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.
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.
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.
Since there are considerable differences among different places, you need to make sure that the venue correctly matches the 'brand' or 'feel' that best fits your company. Would you fit better in a regular chain hotel, where the service, amenities, and experience is fairly predictable? Would your event be more natural in a funky local place that has a style of its own? These things are important to consider, and they can affect the cost of the venue. So, you might need to adjust your budget, or re-appropriate funds to make the most out of your money. A word of caution: even though some places may be cheaper than others, you should investigate the cost of decoration as well, since the more normal the place, the more it might take to give it the professional appeal you are looking for.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Since there are considerable differences among different places, you need to make sure that the venue correctly matches the 'brand' or 'feel' that best fits your company. Would you fit better in a regular chain hotel, where the service, amenities, and experience is fairly predictable? Would your event be more natural in a funky local place that has a style of its own? These things are important to consider, and they can affect the cost of the venue. So, you might need to adjust your budget, or re-appropriate funds to make the most out of your money. A word of caution: even though some places may be cheaper than others, you should investigate the cost of decoration as well, since the more normal the place, the more it might take to give it the professional appeal you are looking for.
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.
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.
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 this help for all types of venues, large or small, as well as online registration systems and full event management services.
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