about its roots. Since then, the Atlanta History Center has branched out to over 33 acres throughout the city and encompasses the Atlanta History Museum, Centennial Olympic Games Museum and the Margaret Mitchell House.

When hosting your next event in Atlanta, the center has many venue options for entertaining your guests. A reception or banquet in the Grand Overlook will have your guests in awe with its jaw-dropping, barrel vaulted ceilings, beautiful flooring encompassing 6,400 square feet of Brazilian wood, and 14-foot windows that afford great views of the lush gardens. 

The Swan House and Gardens is the majestic Atlanta wedding and special event site. With a private lawn surrounded by a cascading fountain, it's presents a great opportunity to take advantage of Atlanta's moderate climate and host an outdoor event. Though the house itself cannot be rented, it can be opened for attendees to tour for up to two hours during the event.

Atlanta meeting planners can also opt for group excursions to other Atlanta History Center venues. Take a moment to visit Miss Scarlett in the Margaret Mitchell House, where guests can tour the apartment in which Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind. Then, treat guests to some bubbly—the non-alcoholic kind—at the Coca Cola Cafe. Serenity and a "taste" of Atlanta's history are present at this picturesque Atlanta landmark.

Looking for a luxury NYC hotel for your next business event? The contemporary Strand Hotel in New York City offers the utmost of style and class from its 20-floor property in Manhattan's Midtown Fashion District.

Just around the corner from the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Bryant Park and other New York attractions, the Strand Hotel has 177 guest rooms and 18 junior suites. Room decor and furnishings are inspired by mid-century Bogart elegance. The entire New York hotel is also adorned by a collection of Conde Nast vintage photography.

One of the best NYC hotels for intimate and elegant meetings and special events, the hotel offers 2,500 square feet of New York event space. Together, its meeting facilities can host up to 250 guests. State-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, wi-fi access, easels and tables, and a business center are among the amenities available at this new New York hotel.

Read more about meeting hotels and special event facilities in New York City on the Cvent Destination Guide.

The movie theater has always been seen as the hotspot for a Friday night date. However, with the changing economy, many moviegoers are opting to make Fridays a movie rental night. Even with major motion films such as Transformers and Twilight released this year, theaters are barely breaking even. 

Multiplexes across the Atlanta area are seeking ways to fill in the gaps. Make their loss your gain for your next meeting, seminar or training session.

Fathom Business Events has partnered with various movie houses including AMC, Regal Cinemas and United Artists Theaters to make theater meetings and events happen. Fathom makes it possible to host your next Atlanta event red carpet-style, taking advantage of the very reasons why we go to the movies: stadium seating, large projection screens and surround sound.

In Atlanta, a trip to the movies is much more than a ticket and a box of popcorn, it's an urban retreat. Theaters have to do much more than premiere a film to increase ticket sales; they need to offer extra perks to entice guests. Regal Cinemas, located in Midtown Atlanta's Atlantic Station, has 16 screens, approximately 3,600 comfortable seats, and, best of all, free validated parking. The newly renovated AMC Fork & Screen in Buckhead offers tasty in-theater dining for its guests, who enjoy dinner & a movie simultaneously. Whichever theater you chose for your next production, it will surely be the next Box Office Hit!

To find more movie theater event venues in Atlanta, make sure to visit the Cvent's Atlanta venue directory.

Dolce Hotels & Resorts has just announced a great new promotion geared towards meeting planners all over the world. The "Make Us an Offer... Anything Goes" promotion invites meeting planners to submit requested dates, F&B and other meeting requirements—and then state the price they would be willing to pay for the entire package at any of its 24 upscale hotels, resorts, and conference centers in North America and Europe.

This unique hotel deal gives meeting planners the opportunity to take advantage of some of great venues at competitive prices. The Dolce staff will take any offer and evaluate each request individually. Even if the offered rates are too low, they will map out exactly what can be done for such rates and present alternative and/or creative suggestions to help seal the deal.

This would be the perfect opportunity to try out Dallas' own Dolce spot, the American Airlines Training & Conference Center (AAT&CC). Located just five minutes from DFW International Airport and 20 minutes from downtown, the Dallas conference center is nestled on 30 wooded acres of pure Texas beauty. Known for its superb service and excellent facilities, the AAT&CC offers 75,000 square feet of high-tech, IACC-certified Dallas meeting space complete with ergonomically designed conference rooms, wi-fi throughout the entire facility, as well as a full spectrum of AV equipment with on-site professional help.

The Dallas Dolce property is smack in the middle of the two major cities that make up the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and offers easy access to several area attractions such as Six Flags Over Texas; the Rangers Ballpark at Arlington, home of Texas Rangers Baseball; the brand new Cowboys Stadium, home to the one and only Dallas Cowboys; and several nationally renowned golf courses! The AAT&CC has complimentary shuttle service to and from DFW Airport (a rare find in Dallas), as well as to any location within five miles of the grounds. AAT&CC is obviously a great choice for business meetings in Dallas!

Don't miss out on the "Day Meeting Sale," good for 30 percent off select meeting packages. This Dallas promotion and the "Make Us an Offer...Anything Goes" hotel deal are good through December 18, 2009.

View more information on the American Airlines Training & Conference Center on the Cvent Supplier Network

Think out of the box, better yet think out of the office. Managers of corporations worldwide rely on meetings in order to maintain communication and disburse information to their staff. Thus causing employees to dread the inevitable lunchroom meeting in the conference room. In hopes of creating new energy and positive feelings, third-party planners should encourage clients to hold meetings off site.

For smaller meetings, Roam Atlanta invites members to utilize their low cost hotel alternative meeting space for whatever your needs might be. Whether your team requires a place for brainstorming, business development, or just extra office space, this Atlanta event venue has rooms available to service your needs. Roam Atlanta also invites frequent visitors to join the monthly payment membership program to guarantee meeting space availability. With eight varying sized Atlanta meeting rooms, on-site restaurant Roam Cafe, and a spacious patio and lounge area, this is the perfect location for off-site gatherings.

If your event budget allows for hotel accommodations, then by all means try to secure a location that has both lodging and meeting facilities for your guests. Atlanta meeting venues extend to each end of the perimeter, giving various options for site selection. Since opening its doors in 1995, the Emory Conference Center Hotel has been the premier conference center in Atlanta. New renovations were completed this year, boosting its inventory to 26 meeting rooms of about 35,000 square feet with an additional 6,000 square feet of meeting space.

As a bonus, in lieu of the usual lunchtime chatter around the water fountain, your attendees can check out the conference center's six lane bowling alley complete with a full bar and game room. So the next time you are challenged with the task of planning the next company meeting, be sure to prepare your out-of-the office reply message and leave the building!

Are you using social media to promote your association's cause? Or maybe a charity fundraiser you're hosting? What just about a corporate event? If so, I just came across a great idea for free event promotion on Twitter.

It's called a Twibbon. Basically, it's a service that overlays a small icon onto Twitter profile images of your supporters. For example, supporters of breast cancer research can sign up to suppor the cause by having a small pink ribbon placed in the corner of Twitter profile pictures.

Non-profit event planners can easily create Twibbons for either your cause or your specifc event. All you have to do is create a Twibbon image with design software such as Paint.NET or Pixlr (both free), upload it, and add a brief description. Check out the full instructions for creating a Twibbon here.

Twibbons aren't just for non-profits and charitable causes, though. I've seen them for sport teams, celebrities, TV shows and more. Meeting planners in all markets could use them to promote their upcoming events. Just consider a few of the event-related twibbons I found in use for events of all sizes and types:







What's really cool about Twibbons is that once you create one for your meeting, it's logged in the Twibbon database. People can search for your Twibbon and find information about your cause or event, who is supporting it and more.

If you're looking to promote your event or meeting on Twitter, Twibbons are a great option. They're easy, free and fun!

As the Cvent Supplier Network expands internationally, it's important to keep in mind that there are practices and procedures that venues overseas do differently from those in the United States. One of those practices are taxes at the venues.

For our Supplier Network tool, an event venue, when completing a proposal, must always include at least one tax to submit back to the planner. Simple enough. But on at least two of my recent international venue trainings, the immediate question after relaying this piece of information to venues is, "We do not have any additional taxes; all of our taxes are included in the room rate we provide the planner...what do we do?"

Venues do not want to have the meeting planner thinking you are charging more than what it does. If they list the room rate and the tax that factored into it, planners may think the tax is an additional cost. However, venues may also be concerned about breaking down room rates from taxes out of fear that it could lead to miscommunication in the final end price of the event.

After listening to these issues regarding the tax entry requirement, we all agreed the best practice is to enter the room rate as is, and then in one of the MANY additional information fields Cvent offers in its Proposal Wizard, specify what the room rate includes.

The additional information boxes are there for suppliers to share with the planner all of the information that needs to be shared, so take advantage of them! You usually can't go wrong providing too many details. However, failing to offer enough information can be harmful and could even lose business!

Event venues should use the additional information fields in Cvent to clarify rates, taxes and costs. Planners can look to these sections for clarification, which is especially useful when dealing with unfamiliar international practices.

Need to think outside the box? Planning on bringing a group of forward thinking, art loving, funky music grooving professionals to Dallas for meetings? Bring them to the always eclectic Deep Ellum neighborhood!

This revitalized warehouse district is known as one of Dallas' trendiest spots and is just a quick three-block jaunt east of downtown. It is home to some of Dallas' favorite bands, bars, and brick ovens. But don't let this take away from some very beautiful, very flexible historic meeting space. Deep Ellum is a fully functional urban community full of thriving businesses, state of the art residential living, and an abundance of unique shops.

Take, for example, Gallery 2910, located at 2910 Commerce Street. A relatively new fine art gallery, this gem is filled with original works from an eclectic selection of talented career artists. The gallery has limited hours to the public and makes an excellent option for corporate events, fundraisers, or cocktail affairs from 50 to 100 people, depending on room set-up.

A quick walk down Commerce takes you to a cute urban loft called Leroy Studios. This studio offers 2,000 square feet of unique space and is most commonly used for photo shoots, casting calls, tastings, and the like—perfect for smaller gatherings or business meetings in Dallas.

Another spot to definitely keep on the list is Space Studios, located at 2814 Main Street. This historic Dallas special event facility hosts everything from yoga classes (bikram yoga, no less) to CD release parties to Dallas weddings, and much more. There is plenty of open space for your corporate affair or launch party and a fully-equipped staff ready to help pull off even the most exclusive event. Top notch!

For more information on Dallas wedding venues, corporate facilities, conference centers and more, visit Cvent's Dallas venue directory.