Event Centers

A little over four years ago, I introduced you, my gentle readers, to my late Grandma Jerene and her boyfriend Bob, the “Weather Cat” (https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2012/07/weather/). They are going to play a part in this story.

Earlier this summer my lovely bride and I had just gotten home when a couple pulled up in their Jaguar. They had been out for an evening drive, saw our pole barn building and thought maybe it was an event center. I suppose as the top of the cupola is more than 50 feet above the ground, the mistake is inevitable.

Here is the story of my first (unbeknownst to me) event center – or at least for one event!

When I was a post frame building contractor, back in the 1990’s, we contracted to construct a pole barn for a gentleman named Scott Dockins, down in the Palouse country of Idaho, near Moscow. There was one catch, he and his betrothed were going to be wed in this building, so there were time constraints.

The building was completed well within the needed time frame and this was the end of the story….or was it?

My grandmother was both sharp and active into her 90’s. I made it a point to see or at least talk to her once a week or more. A few weeks after we had finished Scott’s building, in one of our calls, Grandma reported she and Bob had been to a wedding down near Moscow…..in a pole barn…..our pole barn!

Bob had been President of Rotary Club 21 in Spokane, and later a Rotary District Governor. It turns out Scott’s new bride Debi, was the staff secretary for the very same Rotary club – and had invited Bob and Grandma Jerene to their wedding! In our building!

Event venues are growing in popularity by leaps and bounds.

The goal of event venues all along has been to create a mood and a feeling for guests and attendees, but in the past it was a pleasant surprise when one came out of an event with a specific experience which was envisioned by the planner. Such an experience would be similar to how a marketer envisions a brand and takes specific steps to shape the brand image in the mind of the customer. Now attendees expect to be provided with an experience.

It is the audience expectation which has upped the ante here. Haute cuisine TV shows and foodie restaurants have multiplied almost exponentially over the last decade, so now people expect much more than coffee and canapés. Hipster weddings and gala affairs have given people a taste of themed events where every detail has been studied and considered, so people expect this level of refinement in all events. And there’s so much competition among venues, caterers and other event vendors businesses are scrambling to create a lasting impression for both the clients and planners who hire them and the attendees who sample their goods.

Our barn, used as a home for us, is not an event center. But for the older couple in the Jag, it definitely was both interesting and appealing to the eye. My bride and I have to agree!