If you build it, they will come. Unfortunately, this axiom does not necessarily work in the event venue world. Not all conference spaces are created equal, nor are they branded equally - or effectively, in many cases.

A successful event venue has a defined "personality" and ably addresses a need or void within its space. A branding process is vital, especially when establishing new conference space. This article addresses five steps to creating an identity and securing an audience for an event venue.

• Create a visually appealing brand

What a conference center communicates through its outbound materials helps define the experience attendees' will have. For instance, is the space better for interactive meetings or educational symposia? Does the facility have more appeal to corporate executives or to customer service staff? Will attendees be treated to a plush experience?

Don't forget the power of the Web to communicate a venue's "vibe" as well. A custom-built website allows event planners to learn about the facility and its configuration options. A great website is a key marketing tool, with the ability to provide updated facility news, including floor plans and photographs, and interactive tours of the facility.

• Identify the audience

The best meeting space matches its attendees' needs perfectly. To get to that point, a venue must identify primary users of the space. If the key audience is IT professionals, the venue should have the latest technology: wireless hot spots, great A/V and more. If the audience leans toward scientific groups, ensure the conference center has breakout rooms, poster presentation areas and lecture-style auditorium.

• Illustrate value to prospective audiences

Technology, design, flexibility - a great conference center offers many things to many people. As with any investment, showing a positive return is important. Does the technology inside a venue meet the needs of the most demanding presenter. With so much competition for events business, building great technology and design into a conference space and delivering a positive work environment to attendees is vital for "state-of-the-art" venues.

• Communicate an identity

Having a great facility and attracting qualified meetings to it are not necessarily linked. Event planners have an array of tools to identify meeting space that fits their specific criteria. With the Web, industry publications, trade shows, advertising and direct marketing, there are many ways to find a facility and many ways to market one.

Using a multi-pronged approach of direct marketing, public relations and advertising, an event venue can saturate key audiences with news before and after a facility has opened.

Marketing initiatives to communicate a brand include:

• Conducting "hardhat" facility tours during its construction phase to build pre-opening interest.

• Building a direct marketing database.

• Creating partnerships to add to the richness of the venue's offering and to create a referral source community for the facility, by targeting collaborating with continuing education programs, hotels, travel agencies, destination management companies and exhibition companies.

• Participating in meeting industry trade shows.

• Hosting charity events and industry association events, especially those that attract potential users of the space.

Public relations initiatives target meetings publications by securing venue listings and placing news in industry association publications, such as Meeting Planner International's Meetings.

• Ensure structure exists to support the offering

It's vital to deliver on what you promise. Managing an event facility is time consuming. Having the proper support systems in place, and automating as much as possible, eases the operational side of venue management. Administrative details to firm up before attracting an audience include:

• Determining pricing for all audiences and types of functions (day vs. night, poster session vs. lecture series, corporate vs. non-profit, full facility use vs. partial, etc.)

• Creating catering packages

• Identifying additional elements, such as security, staffing and parking

• Building a comprehensive sales kit and contract

• Selecting venue management scheduling technology

• Deciding whether to keep A/V technical staffing in-house, or to outsource it

Great branding isn't the only strategy that makes an event venue work, but it certainly helps create an individual personality to drive success.