How Adweek Executes Their Most Important Annual Events

There’s no doubt that traditional revenue streams for media and publishing companies - such as print advertising and basic subscriptions - have become less and less sustainable year after year. This uncertainty has resulted in a notable shift towards diversifying revenue sources with live events emerging as a powerful revenue driver for media companies, with some publishers attributing up to 20% of their income to them.

Adweek, a leading source of news for branding and marketing professionals, hosts an average of 20 events annually, and in 2024, four of their large-scale events will be hosted at Convene venues in New York City. Sara Meletis, senior director of event management at Adweek, has chosen Convene as her go-to meeting and event partner for several years, due to the convenience of the venues, simplified planning process, ongoing attendee satisfaction, and most importantly, the ability to stick to her budget. 

I was lucky to have the opportunity to speak with Sara while she was setting up a multi-day event at etc.venues 360 Madison Avenue, which is part of the Convene portfolio of brands. 

Could you please introduce yourself for our readers please? 

My name is Sara Meletis and I’m the Senior Director of Event Management at Adweek. 

How did you discover Convene?

I worked for an event agency for six years that is based in New York City and works with Convene a lot. We had a client that wanted to do a summit for the first time ever, so it was very new to them, and we were looking for a venue that could stay within our budget and had turnkey solutions. That’s when we found Convene. 

What type of events does Adweek host, and how does Convene help you produce those events? 

We do a handful of events throughout the year ranging in many different sizes. We do a lot of 200-300 person, multi-day meetings that require main stages, breakout rooms, and all the other good stuff that Convene offers. I've been with Adweek almost three years and Convene has become a one-stop-shop for us to host multi-day events and have everything turnkey.

Our meetings have a format that aligns really well with how Convene works - we get a per person rate that includes breakfast, morning break, lunch, afternoon break, and then an end-of-day reception. That's literally our format for every event we host throughout the year. Convene makes it really easy for us by providing their weekly, seasonal menus for each event, and if we need anything swapped, they're happy to do so. It's just a very seamless process. All in all, Convene just checks all the boxes for the meetings that we have to do. 

We always have raving reviews about the food at Convene, so that's a plus.

How does Convene help you achieve your goals at Adweek?

In my role overseeing event operations, I'm always focused on executing the event while staying within specific financial parameters. Convene is one of the few places that you can get a proposal with everything included upfront, which is a huge help. 

When I'm hosting an event in a different venue, I spend a lot of time reaching out to multiple vendors and getting proposals that are just estimates - they're not even close to accurate. 

As the event comes closer, oftentimes additional costs pop up unexpectedly. With Convene, we always know the cost of our event from the very beginning - even before we sign the contract. That helps me as I'm managing a multi-million dollar budget for the year and allocating the budget among our events effectively.

Convene helps achieve our goals of an overall quality experience for our attendees. Working with other venues, you never really know how it's going to go, but Convene has mastered consistency across all of their properties: the Nourish station is always there with unlimited snacks and beverages for our guests, and the furniture is always modern and comfortable. Hosting a meeting at Convene means  we never have to worry. 

You go to a hotel and you have to pick from the break menu and it's usually like granola and some chips. Here [at Convene], there’s Swedish fish, there's candy, and there’s always a fun surprise.

What is your favorite part about doing events with Convene?

My favorite part is how Convene helps me succeed on my day-to-day goal of staying on budget. Another thing I would say is hospitality. We always feel very taken care of, and that just speaks volumes for us.

My final question - you’ve hosted events in a lot of different Convene locations, but which Convene is your favorite?

I really like Convene One Liberty Plaza because there's so much sunlight. The huge windows are definitely a big plus. I also love etc.venues 360 Madison Avenue. The location is awesome. Our offices are right by Grand Central and I think a lot of our attendees prefer to stay in Midtown because it’s central.