New Hampshire Magazine chose Flag Hill Distillery & Winery in Lee as the new venue for the 2023 Best of NH Party. The 2024 event was held there again on June 2024. (Photo by Kendal J. Bush)
Whether it’s a corporate gathering, charity fundraiser or awards gala, a successful event begins with choosing the venue that offers the best fit for the occasion.
Events are an integral part of the business model for Yankee Publishing’s New Hampshire Group, which packs the calendar every year with award, training and networking gatherings associated with its various brands, including NH Business Review, New Hampshire Magazine, New Hampshire Home and 603 Diversity.
For Operations Director Ren Chase, who oversees events organizing, choosing the appropriate venue is a crucial first step.
Over the past year, the company has hosted events at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown, the Manchester Country Club in Bedford, the Bedford Village Inn, Flag Hill Distillery & Winery in Lee and the Venues at the Factory in Manchester, among others.
Chase calls it a tour of the state. “Basically, what we try to do is vary the locations that we’re using,” said Chase, who joined the company two years ago.
While Yankee Publishing has ongoing relationships with multiple conference spaces, the company is regularly testing new ones, both to refresh long-running events and to build new business relationships. For example, the NH Business Review’s Outstanding Women in Business awards dinner this year was held at the Southern New Hampshire University Banquet Hall, a new venue for the event.
“One location may not necessarily be better than another, but a lot of times it’s nice to not stay with one venue for sake of variety, for seeing what a new space will bring,” Chase said. “It forces you to reconceptualize the event.”
Last year, New Hampshire Magazine’s Best of NH Party, which has been held at various locales over the past two decades, including Northeast Delta Dental Stadium and SNHU Arena in Manchester, moved to Flag Hill Distillery & Winery in Lee, the site once again for this year’s party June 20.
“It gives you something new to promote.
Last year we were able to say, ‘Come see it at Flag Hill. It’s our first time. It’s a gorgeous venue. Come check it out,’” Chase said, noting that last year was also the first time since the pandemic that the party returned to a food sampling event rather than a plated meal.
Moving the event to Lee, also shifted the event’s geography.
“We did intentionally target the Seacoast a little bit on that because we are a statewide company. Putting it on the Seacoast helps to draw from that market,” Chase said.
“Years ago, before my time, there were events in Nashua. And I wouldn’t be opposed to doing something in the Lakes Region at some point. They’ve got some great venues up there, but it really is about making sure that the people who want to come to your event can come and not have to drive an hour-and-a-half or two hours.”
Among the factors Chase and his team need to consider is whether the venue offers its own catering and audiovisual equipment.
“A lot of times it’s easiest and simplest to go with somebody who has their on-site caterer there and can do the AV and all of that. But I think we proved with the Venues at the Factory (the venue for the recent New Hampshire Home Magazine Design Awards) that you can do it where it’s more of an event space, and we do have to bring in some of the outside vendors. We love the venue and we can go to a little bit of extra, not extra trouble, but extra work, to bring those caterers and the bar and everything like that in.”
Questions Chase says to consider when planning events include: What do you want it to be and who is it for?
Where do you want to draw from? What are you trying to accomplish?
“I think the most important thing to do with any event is to over-plan,” he said.
“It’s going in with a realistic set of expectations, knowing that things are going to go wrong. There’s no 100% perfect event, and you need to be able to sort of roll with the punches.”
That means playing “zone defense” when something goes awry.
“The important thing is being able to pivot and not make it look like something’s gone wrong. Just make a decision and get through that moment,” Chase said. “Make sure the guests are happy and move on with it. There’s plenty of time after the event to go back and do a postmortem and make it better for next time.”
