Unique Venues Launches New Brand and Website

Nov. 11, 2009 - PRLog -- Unique Venues announced the launch of a new brand story and website at www.uniquevenues.com to better promote their company services.  As part of their refreshed brand, the company unveiled a new logo and tagline – you belong here – a message that will become a prominent part of their marketing materials.  The new website was developed to take advantage of search engine opportunities which will increase traffic to the site and enhance the ability for professional and volunteer meeting planners to connect with non-traditional venues.

Founded by Michele Nichols, a graduate of UNLV’s Harrah Hotel College and Certified Meeting Planner, Unique Venues got its start consulting with colleges and universities about how to market their campuses for meetings and events.  Nichols recognized that campuses were an untapped resource for meeting planners.  While these venues could offer some of the same amenities and services as a hotel, they had no exposure to meeting and event planners.  
She published her first Guide to Convening on Campus in 1986 and attracted the attention of all types of non-traditional venues who expressed an interest in being part of “The Guide.”  In 1997, Nichols launched the first web directory within the trade.

Today, Unique Venues is an international membership and marketing organization that represents thousands of one-of-a-kind venues in the United States, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.  The firm exponentially expands the marketing reach of its individual members within the $175 billion meeting planning industry.  Specifically, venues are promoted:
In-print:  Each member has a featured profile in the Annual Planner’s Guide, a print directory with a circulation of more than 60,000.
Online: At www.uniquevenues.com , venues establish a strong presence on the Internet.  Members create in-depth profiles, post specials, showcase virtual tours and photo galleries of their properties, and build expanded micro-sites (a site within a site) featuring menus, rooms configurations, area attractions, testimonials and;
In person.  Unique Venues sponsors a “Block Party” at some of the industry’s largest trade shows in an effort to create sales leads for their members and to give unique sites a section to exhibit at these shows.  
“We are excited to reintroduce ourselves to the meetings industry,” says Nichols.  “Our member venues offer tremendous all-in-one amenities to the creative-minded meeting planners.  And, these venues continue to offer affordability and built-in ambiance.  It’s a winning combination that proves to be far more memorable for attendees.”
Adds Chuck Salem, president of Unique Venues, Our new brand is summed up in a tagline that expresses our personality and strengths.  “You belong here” is a simple message, but one with meaning and staying power.  It speaks to our members who can find strength in our numbers.  It speaks to professional and volunteer meeting planners who seek out unique meeting opportunities.  It even speaks to our staff; each plays an important role in supporting our mission.”
The simplicity behind the tagline and logo artwork is also reflected in the architecture of the new Unique Venues website.  Clean lines, easy navigation and the ability to search without a registration o login make the experience easy for professional and volunteer planners alike.  The site remains commission-free and also offers a no-cost RFP service where a staff person can assist a lanner in searching, profiling and matchmaking venues with their event.  Unique Venues has also taken a leadership position in online marketing with an extensive effort in search engine optimization, link-building and geo-targeted keyword campaigns, all to drive qualified traffic to the website.
Says Nichols, “We believe the investment we’ve made in strengthening our brand and redesigning our website is going to go a long way in raising our visibility and credibility within the industry.”

Unique Venues engaged Allegory Studios, a national branding and communications form, for their rebranding initiative.  The new website was developed by Nichols Internet Marketing of Vail with designs by Allegory Studios.  For more information no Unique Venues, please visit www.uniquevenues.com or call Michele Nichols at 970 926 7676.

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Unique Venues is an international membership and marketing organization that represents thousands of one-of-a-kind venues in the United States, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The firm exponentially expands the marketing reach of its individual members within the $175 billion meeting planning industry.