The meetings and events industry is in the midst of dramatic change. Budgets are tighter, lead times are shorter, and attendee expectations are higher than ever. In this environment, planners need partners who can simplify sourcing, guarantee consistent quality, and flex to meet a wide spectrum of event needs.
James Frankis, senior vice president of product at Convene Hospitality Group (CHG), believes this pressure has created a new reality: “There’s less budget to play with, fewer resources to do exciting events, and yet expectations are still really high. Attendees won’t show up unless it’s an incredible experience.”
That’s where CHG’s multi-brand model comes in. By uniting Convene and etc.venues under one portfolio — with plans to introduce additional brands — the company is offering planners a powerful shortcut: one point of contact, multiple distinct tiers, and a shared hospitality DNA across every touchpoint.
Meeting the Moment: Convene Hospitality Group’s Approach
CHG’s strategy starts with acknowledging the “spectrum of events” that clients need to deliver each year. A global bank, for example, may host intimate board meetings, mid-size training sessions, and massive, production-heavy conferences or award ceremonies. Planners shouldn’t have to juggle multiple suppliers to service that range.
“We want to service that entire spectrum as best we possibly can,” Frankis said. “From a 50-person offsite to a thousand-person climate summit, our goal is to match each event with the right venue fit.”
CHG bridges those different needs by pairing each gathering with the right setting — whether it’s a premium Convene venue designed for conferences, brand launches, and executive town halls, or an etc.venues space tailored for flexible, cost-conscious trainings, workshops, and single-day programs.
While the positioning differs, the shared foundation is what makes the model work: design-forward environments, elevated culinary experiences, built-in technology, and attentive on-site support across the board.
Multiple Brands, One Seamless Experience
Frankis calls etc.venues a solution for the “accidental meeting planner” — the executive assistant or office manager tasked with pulling off a training session or team offsite without deep event experience.
“They expect to just pay and turn up,” he said. “etc.venues is much better suited for that kind of turnkey, really simple plug-and-play approach.”
That simplicity translates into speed. While Convene’s large-scale events typically require up to nine months of planning, etc.venues can often accommodate next-day bookings. “Being able to say yes when everyone else is saying no is really powerful,” Frankis noted.
On the other end of the spectrum, Convene’s flagship venues shine when clients need multi-day, multi-track programs with branding and production complexity. These facilities provide everything from keynote stages to exhibition setups, with dedicated production teams that know each building inside and out.
Plenty of organizations use both tiers. Multi-year agreements, or MSAs, allow clients to route events across brands, geographies, and budgets without renegotiating terms each time. “That’s been a massive part of our growth strategy,” Frankis explained.
A Consistent Experience Across Markets
Convene’s acquisition of etc.venues in 2023 expanded its footprint in London and introduced a new product tier to U.S. markets. In 2024, the company formalized brand segmentation so planners know exactly when to route a request to Convene or etc.venues. And in 2025, the launch of CHG as the parent company for both brands further clarified this structure, giving clients a single umbrella identity while maintaining the distinct value propositions of Convene and etc.venues.
The goal, according to Frankis, is to combine variety with reliability. “It’s really important that you don’t become a mess of different experiences with no through line. Design, hospitality, technology, and culinary — those are our non-negotiables across every brand.”
This consistency enables clients to replicate events across markets. Frankis pointed to partnerships like BTN, which runs its Strategic Meetings Summit in multiple cities. A single sales contact ensures that contracts, production notes, and even vendor relationships carry over, while local teams adapt the details.
“Turnkey doesn’t mean samey,” he emphasized. “It means simple. You can still get a bespoke experience with local flavor, but know that the service and quality are consistent.”
Real Examples of Scale and Adaptability
The best way to understand the CHG model is through real-world examples.
At etc.venues, a legal client in London regularly books multiple rooms on short notice to accommodate evolving client demands. “We’ve effectively become a flexible real estate solution on tap for them,” Frankis said. “Yes, they’re just meeting rooms, but for these firms it’s transformative.”
At Convene, the production potential scales up dramatically. Frankis described transforming New York’s Brookfield Place, 225 Liberty venue into a circus tent for an internal carnival. “We draped fabric across the trussing, brought in aerialists, carnival games, and turned it into a big top,” he recalled. “It was about showing, not telling, where our business is heading.”
Other examples include a Fortnite tournament hosted for the NYC Mayor’s Office, complete with exhibition booths and live gameplay, and FT Live’s Future of the Car conference in London, where full-sized vehicles were showcased both indoors and in the venue’s outdoor square.
The common thread? Each event leveraged CHG’s built-in infrastructure — from in-house AV to culinary to production staff — making high-impact experiences achievable without the complexity of starting from a blank industrial space.
Growth Potential for Convene Hospitality Group
Looking ahead, CHG sees significant growth potential for etc.venues in both the U.S. and Europe. “We believe that etc.venues could be our fastest-growing brand in the future,” Frankis said. Currently, the brand has just one U.S. location, but demand for fast, turnkey meeting spaces is strong in major business hubs.
Beyond geographic expansion, CHG recently announced an even higher-production independent venue to compete with five-star hotel ballrooms and large industrial event spaces: The Mallory at Terminal Warehouse in New York City’s West Chelsea neighborhood. “There’s a segment above what Convene serves today — think massive corporate parties, award shows, or upfronts. We only service about 1% of that today, but we plan to grow into it with venues like The Mallory,” Frankis shared.
Measuring Success
For CHG, success is measured by repeat business — which stands at an impressive 80% — and client satisfaction. Every day, executives receive live updates from the company’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys.
“Netflix is 68, Starbucks is 77. We tend to sit in the high 80s,” Frankis said. “Most hospitality brands are in the 50s. So we’re incredibly proud of that.”
What stands out most, though, are the personal connections. Over half of survey responses mention individual staff members by name, a notable feat given that employees don’t wear name badges. “It shows we’re genuinely building relationships,” Frankis reflected. “That emotional connection is part of why clients keep coming back.”
The Takeaway for Planners
At a time when planners are under pressure to “do more with less,” CHG offers a streamlined solution. Whether the need is for a high-touch, production-heavy summit or a fast-turnaround training session, the company’s multi-brand portfolio provides a shortcut to the right space, with consistent quality across every tier.
As Frankis summed it up: “Everyone is solving for vibes. If you’re going to invest in an event, you want people to come away talking about it. Our role is to help planners deliver those incredible experiences easily, consistently, and at scale.”
Click here to learn more about the CHG portfolio of brands and inquire about a booking program.
This content was created collaboratively by Convene Hospitality Group and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.
