Getting the best venue can either make or break the success of the event. Everyone who attends is relying on your choice. Its a difficult task even at the best of times, but if venue occupancies are running high it can be even harder! There are several tricks to look for and it is very easy to get this wrong.
A key factor when choosing a venue is availability. If you have waited until the last moment to organize then your options could be very limited, as well as more costly. Plan well in advance and make the booking as soon as you can. Don't forget to keep track of what booking you have made as you need to keep in mind the cancellation policies, to avoid any additional charges to yourself.
You probably already have a good idea of where the general location will be. Things to take into consideration at this point are the travel requirements to the event ? will your guests need transport to the venue and back again? Additional transport can significantly increase the budget demands and you may end up having to cut back in other areas such as entertainment, drinks or food. Central city venues can however be much more expensive but country venues can offer a very different. These variations should of course be taken into account when thinking of your event location.
The style of the venue is important in that it needs to be in line with the 'brand or 'feel' you are looking to establish. Venue types vary enormously from the standard chain hotels, where you can expect a certain level of service, to the more radical local options which lend themselves to a more out of the ordinary event. The style of the venue and the price often come hand in hand so it may be necessary to juggle the budget accordingly. Don't forget that whilst some basic venues may seem cheap, decoration costs can escalate the budget significantly!
The cost of a venue weighs heavily in the decision-making process, and it can be quite different at various times of year and various levels of availability. When it's time to negotiate the rate, you find difficulty lowering the rate for just one event, but there are some techniques that you can use to make your position stronger! You can read more about this in the article we wrote recently on rate negotiation. When you're planning your schedule, remember that you need to allot time for set, and space for eating, if your event calls for it.
Are you making the sleeping arrangements? If you are, make sure you don't overbook. You will be paying for any rooms that are not occupied. If no sleeping rooms are available it may be too much work for you to find accommodations for everyone involved. You may best be served by outsourcing this task to someone with experience.
Clearly, the type of rooms the venue has is a practical factor to consider. If you are holding a conference, how many break out rooms will you need for your discussion sessions (maybe you can get away with using the bar / lobby?). It is usual to set up a site visit so that you can judge if the venue is going to be suitable.
Trawling through the internet can be one option for finding the best venue, however there are a number of free venue finding services which take away the pain of the process. They can offer a free service as the hotel will pay them a small commission and they will inevitably also manage to get a better price for you!
A key factor when choosing a venue is availability. If you have waited until the last moment to organize then your options could be very limited, as well as more costly. Plan well in advance and make the booking as soon as you can. Don't forget to keep track of what booking you have made as you need to keep in mind the cancellation policies, to avoid any additional charges to yourself.
You probably already have a good idea of where the general location will be. Things to take into consideration at this point are the travel requirements to the event ? will your guests need transport to the venue and back again? Additional transport can significantly increase the budget demands and you may end up having to cut back in other areas such as entertainment, drinks or food. Central city venues can however be much more expensive but country venues can offer a very different. These variations should of course be taken into account when thinking of your event location.
The style of the venue is important in that it needs to be in line with the 'brand or 'feel' you are looking to establish. Venue types vary enormously from the standard chain hotels, where you can expect a certain level of service, to the more radical local options which lend themselves to a more out of the ordinary event. The style of the venue and the price often come hand in hand so it may be necessary to juggle the budget accordingly. Don't forget that whilst some basic venues may seem cheap, decoration costs can escalate the budget significantly!
The cost of a venue weighs heavily in the decision-making process, and it can be quite different at various times of year and various levels of availability. When it's time to negotiate the rate, you find difficulty lowering the rate for just one event, but there are some techniques that you can use to make your position stronger! You can read more about this in the article we wrote recently on rate negotiation. When you're planning your schedule, remember that you need to allot time for set, and space for eating, if your event calls for it.
Are you making the sleeping arrangements? If you are, make sure you don't overbook. You will be paying for any rooms that are not occupied. If no sleeping rooms are available it may be too much work for you to find accommodations for everyone involved. You may best be served by outsourcing this task to someone with experience.
Clearly, the type of rooms the venue has is a practical factor to consider. If you are holding a conference, how many break out rooms will you need for your discussion sessions (maybe you can get away with using the bar / lobby?). It is usual to set up a site visit so that you can judge if the venue is going to be suitable.
Trawling through the internet can be one option for finding the best venue, however there are a number of free venue finding services which take away the pain of the process. They can offer a free service as the hotel will pay them a small commission and they will inevitably also manage to get a better price for you!
About the Author:
In Any Event UK is able to offer assistance for all types of venues, large or small, as well as online registration systems and full event management services.
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