The right venue is key to the success of any event. Finding the right space should be easy, once you know exactly what you need. Having a list of requirements doesn't only streamline your selection process, but it also helps you stay within your budget.
You want your event venue to be a perfect fit, physically and monetarily. Striking a balance between the two can be easy with proper planning and execution.
Here's a list of 16 tips to help you with the planning and execution of a successful event venue search:
1. Get your accommodation requirements straight
Once you know these, you can look for the best venue deal that will meet your needs. You can also check for added attractions — proximity to public transportation and local attractions.
2. Be clear about the details of your budget
List all of your venue expenses. This should include the costs of the facility, catering, equipment rentals, office services, guarantees and payment options. You also want to know what complimentary services the venue offers.
3. Consider your alternatives
If attendees are traveling from different areas, consider alternative venue sites that are cost friendly. For example, if you were originally planning to hold your event in Los Angeles, consider outlying areas like Irvine or Ontario for venues that will meet your requirements and provide exquisite service. This can save you hundreds of dollars. To facilitate research check out Cvent's Supplier Network (venue listings). You'll find comparative venue listings in specific cities and regions in the U.S. and outlying areas, including price comparisons on room rates, food costs, transportation options and weather forecasts, among others.
4. Factor in transportation
Will it help if your venue is close to an airport? Will your conference have off-site activities? In the latter case, try to keep things near the venue site. This will save on transportation expense and travel time for attendees.
5. Consider unique venues
Rates are much lower at unique venues like a new museum, an aquarium, an art gallery, a public garden or a restaurant. Chances are attendees will be drawn by the novelty of the venue.
6. Make a short list of venue options
Send out requests for proposals to the venues you listed. Include all your requirements (food, beverage, equipment, conference and room accommodations, etc.) in your request so the proposals they send are precise. This saves you time when you examine the proposals they send you.
7. Show them what you're worth
You have a better chance in negotiating rates and getting concessions if the venue sales manager sees that your event can lead to future business. Show him your track record — past events you've held, number of registrants per event and room nights booked. This will give you a leg up on negotiating room rates, catering costs and contract terms that you may not be comfortable with.
8. Be flexible
If you can hold your event during the off season, you can get a better deal. Rental costs for meeting rooms and guest rooms are much lower. Provide alternative dates to your short-listed venues, and ask if they can recommend additional off-season dates that may work for you. Also, if you're holding an annual event, consider booking the venue for a number of years. This will encourage the sales manager to give you a better price.
9. Examine payment options
Know each venue's terms for deposit and final payment. Ask about policies regarding cancellation, change of date (perhaps due to weather), and last-minute changes. The more flexible a venue is with payment options, the better. No event planner wants to have to do any of the above, but it helps to know in advance, just in case. For example, in the 11th hour a group of attendees may not be able to fly over due to inclement weather, forcing you to alter your head count.
Large venues offer lines of credit to qualified events based on the previous record of events. If you do not qualify for the line of credit you might be subject to a full payment prior to the event taking place.
10. Examine venue catering
If you're considering in-house catering, examine the venue's detailed menu and serving options. View the full service kitchen operations, and meet the executive chef. Have a taste test of the menu they are offering.
11. Ask if you can source other suppliers
The venue may have preferred suppliers for catering and equipment, but oftentimes the rates are premium. Sourcing your own vendors can save you money.
12. Inquire about amenities
Clarify with the sales manager venue policies regarding important amenities such as display of signage, banners and direction signs; availability of information desks; shipping and receiving services; any restrictions on event information displays; business centers and list of costs; and house phones inside the meeting rooms.
13. Examine add on costs
If your short-listed venue prices are extremely close, examine the breakdowns. Some venues will have a lot of “add on” costs which can drive the final cost much higher than what is listed. Make sure that the price that is quoted includes all of your requirements. Many venues quote a price without including the charges that will be added for catering and beverages, for example.
14. Time is money
When you're examining the breakdowns of quoted costs per venue, be sure to have a clear idea of the services that will go with it. If one venue will provide more services, but charges a little bit more, it might in the end be a money-saver for you if you already have a lot of work to do and could use the added help.
15. Check out the venue
Does the venue feel right? Does it have the right character for your event's theme? What about parking and disability access? Is there adequate staffing? Examine details — carpet, decor, draperies, room size and flexibility in accommodating tables and layout changes. Check out the lighting, location of restrooms and medical access. Also, make sure that the area is far away from potential distractions like noise in the halls or clutter in the venue kitchen.
16. Check out the facilities
Make sure the equipment you need is available. This may include microphones (and microphone stands), access to high-speed Internet, white boards (including supplies and easels), outlets (and locations per room), LCD projectors, remotes, adequate-sized screens and flat TV screens, among others.
Photo by Alan Stark
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Uhhh….yes?
I like your tip on asking about hiring other suppliers when looking for a venue. It seems that if you’re up front about hiring outside caterers and such would save quite a bit of money. My wife is planning a get away for her employees, I’ll have to tell her about this before she decides on the location. Thanks for the tip!
Hello Jeff, I’m glad that your wife can benefit from this tip. I hope she has a wonderful party and that she really gets value for money in this event. Happy New Year to you and your wife:)
I really love your comment about checking whether a venue is close to an airport or other means of public transportation. I can definitely see why you would want to make sure that your attendees could get to your event. I would imagine that it couldn’t hurt to check out the parking of venues as well, to make sure that there will be adequate space for anyone who would be driving to attend.
Yes Luke, it’s a good point. Parking is very important and not having enough parking space can really get some people started on the wrong foot, just before getting into your event! Good luck in your business and I wish you many successful events for the coming year:)
I didn’t realize that if you can have your event during an off-season you could get a better deal when you rent an event space. I will keep this in mind as I search for places to host my event. These tips were very useful to me, thank you.
Hello John, I’m glad you find the article useful. Good luck in your event business, and wishing you a successful and joyful 2017:)
My wife loves planning local events, and usually ends up getting one on her plate every couple of months. I like how you talked about looking at the catering provided by the venue, and if it goes along with the local event’s theme that you’re wanting to go with. I’ll have to try and keep these tips in mind while I’m trying to help my wife next time she’s working on one of these local events for the community! Thanks for the tips!
My company is planning an event soon and has started looking for a hotel to use. I love your suggestion to make sure they have the best equipment like microphones or LCD projectors. Since we definitely will be using some conference rooms, I’m sure we’ll want a hotel that can also provide adequate equipment for the presentations being given in those conference rooms.
I agree that you would want to find an event rental service that is flexible. It would be good to plan your party or event with a few alternate dates to get the best one for both of you. My brother is planning a family reunion, so he’ll have to consider a flexible schedule for the party.
I agree that you need to be flexible when it comes to finding a corporate event space. It would be good to find somewhere that is going to work with you to have an enjoyable event as well. In addition to this, you may want to tour the event space before you actually rent it.
Yes, you are right, Gloria, one must have a look at the event space to make sure it will work out fine for what you are planning. Thank you for your feedback!
These are some great tips for finding a venue for an event. The place I work at is planning one, but they are struggling to find a place to go. I’ll be sure to tell them to try and be flexible with their time. Maybe they can plan it for the off season sometime.
Hi Ridley, glad that this article was of help to you in your planning an event. Yes, off season timing will make the event more affordable. Good luck!
My work has asked all of us to help them find a venue for our Christmas party in a few months and we’ve all been trying to find one that would work well. I really liked that you had mentioned that it can be important to be clear about the budget that is given when finding the cost of everything and figure out what could be included by the venue. When I’m helping look around, I’ll be talking with venues about their pricing, hopefully, I’ll be able to find the perfect venue for this corporate event.
Hi Max, how wonderful that your wife loves to plan events. Yes, the menu is very important. I recall attending one event which was about healthy eating, then the menu served pork and all other unhealthy, fatty and fried foods afterwards. Fortunately, the event planner had a sense of humor and said, “Now that we have had this wonderful talk about healthy diets, we will eat all the food that is forbidden for lunch.”
Hi Ashley, yes, if the venue doesn’t have the equipment you need, you may as well find another venue that provides this equipment. A lack of equipment may indicate that the venue is not well suited for the type of event that you are planning.
Hi Roger, thank you for stopping by and commenting. Yes, you need to know what your budget is so that when you look for options, you easily know what to check as a possibility and what to cross out from your list of possible venues. Have a very wonderful Christmas celebration:).
My wife and I are in charge of hosting our extended family get together and we’re needing somewhere to have the event. I liked that you had mentioned that it can be important to make sure that you’re clear about the budget to make sure you can fit everything into there. We’ll have to start looking around for an event venue nearby, and we’ll be sure to find one that can work with our budget.
Loved this blog. It is a detailed study of the venue planning and management, thus all major points covered.
Venue and management can either be very beautiful and expensive, or very beautiful and charming and affordable. I prefer the latter type of weddings because you can really see the personalities of the couple.
We are planning our wedding, so this is great. Finding a good venue is next up on our list, and it’s hard to decide! I like how you said to include rental equipment and catering expenses. Our budget is tight, so being clear with our expenses makes sense.
You are absolutely right to stick to a budget for your wedding. I have gone to some of the most engaging weddings where the venue was not what you’d normally expect. What really makes weddings fun is when the couple’s love for each other is shone, faithful and true. I believe there is a bit of the romanticist in us all. Besides, true love is one thing you can’t fake.
Making sure that the venue is away from potential distractions sounds like a wonderful idea. I never thought to consider that on my hunt for an event space. I think that one thing will help eliminate some of the possible venue options I’ve found.
Yes, it’s not fun when two events are side by side, and both events are equally noisy. Have a great event!
Thank you for suggesting that you might want to consider unique venues. My husband is wanting to hold an event with all of his friends. I’ll have to look into finding the right event space for them.
Hi Elle, unique events are especially fun and I hope that you have a blast!
Mona
It was really helpful when you said to know what services they offer. My husband has a business event coming up in a couple of months, and he wants to make sure that he can find a good venue ahead of time instead of waiting until the last minute. He might have to hire an event planning service to help him so that he can do everything right. I’ll make sure to pass this information along to him as he searches for a venue! http://bigeventsinc.com/services
I’m glad that this article was helpful to you and your husband. When you learn the services per offer, you will be in a great position to measure the benefits and decide which venue works best for you. Good luck with your event. I’m sure you will exceed your own expectations.
Thanks for the reminder that it’s important to also look for the right budget to work with when planning a private event. I’d like to find a good private event venue soon because I’m interested in planning a bridal shower for a friend of mine. I think that will be a very fun time if executed well.
Planning everything so that the event goes without a hitch is something I really want to manage properly. Transportation is one factor that I didn’t consider, so I appreciate you bringing it up since most of our guests are from pretty far distances. To make sure they don’t have a hard time making it to the event, I’ll go and look for any wedding event halls or ballrooms that are easy to drive to.
Thanks for the suggestion that you should find an event venue that has the right food options that your attendees can enjoy. My friend is thinking about celebrating a surprise birthday party for his niece this year. I think this can help them create an unforgettable event for everyone!
I appreciate you for listing down things like catering and seating as the important parts of an event venue. Managing that kind of event without amenities like the ones you mentioned could make it even more stressful than it needs to be. Once we start looking for party venues in the area, I’ll make sure these are what we’ll prioritize.