The Iberian MICE Forum gathered a group of event organizers and venue managers in 2019 to figure out the supply and demand situation in Spain, all through an interactive survey that attendees filled out.

The survey showed that 100% of event planners lean towards recommendations from friends or other clients when they're hunting for a venue. Next up are online search engines (like Google), and then venue search websites. On the flip side, the least popular ways were receptive agencies or Venue Finders, and Fam trips. Also, only 23% of organizers mentioned booking something based purely on an online search, but they did stress that they much prefer talking directly to a sales rep and visiting the place beforehand.

The study points out that the kinds of events usually held in city spots are gala dinners and night parties (71% said so!), then come meetings, business lunches, and product launches. On the other hand, incentive/teambuilding activities, and exhibitions/fairs are the top picks for non-urban venues.

When it comes to how long events last, 67% of people said half-day events are the most popular choice for venues. Full-day events come in second at 52%, and events that go on for more than one day are the least common, at only 22%.

The main things organizers look for when picking a venue are, in order: location, how easy it is to get to, and the budget. They also really value how requests are handled – so, quick responses, flexibility, and a personal touch. If the price is the same, both location (100% of people said this!) and customer service (90%) are super important.

Lastly, both sides totally agree (100%!) that direct email should be the main way to chat. For organizers, meeting at industry fairs is their second choice, followed by sales visits. Venue reps, though, clearly prefer sales visits as their second option (almost 70%!), with sales calls coming in third.