Getting the best venue can make or break the success of your event. Everyone attending the event is relying on your choice! It can be a difficult task at the best of times, however with venue occupancies running high it can be even harder! There are also a good deal of tricks to look for and it is easy to get this wrong.
Availability is a key factor when choosing a venue ? if you have left it too late to organise then the options will be severely limited (and more expensive!). Plan well in advance and make provisional bookings as soon as you can. Don’t forget to track what bookings you have made as you must remember the cancellation dates and when you expose yourself to charges.
The general area of the event is usually self-evident. There are some things to consider when picking the exact location, such as what travel arrangements will be required. If travel eats up too much of your budget you will pay for it in other areas such as food. Central city locales and rural conference centers each have their advantages and drawbacks to consider.
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.
It is clear that this type of room that the venue has is a practical factor that needs considered. If you are holding a conference, how many break out rooms will you need? Will they allow you to use the bar or lobby? Its usual to set up a visit to the site so that you can judge if the venue is 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!
Tags: entertaining, event management, Event management services, event organisers, Marketing