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!
Affordability really is one of the key differentiators for selecting a venue. Prices vary enormously, depending on availability and time of year. Generally, it is quite difficult to negotiate rates when you are only having one event; however there are quite a few tricks you can carry up your sleeve! More details about this are on the recent article we wrote on negotiating rates. Don't forget to take into account set up times, eating space if you're having a larger event.
Will you be organizing accommodation for your guests? If the venue has bedrooms, you need to be sure that you don't carry too liability. A reduced attendance could cost you dearly! If there are no bedrooms available then you need to decide if their accommodation is going to be your responsibility as this can become quite a logistical challenge. It is often useful to outsource this process to accommodation management companies who may offer this service free.
Naturally you will have to decide if the rooms available will suit your intended purpose. Are smaller rooms available as well as the largest room you will need? Usually a site visit is the best way to find out what you need to be sure about.
Trying to find the most appropriate venue via the internet is possible, but there are other options. One of the better ones is to use a free venue finding service. These services are often paid by the hotels for their matchmaking services, and on top of that, they will negotiate with the hotel for the lowest rate! - 15433
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!
Affordability really is one of the key differentiators for selecting a venue. Prices vary enormously, depending on availability and time of year. Generally, it is quite difficult to negotiate rates when you are only having one event; however there are quite a few tricks you can carry up your sleeve! More details about this are on the recent article we wrote on negotiating rates. Don't forget to take into account set up times, eating space if you're having a larger event.
Will you be organizing accommodation for your guests? If the venue has bedrooms, you need to be sure that you don't carry too liability. A reduced attendance could cost you dearly! If there are no bedrooms available then you need to decide if their accommodation is going to be your responsibility as this can become quite a logistical challenge. It is often useful to outsource this process to accommodation management companies who may offer this service free.
Naturally you will have to decide if the rooms available will suit your intended purpose. Are smaller rooms available as well as the largest room you will need? Usually a site visit is the best way to find out what you need to be sure about.
Trying to find the most appropriate venue via the internet is possible, but there are other options. One of the better ones is to use a free venue finding service. These services are often paid by the hotels for their matchmaking services, and on top of that, they will negotiate with the hotel for the lowest rate! - 15433
About the Author:
In Any Event UK is able to offer this help for all types of venues as well as online registration systems and full event management services.
