Where to Host Your Focus Group Event?

Focus groups are a brilliant way to uncover insights that help shape your marketing, messaging and product development. One of the key things to consider when organising your focus group is where you’ll host it. The right location can make the experience smoother for you and more enjoyable for your participants.

The most common places that we see focus groups being held are:

• Market research viewing facilities
• Hotels or nearby places of interest
• Offices

Here we take a closer look at the pros and cons of each one.

1. Market research viewing facility

A market research viewing facility is often the most popular choice for holding a focus group event because it involves less work on your part. However, as a result, the price is often higher, so you have to decide how much you are willing to spend.

Viewing facilities are specially designed for market research purposes, so they include everything you will need. This includes:

• A room that is the right size for your group
• Catering
• One-way mirrors for viewing
• Recording equipment
• A designated host

As well as providing the above, they also provide a professional and comfortable environment. Most traditional focus groups benefit from being in these controlled settings, ensuring clear observation and seamless interaction.

If you’d like to learn more about viewing facilities, you can read more here.

2. Hotel or nearby place of interest

Hotels or places of interest can also be good places to arrange focus groups and they have many benefits.

They often have large rooms, such as conference rooms in hotels, so this can be convenient if you have larger groups. You can also choose a location that you know will be easy for everyone to reach, which can help when it comes to successful focus group recruitment.

It can be cost-effective when viewing is not included, but if you need to use recording equipment, things can get more expensive. Viewing the research can also be trickier.

Confidentiality is also a consideration. This can be harder to control than in a viewing facility because hotels are not set up specifically for market research purposes.

📍 Read more top tips on choosing the right venue for your focus group

3. In your office

Another popular option is to simply carry out your research in your office. The obvious benefit is that it can be more cost-effective, but organising catering and the equipment can involve a lot more work if it's required.

Also, your office might simply not be a suitable space for carrying out a focus group, and viewing the research and recording the sessions might not be possible.

It can also be more intimidating for the focus group respondents when they are in an office environment rather than a comfortable hotel room or a dedicated viewing facility.

Other things to consider

 As well as choosing the right venue, there are other considerations to keep in mind:

• Make it easy for respondents to schedule in the focus group by sending them an invite in Google Calendar, Calendly, TeamUp or a similar tool
• Send reminders before the event to reduce no-shows
• Make sure you can be reached easily so respondents can contact you whenever they need to
• Wherever you choose, make sure it is easy to get to, private and quiet with no distractions. It should also be comfortable for the participants. 

Final thoughts

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to choosing your focus group location – it depends on your budget, requirements and goals. However, a purpose-built viewing facility is often the simplest and most stress-free option.

And remember – if you're exploring other formats, online focus groups can also be an effective alternative, offering flexibility and wider reach.

Ready to host your focus group event?

Choosing the right venue sets the stage for successful research. And if you want to make sure you’re recruiting the best possible focus group participants, make sure you download our free guide today!