I’ve been getting a lot of “venue-finding questions” lately. So I’ve decided to draw up a brief “how to” guide in venue-finding. In my opinion, these are the most critical factors (in order of importance from the most important) that you should keep in mind before committing to a venue. Every event planner or any person who has ever tried planning an event will tell you one of the most times consuming and often frustrating parts of event planning is finding the right venue; which would probably explain why most planners eventually own their own venues – the drama is just too much! Well for those of us who can’t afford to just buy a venue here’s to zero-in on your perfect venue:
1. Money, Money, Money
Let’s get real, when choosing a venue the deciding factor (more often than not) comes out to be the price. But the most important thing is to maintain a balance have an overall budget on your entire event and then set the price you are comfortable with spending on your venue – the let that be the guide on what to get. You don’t want to overspend on the venue as that would mean decreasing your other expenses or leaving out other important elements of your event. At the same time, don’t just settle for the one that has the lowest pricing on the radar. The best rule of thumb to follow is to look at your budget holistically, then look at your event needs holistically and then allocate your budget to each accordingly – only then will you know how much you can (realistically) spend on a venue.
2. It’s All About Location
Ok you’ve heard this a thousand times but it cannot be stressed enough “Location, Location, Location”. Here’s the thing people will not attend an event if it is too far or are doubtful about the area it will be held. Unless you are the International Jazz Festival or the Soccer World Cup or its your wedding and the attendees are your close family and friends (even some of them might need a little convincing) nobody likes to spend time and money traveling and hence, when deciding on your location, you must keep your audience in mind, why would they go that far? Is there incentive for them to go there? Etc. Have a look at your expected attendees and then choose a location that would seem appropriate to most of them.
3. Don't Be Silly Of Course Size Matters
Simply put people need space to breath. Find a space big enough to accommodate everyone COMFORTABLY. Period. There is no trick to this. If it’s an invitation only event this is an easy one to figure out because you know the numbers beforehand. If it’s a walk-in/open event then you have to set a quota of tickets to be sold, presold and stick to it – an overcrowded event is not ideal for anyone involved, trust me, a “packed” event is not necessarily a successful event.
4. Seeing Is Believing
It is always advisable to visit the venue and check out all the facilities for yourself. The best way to do this, either than scheduling a “walk-about”, is to attend events hosted at the venue that way you will get to experience the venue the same way your attendees will experience it – this is the best way to see the place.
5. Ratify, Validate, Prove
Most venues provide (or rather should provide) the basic amenities and facilities that would be required during an event, be sure to check that they exist and have been well maintained. You don’t want to spend time sorting out parking problems on the day of your event! And for me there is absolutely nothing more annoying and disgusting than toilets that are not well maintained at an event it’s enough to turn me off the entire event and you can forget about me going back to that event/place ever again. Ask about who is responsible maintaining what during your event and how often.
Let me know if you found this list helpful.
