Burlington Convention Center

Deciding on a Cash or Host Bar

admin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:52:58 +0000

Some things to consider when deciding whether to have a Cash or Host Bar;

· Type of Event, Budget, Drinking & Driving, Liability

The type of the event is an important consideration; if it’s a wedding reception for example a ‘Host Bar’ would certainly be an appropriate choice given the occasion being celebrated and the considerable expense a guest(s) incurs leading up to wedding & the day itself. Some attendees will splurge and buy a special dress or suit just for the occasion, most will attend a shower or stag related party leading up to the big day and all will arrive with a generous gift or envelope the day of. It would be a shame to have a Cash Bar and make your guests pay for their drinks when they have done so much for you. A host bar and meal is generally expected; it’s a nice way of saying thank-you for joining in your celebration. Some couples however still make the mistake of choosing a Cash Bar, perhaps it’s because they want to invite more people or they just can’t afford one. It is always better to have a smaller more modest reception. For example instead of 300ppl have a 150ppl or if you are having a 100ppl have 50ppl but do it right. Now having said that there are still some young couples that just can’t afford a host bar no matter how many people they invite. Here is a suggestion; have a host bar on arrival & host wine with dinner and then have a cash bar after dinner. Another option; have punch on arrival & wine with dinner (set a maximum of 1 Gl-P/P, perhaps for the toast) or just have punch on arrival but make sure that your guests do not have to open their wallets the moment they arrive. By the way a tip; free flowing soft drinks, ice-water & late night coffee & tea for the ‘designated drivers’ is always a nice touch. After all these people are the ones getting family and friends home safely.

If it’s a corporate event such as a Company Christmas Party, Quarter Century Dinner or Client Reception a ‘Cash Bar’ is often an appropriate choice. Here’s why; company liability & employee safety. However having said that this is always a major dilemma for companies because generally these celebrations are being hosted to say thank you to their employees for a job well done or thank you to their clients for their business and so on. So here are some suggestions that generally work well at these types of events and help reduce company liability. A Cash Bar is still a wise choice but a company can pre-purchase a maximum of 2 to 3 drinks tickets P/P or have a Host Bar for an hour or two and then switch to a Cash Bar. If a company wants to have a fully open bar they can close the bar at 11:30PM or midnight instead of 1:00AM and have a late night buffet with coffee, tea and other non-alcoholic beverages. By the way some tips; free flowing soft drinks, ice-water & coffee & tea for the ‘designated drivers’ should be considered. Often companies overlook these guests and they shouldn’t as they are the ones getting other employees, spouses or clients home safely. Lastly taxi chits should be available for anyone that’s found a way to over indulge.

Hope you find this information helpful.

Erica Dinsmore, Sales Manager

Consider parking when choosing a venue

admin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:51:57 +0000

Ease of parking & cost should be considered when choosing a venue

How many times have you driven into downtown Toronto and struggled to find parking and then when you did it was a meter park with limited time and you didn’t have the exact change. Or how about this one, you were lucky and found a car park but it was $20.00 and still a five-ten minute walk to your destination. Let’s not even consider the hour or more you spent in traffic on the highway getting into the city. You’ve been there, right? Well, imagine how your guests feel when attending your event (Corporate Venue, Corporate Christmas Party, Social Event, Wedding Venue, Gala) and before they even arrive to the venue hall you selected they endured a similar aggravation. Is this event starting on the right foot, what first impression must this be?

A venue that has ample, free parking is the way to go!! A drive through for dropping off guests in bad weather is certainly a bonus and wheelchair parking with easy access is a must – don’t forget older guests that often struggle with this one.

Noteworthy – the Burlington Convention Centre offers ample free parking and all of the above.

Erica Dinsmore, Sales Manger

The 2012 YouthFest Re-Launch Event

admin — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:34:36 +0000

Ah yes, the annual YouthFest Re-Launch, a fabulous celebration of our city’s youth. We were pleased to offer our corporate events facility as our contribution to such a humble cause – it really helps us to connect well with all the wonderful people in our community, especially when it comes to those that support and guide our city’s youth. I mean after all, kids are the future of our community. It turned out to be a really nice reception. We provided free food and beverages to all who attended, which included: pasta, sandwiches and cakes for desert. The art students brought some incredible artwork that was put up for auction. There were some great influential people in attendance, like the mayor of Burlington, the Ward 1 Burlington counselor and representatives from the Burlington Police Department. And by the way, these influential people are not strangers to our establishment. We do so many of these types of meeting space events and charities, even for organizations outside our community. We feel blessed to be a part of them. And why wouldn’t we? We’re already hosting for corporate events Hamilton, corporate events Oakville and other neighboring regions. We’ve been providing them meeting space Oakville and meeting space Hamilton for so many years. Those neighboring communities know how frequently we like to be a part of all these noble charities. It really gives us a sense of belonging, in and outside our neighboring community. We’re not trying to take anything away from other venues like Oaville conference centre, who also do great charity work, we just look at Burlington, Oakville and Hamilton combined like it’s our one giant community.

Can’t wait to host the next one…

Adriana

Wedding Venue Priority Planning

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:19:06 +0000

My, my, yet another fabulous wedding show gone by. So many wedding vendors from Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton and surrounding regions, offering so many great products and services for all the anxious soon-to-be brides and grooms. Now the real challenge begins… how to put it all together to make one spectacular wedding venue extravaganza. Well, first and foremost, you gotta choose a venue – which can be one of the most difficult decisions to make when you’re planning a wedding. Most professional wedding planners (including our own) will tell you to stay on track when it comes to wedding priorities. Priority planning seems simple enough, but you’d surprised how easy it is to get caught up in all the minor glam and glitter details, without even realizing that there are much more important things to consider first, especially when choosing a wedding venue. Here are 3 major priority things to consider:

1) Cuisine: when it comes to cuisine, always consider what the majority of your guests would prefer, taking things into consideration like: ethnicity, culture, average age, local dining styles and out of town dining styles. Some of your guests might appreciate rich, hearty dishes, with large portions and more variety, while others prefer gourmet style dishes, smaller portions, with a richer looking presentation. Whichever the case, always ask your venue consultant what they can and cannot do to accommodate the preferences of you and your guests. Not to toot our horn, but our chefs are like genies. You make a wish and they make it happen.

2) Location, location, location: when it comes to choosing a venue, you should consider a central, yet convenient location. Perhaps your looking for the best wedding venue Oakville has to offer or maybe the best wedding venue Hamilton has to offer, or wedding venue Burlington, and so on. Well, if the truth be told, the location of banquet halls in Oakville or banquet halls in Hamilton are rarely ever good for everybody. However, the guests that do live far outside the vicinity of your wedding venue will appreciate a little thing called “accessibility”. Lucky for us, we’re located right off the highway 403 exit on Burloak Drive. You literally exit the highway and our banquet hall is right there. It doesn’t get any better than that. Nowadays, we are all just so pressed for time, it’s these kinds of conveniences that make such a difference.

3) The facility: when it comes to choosing a venue, there are countless things to consider in terms of what the venue facility has to offer – like space, privacy, restrooms, parking, landscapes, grand entrance, bars, lighting, sound, video, decor, coat check, and so on, and so on… Again, not to toot our horn, but our banquet hall is a 45,000 square foot facility that can accommodate anywhere from 100 to 1000 guests. We have all these already mentioned features, plus outdoor landscapes and a gazebo for taking photos, a hall that offers a connecting patio and garden, with an indoor garden view – a perfect setting for any season. Certainly things to consider when comparing venues in Burlington, Oakville or Hamilton.

Hope these tips help. I tried not to be too bias, but I just couldn’t help myself. Our banquet hall is just such a good place to have a wedding venue – it’s almost impossible not to toot!!!

All the best with your wedding venue planning,

Adriana

The Burlington Oakville Bridal Show

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:47:19 +0000

Well, tomorrow is the big day. We’re hosting the 2012 Burlngton Oakville Bridal Show. There’s gonna be over 100 wedding professionals ready and willing to spark every girl’s vivid imagination. We’re expecting a pretty big turn out – good thing we have a lot of space in our banquet halls to accommodate all those anxious bride-to-be’s and groom-to-be’s.

I was kinda hoping for better weather (heard it was supposed to snow a little), but that’s ok. Sometimes a little snow around our reception hall is nice. I mean, we live in Canada after all. Perhaps it’ll set the mood for people that like winter weddings. The only unfortunate thing about the snow is it covers up our outdoor landscape. Anyone who’s attending the bridal show, who lives in Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton or surrounding areas that might be interested in having their wedding venue in one of our banquet halls, won’t get to see how great our outdoor landscape looks underneath all that snow. Oh well, they can always look at photos from our website photo gallery.

Anywho, see you at the show. If anyone still needs tickets, you can still buy them at the door. Have fun !!!

Adriana

The Burlington Convention Centre official blog

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:44:03 +0000

Hello and welcome to the Burlington Convention Centre official blog. We’re excited to share with you some of our most memorable experiences with all the many wedding venue, corporate functions and social events that we host here week after week for the Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton and surrounding regions.

What better way to start off the new year with the launch of an official blog. Although 2011 was a pretty good year for us, we’re hoping to make 2012 even better. So check in with us here every so often for the latest blog postings and feel free make any comments.

Have a great day!!!

Adriana