Finding the Perfect Off-Site Meeting Location

Choosing an off-site meeting location can be a difficult decision when planning your event because it has the ability to define the entire experience. It also gives you another opportunity to impress (or disappoint) your guests.

Here are some suggestions and what you should consider when selecting your next offsite event venue:

Budget

When you are in-charge of planning an off-site meeting, you most likely have established a budget you need to stay within. There may be additional fees to consider in addition to the rental of the space, such as:

  • Labor & Setup Fees

  • Catering Fees

  • Per Person Minimums

When SHould You Book the Venue

If you have a preferred date & time in mind, the earlier you start looking for your off-site venue and book it, the better. This will gives you the best chance at hosting your off-site at a venue that works best for your event and also plenty of time to get all logistics worked out.

Where Should Your Venue Be Located?

The location of your off-site venue should ideally be located as centrally to your attendees as possible. Proximity to freeways and public transportation options should be evaluated when selecting your venue. The last thing you want for your attendees is to have them sitting in rush hour traffic.

It needs to be as low stress and hassle-free as possible for your attendees to get to.

Additionally…

What about adequate parking? Is the area well-lit if guests will be there during dark hours?

What Should I look for in a venue?

Finding an off-site venue that is large enough may seem obvious but when planning an off-site many forget to have a buffer.

If the capacity for your venue is 50, and you have exactly 50 attendees, you may run into issues if you need additional space for activities, food & beverage set-ups, breakout spaces and more.

On the other hand, you don’t want to select a venue that is too large for your group, or you risk your event feeling empty and it may make it harder for attendees to engage with each other.

You also will want to have an idea of what type of activities you will be doing during your off-site to ensure the venue layout will work for you and the overall event flow.

For instance, if you know that your off-site will include activities where each participant needs a lot of table space, you’ll need to make sure the size and layout of the venue can accommodate those needs and there are an adequate number of tables available. 

Catering options

Many venues may have preferred or exclusive catering that they use for their event space. This may limit your flexibility if you had a certain food in mind or put strain on your budget as these options tend to be a little more expensive than using outside catering.

On the other hand, having to arrange your own catering (and pickups and deliveries, etc.) may be more than you want to take on when planning your off-site. Having a venue that will arrange catering for you is one less thing on your plate!

Additional Considerations 

The last thing to think about would be to confirm if the venue includes tables, chairs, tablecloths or if you will need to rent those. Some venues may also include AV/projection systems, white board, flip charts, markers, etc. - all the things you may need for some great brainstorming sessions. 

Gather Cincy would love to host your off-site meeting!

Selecting the right venue for your next offsite event can be OVERWHELMING. Let Gather Cincy take care of the details so you can focus on making the most of your time outside of the office.

We are centrally located in East Walnut Hills, just 5 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Clifton and more! There are two parking lots attached to our building and plenty of free on-street parking available, so no one will need to stress about parking.

Bring in your own food and drinks, or we’d be happy to help arrange catering for you!

4 Great Cincinnati Spots for Remote Workers

With many companies delaying their back to office start dates or going fully remote, you may have grown weary of your home office. What are some great options then for getting out of the house but still having a productive workday? Look no further than these Cincinnati gems!

  1. Coffee Emporium (OTR) - The Coffee Emporium located in OTR makes me feel like I’m in the center of things. When in the right mindset, the energy makes me feel hyper-productive and as a bonus, you may even run into a friend or two while working! However, if you want to be heads down and quiet, you may want to check out a another place.

2. Madtree Brewing (Oakley) - While Madtree is known as a hotspot in the evening, during the day Madtree is my favorite place to work outside on a warm afternoon. The covered patio has plenty of tables with outlets and you’ll only have the company of a few other remote workers, until happy hour! Bonus, you can grab a great lunch (and a beer if you’re so inclined) from Catch a Fire pizza!

3. Crossroads (Clifton) - If you’re looking for something a little more quiet with cozy ambiance, look no further! The beautiful architecture at Crossroads Uptown will have you feeling like you’re working in a warm English library. Right in the heart of things, this a great space to get some work done, with plenty of restaurants nearby to grab a quick and delicious lunch.

4. Mercantile Library (Downtown) - Unlike the other spaces mentioned, you do need to be a member to work here, but it’s well worth the membership if you live downtown or just like being in the heart of the city. There are tons of cozy nooks you can claim as your own, and the quiet space will have you knocking out your to-do list much faster than at home. Bonus, as a member you also get access to all of their fun events!

Announcing Our 2021 Refresh!

It’s a new year, a time to reflect on all that we’ve accomplished and look forward to the road ahead.  Though 2020 was tumultuous for all of us, the pause caused by this crazy pandemic gave us the opportunity to reflect on our lives in a way we may not have otherwise. 

Likely one of the greatest trends to emerge from the pandemic is the opportunity for many more professionals to work wherever they choose. As businesses evolve to accommodate the workplace of the future, they are beginning to see that it might not be feasible or desirable to pay for an expensive office space that sits mostly empty. But, from time-to-time companies may still need their employees to have the ability to meet with clients in a professional environment, or to have team meetings face-to-face. All of these things are confirmation to us that the professional workplace of the future is very much in alignment with our vision.

Refreshing Our Focus

When we started Gather Cincy, we envisioned a world where professionals could have a space that would allow them to thrive in their career, while providing the highest quality childcare to their children. We saw how many professionals, especially those with young children, often struggled, trying to work from home with unreliable or inflexible options for childcare. We have loved being able to be the solution to this dilemma for members who need a focused workspace, with their little ones onsite receiving the best of care. 

Then came COVID.

Looking back at 2020, we know that the world has changed, and we need to change along with it to be able to serve the community in the best way possible. As we move into this new vision for Gather Cincy, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue on-site childcare. It has been a great pleasure to care for your little ones and to see them grow and develop. Unfortunately, almost one year into COVID we have not seen a return of most of our childcare members, as everyone has struggled to make the best decisions possible to keep their families safe and healthy.

Our refresh for 2021 is focused on serving the working and creative professionals.

  1. Coworking in our shared space for those who need to drop in when it’s convenient for them to accomplish some quality work. These are typically individuals who traditionally have worked from home or coffee shops but feel a quiet, welcoming space in a sunlit room is a better fit…and you still get the good coffee!

  2. Private Offices for those who need a space they can call their own. This is often a good fit for client-facing professionals or those who need dedicated space for their work.

  3. Corporate packages. For the forward-thinking employer who would rather empower employees to use coworking to fit their needs, rather than the strict in-office policy from nine-to-five. We have designed a standard corporate package but also have the ability to create custom packages based on your needs.

  4. Virtual Office is perfect for small businesses who don’t need permanent office space but need a professional address to receive mail and establish a Cincinnati presence.

  5. “Creative professional” packages. It’s time to put the professional in “creative professional.” If you are someone who makes a living using your creative talents, you deserve a professional meeting place to see clients and make the most of your valuable time. This package gives you co-working time, access to our client lounge, and a virtual mail service that gives your business an office address.

  6. A space to celebrate! Zoom meetings were great in 2020 but can never replicate the joy of celebrating with those you love in-person. Our space is the perfect place to celebrate engagements, welcoming a new baby, or any other event that you want to celebrate. We are currently working on “parties in a box” that will take care of the decorations and food for you – curated bridal shower, baby shower, and birthday party themes. All you have to do is show up!

This new chapter will allow us to better focus our time and energy on what we think we do best – serving the work from home and creative professionals of Cincinnati and providing a beautiful space for creativity and celebrations to thrive.

Thank you so much for your continued support and please keep us in mind for your future events and celebrations!

Virtual Mail - What It Is and Why You Need It

As a business owner, you've probably taken steps to increase your use of technology and leverage your virtual services. Despite all you've done, you probably know there are still two unavoidable aspects of running a business that you can't entirely avoid through technology:

  1. Determining a physical address

  2. Sending and receiving physical mail

Traditionally, if you don't have a brick and mortar location or physical office you had to use your home address for your business. A P.O. Box can certainly be helpful for receiving mail, but that's about it. If your business is an LLC, Corporation, limited partnership, or limited liability partnership, you won't be able to use a P.O. Box address to register your business with the state. This means important business and legal documents are being sent to your home, potentially getting lost in the mix of everything else you already receive and making your home address public information.

There's a better way: Virtual Mail. In the blog below, we outline the many benefits you receive with an affordable virtual mail service. If you're looking to gain efficiency with your time and add a dose of professionalism to your business, this might be right for you.

What is a Virtual Mail Service:

Virtual Mail provides your business with a physical address that can be used to receive and send mail.


Why the physical address is important:

  1. Necessary to register your business with your state

  2. Provides trust and credibility to your business. Some clients may be leery of doing business with someone who either provides no contact address or a P.O. Box number for fear that the business might disappear without a trace. A physical address removes this doubt.

  3. Adds professionalism. First impressions are everything, and people often tend to favor businesses with a professional image that don't use a home address for contact information.

  4. Helps people find you. If you'd like to register your business on Google (of course you do), you need to provide a physical location. Again, P.O. Box address won't be accepted. Having this address will help you improve your SEO and lead to more new business.

How Gather Cincy Can Help with Your Mail:

  1. We have a separate location that can receive mail for your business and keep it secure outside of your home.

  2. We offer the add-on for Gather Cincy to open your mail for you and scan it in digitally, enabling you to quickly check your mail by reading your email. Anything you don't want can be securely shredded.

  3. As a coworking space, as opposed to a mail center, Gather Cincy also has office space available to meet with clients, hold company meetings, and accomplish other tasks like printing and scanning other documents as part of some virtual mail packages.

If you’re interested in signing-up for Gather Cincy’s Virtual Mail offerings, click on the link below!

PowerSheets July Recap and August Goals

July feels like it flew by. Between my grandma being in town for 2 weeks and Grant and my mom’s birthday, I feel like we stayed super busy but also just a wonderfully, perfect summer. Lots of days at the pool, mornings at the zoo, popsicles with neighbors.

meg_grant_teddy_zoo_72719.JPG
IMG_5929.JPG
IMG_3543 2.JPG
IMG_5930.JPG

I wish August would slow down, but with Teddy’s birthday and just wanting to enjoy the spontaneity end of summer will bring I decided to instead adjust my goals for the month so I didn’t put extra pressure on myself. You’ll see I really did not do an awesome job of meeting my July daily goals, so I’m readjusting for August to something more reasonable so I can work on building those habits.

July Goals Recap

Monthly

  • Order invites & decorations for Teddy’s Party :: Done! So cute! Can’t wait to share!

  • Hire a housecleaner :: Why on earth did it take me so long to do??

  • Clean out basement for remodel :: Done! SO excited about having a dedicated playroom for the Tedster.

  • Complete Copywriting course :: Moving this to the Fall. I want to rewrite the Gather website, but there have been some more pressing things that have come up to work on.

  • Catch-up on Teddy’s baby book :: Moving this to August! Have to complete before Teddy’s party!

  • Schedule garage sale :: Done! We’re having a little streetwide garage sale on Saturday.

Weekly

  • Meal Prep & Grocery Shop on Sunday :: Done! I love grocery shopping, but also started using Amazon Prime delivery to kick us off for the week and it’s worked great for us.

  • Weekly Cooper Status Meetings :: Kind done…I’d like to formalize this a little more this month.

  • Preschedule Gather social media :: I was kicking butt at this for the first half of the month when I was blocking out Saturday mornings to work on this, but birthdays the last half of the month got in the way of this and I’ve been winging it the 2nd half and it shows and it’s been a stress. Gotta get back on it.

  • Cook dinner/Eat at home at least 5x’s per week :: Mostly we did well with this, but like I said we had lots of family in town and birthdays and we ate out more than normal.

Daily

  • Quiet Time :: Failed bad. Going to give it a go next month.

  • Close all watch rings :: Broke my 60+ day streak in the middle of the month and somewhat lost motivation.

  • Drink 8 glasses of water a day :: Yikes. I need to keep a water bottle with me at all times.

  • Read for 30 minutes :: For summer I think this is just too much. Shortened it for August.

Gather_Cincy_Coworking_August_Goals.jpg

August Goals

Monthly

  • Plan 1 Date Night

  • Decide on my extracurriculars for 2019-20

  • Finish Teddy’s Baby Book

  • Create Funnel pages for Membership and Events on Gather Cincy site

  • Schedule Teddy’s One Year pictures

Weekly

  • Weekly Cooper Status and Budget Meetings

  • Go to Sports Club 2x’s per week

  • Walk in the AM 2x’s per week

  • Meal Prep & Grocery Shop on Sunday

  • Preschedule Gather social media

  • Cook dinner/Eat at home at least 5x’s per week

Daily

  • 5 minutes of Quiet Time

  • Close all watch rings

  • Drink 6 glasses of water a day

  • Read for 15 minutes

So there you have it! What are you working on in August?

Remember, each 3rd Thursday of the month we’re meeting together to set our PowerSheet Tending Lists for the month!