The company behind Convene and etc.venues is reimagining how meetings, events, and flexible work come together under one global hospitality umbrella
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There’s a new player in the hospitality ecosystem—but it’s made up of names planners already know.
This week, Convene announced the formation of Convene Hospitality Group (CHG), a parent company that unites Convene and etc.venues under one umbrella, creating what CEO Ryan Simonetti calls “a house of hospitality-driven brands built for the full spectrum of modern meetings.”
It’s a strategic rebrand that doesn’t just polish the logo—it reframes the company’s entire purpose. CHG aims to bridge the gap between corporate meetings, creative offsites, and large-scale conferences with a scalable, multi-brand platform designed for a post-pandemic, connection-hungry world.
From Meeting Rooms to a Movement
If Convene’s early years were about mastering the art of premium meeting venues and hospitality-first service, CHG represents the evolution: a global portfolio that can flex from simple offsites to fully produced brand activations.
Simonetti describes it as a culmination of 16 years of experimentation. “We’ve listened to our clients, conducted market research, and constantly iterated on our approach,” he said. “What we discovered was that the market doesn’t need just one type of venue—it needs multiple specialized ones that all share the same DNA: human-centered design and hospitality.”
CHG is now positioned to do just that. Under its umbrella, Convene will continue focusing on premium, full-service meetings and conferences, while etc.venues will handle smaller, turnkey gatherings and corporate trainings. Future brands, Simonetti teased, will serve other niche segments across the events spectrum.
Hospitality First, Always
Each CHG brand operates with a unified philosophy: that gathering is an act of hospitality, not logistics.
Whether it’s a corporate offsite, product launch, or investor meeting, every space under the CHG portfolio is built to deliver more than square footage—it’s about creating environments “where connections grow, organizations flourish, and every gathering promotes presence and purpose.”
That translates into on-site catering, in-room AV, production services, and event support seamlessly integrated into the venue experience—a combination that’s earned Convene and etc.venues reputations as event partners, not just rental providers.
Scale Meets Soul
With 38 locations across nine global cities—and more on the way—CHG now stands as the largest single provider of dedicated meeting and event venues in the U.S. and U.K. The group’s growing network of flexible office spaces further blurs the line between workspace and experience hub.
The timing couldn’t be better. In an era when companies are investing heavily in in-person experiences to rebuild culture and engagement, CHG’s hybrid model offers a one-stop solution for everything from tentpole conferences to intimate executive offsites.
“While proven in other hospitality verticals,” Simonetti said, “there’s no venue provider doing what we’re doing at this scale. CHG gives us the ability to acquire, nurture, and grow existing brands while incubating new ones. We’re redefining what it means to meet.”
The Future, Convened
For planners, the launch of CHG signals something bigger than a corporate restructuring—it’s a blueprint for where the meetings industry is headed.
The days of single-purpose venues are fading. What’s rising in their place are hospitality ecosystems that combine the polish of luxury hotels with the focus and flexibility of modern coworking.
Convene Hospitality Group isn’t just another brand launch—it’s a statement: that the future of meetings lies not in the spaces themselves, but in the seamless, human-centered experiences they make possible.
Any thoughts, opinions, or news? Please share them with me at vince@meetingsevents.com.
Photo courtesy of Convene Hospitality Group
