Epicenter Event Space Opens on Morse Road

Epicenter Event Space opens its doors today at 2100 Morse Rd., Unit #4665 with 13,000 plus square feet of blank space ready to take on any number of business events.

The conference-style space fills a niche gap in the market its founders encountered through two years of planning and hosting events explains Chris Hawker, one of the partners in the space. Outside of Trident Design, Hawker is a part of Next Level Trainings which hosts events centered around emotional intelligence and leadership.

The group faced challenges finding venues that could accommodate larger-scale, multi-day events – and found they weren’t the only ones.

“We were stuck with situations where sometimes we might have to switch venues in the middle of a training or we’d be squeezing into spaces that didn’t really work,” Hawker says. 

Aside from massive options like the Convention Center, which comes with challenging parking situations and complex contracts, Columbus is limited in its number of larger spaces.

“We just wanted something that was simple, easy, convenient,” Hawker says. 

If they created their own venue, they could allow flexibility on time and a spot that was consistently available to meet their needs.

“We thought we’ll solve our problem and create an opportunity to help other people who are wanting to do events,” Hawker says.

The space was once set up for retail but now is broken down into a number of larger and smaller rooms that previously served as a proficiency test scoring center for the state of Georgia.

Two large rooms are Epicenter’s main hosting centers. The aptly named Front Room provides 2,000 square feet of space with an occupancy of 100 – 140 people depending on the setup. Able to be staged theater or banquet style, or with arched seating, the Front Room is ideal for workshops, seminars, meetings and more.

The Elephant Room offers a similar opportunity on a larger scale. Up to 280 people can be accommodated in the 4,000 square foot room making it ideal for larger corporate luncheons, parties, trainings, seminars, etc.

“The nice thing about this space is it’s kind of, like, blank, so it doesn’t have a huge amount of its own personality – you bring your personality,” Hawker says.

An open space in the rear of the building provides ample staging area for caterers. It’s close to a warehouse room with a loading dock that adds another level of convenience.

Two smaller rooms are getting makeovers to add to Epicenter’s lineup. Since taking over the space, the partners have painted and put down new carpet in the larger rooms and swapped out old bulbs for LED lighting.

It’s the details that set Epicenter apart from other event spaces. Things like providing large, open areas without any columns.

With a few years of planning events already under their belt, “We got to learn what works, what doesn’t work,” says Epicenter General Manager Zed Clark. 

“Certain things we found frustrating we made easy, like free WiFi,” Hawker adds.

Parking was also a big draw for the Morse Road location. There’s free, convenient, ample parking in a lot in front of the building.

“The location was just a bonus, too, in terms of the convenience of 270 and 71, being able to get off either place if people are routing in, especially people who are coming in from out of town,” Clark says. 

The address is just three miles from Easton and a short drive from Downtown.

Clark notes the partners are also excited to be a part of the growing revitalization in the area. Providing a space that’s clean, easy, adaptable and affordable is their way of giving back to the community.

Epicenter hosts its grand opening celebration tonight, Tuesday, December 13, from 4 – 7 p.m. at 2100 Morse Rd., Unit #4665. To celebrate their official opening, Epicenter is also offering a discounted rate on events booked by the end of January. Interest is already being shown in the space and businesses are encouraged to seek more information as soon as possible.

Learn more at epicentereventspace.com.