It’s all about location, location, location. Deciding on the best event venue is imperative to your events success, and a poor venue choice can easily ruin an event. While finding the perfect event venue takes time and patience, it doesn’t have to be stressful. In fact, it can even be fun!
We’ve put together this helpful guide to make your event venue selection process seamless and fun. Below are 5 steps to finding the perfect event venue:
1. Know your dates
Absolutely know which dates your event will be held on. Venue availability depends heavily on dates, and you may find the perfect venue only to realize it’s not available on the date of your event. You’ll either have to be flexible in your event date to secure your ideal event venue, or be flexible in your venue choice to secure the date you want.
2. Know the number & type of attendees
Knowing who will be attending your event will help determine the type of venue you’ll need. Venues all have capacity limits, so knowing how many people will attend will definitely help you choose the perfect event venue. It is also important to take into consideration the types of guests who will be attending, and choose a venue that not only suits the events, but also suits the needs of attendees.
3. Visit many different venues
Picking the perfect event venue allows you to be creative. Sure, you could go with the standard hotel meeting space, conference hall or convention center. But those aren’t the only options, there are many cool spaces you can host an event. For example, a theatre or warehouse type space. In order to scope out the best venue, try to base your decision on venues that match the theme. Another thing to consider is how convenient it is to get to the venue. If it’s in the middle of nowhere and hard to reach by public transit, perhaps it’s not a great spot. Always schedule a site visit before booking a venue.
4. Inquire about the venue services
Don’t forget to find out what services an event venue has. For example, security, parking, catering, décor, janitorial, etc. Many venues have set vendors they work with for these services, so you will have to work with them too. Other venues leave it completely up to you to arrange additional services so it’s important to know what you want prior to selecting the venue.
5. Ensure the venue can accommodate tech
Your event venue should be able to accommodate the type of event you’re planning. Depending on the type of event, you’ll need to consider whether or not the venue can provide a projector screen, entertainment, A/V, sound, a PA system or other technical needs. A big thing to consider, especially for a conference, is how reliable the wifi is, or if there are enough outlets for chargers etc.
Finding the perfect event venue is one of the most important factors in planning an event. Be sure to follow these 5 steps to find your ideal venue.
What are your processes for selecting an event venue? Let us know in the comments section or tweet us at @QuickMobile. For more helpful event planning tips, subscribe to our blog.
A Day in the Life of an Event Planner
Part one of our 3-part series showing a day in the life of an event planner, before, during and after an event.
My fiance and I need to find an event space for our wedding reception and need some tips. We liked that you mentioned inquiring about venue services and seeing what vendors each spot works with. This will make it a lot easier as we go through our options.
Hi Alexandria, thanks for your comment! I am so happy you found these tips helpful. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions regarding planning your event.
I loved that you pointed out that knowing who will be attending the event will help determine the type of venue I will need. I am going to organize a conference for our board members soon, and I believe that the venue should be gorgeous. I will make sure to visit a lot of venues and choose the one which not only suits the events but also suits the needs of attendees.
I agree that you would want to consider when the event will be held when choosing an event room. Knowing the dates would help you know if they are right for you. You would also want to determine what kind of event will be held in order to rent the right size and style of room.
Yes, exactly! There are several factors to consider when choosing an event venue.
Thanks for reading, Gloria!
Our company is hosting an event at the end of the month and I am one of the team leaders assigned to plan it. For choosing the right venue, I agree that it is good to have a list of prospective places to choose from to make sure that there will be a contingency if in case one isn’t available for your planned dates. It is wise to theme the event around the campaign so you would know what arrangements to go for and the venue you’d want to have. Not only does this make it appropriate, it will also boost the company’s PR if executed flawlessly.
It was really nice how you said that there is a venue where the staff is responsible for arranging everything and there are some that leave the preparations entirely up to the renters, so it’s best to decide prior to selecting the place. I’m pretty sure that the people in my company are too busy to focus on arranging the venue, so we’d really appreciate it if the staff can do it for us. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be sure to let everyone know, so we can choose a venue based on our preferences.
I agree with you in that it is always a good idea to choose the venue you need based on the number of guests you will have. It is important to understand that doing this can help you find the best venue that can provide the room and services you need for your event. We are planning on hosting our next family reunion in a few months and want to make sure we find the best venue that can host our party, so I’m glad I found your page.
Thanks for the tip to absolutely know which dates your event will be held on. My sister will be married soon and she wants it to be an intimated wedding. My mom suggested holding it in an event venue and shared this article with her.
I like your advice about visiting many different venues. I am trying to find an event space for my daughter’s 16th birthday bash. I think that looking at a variety of places and getting a good feel for what kind of party she would like is the best way to find one.
It’s great that you’ve mentioned how an event venue should be able to accommodate the things that you’ll be using for the event such as projectors screens, PA system, and other technical needs. Our group is planning to hold an event but we’re still unsure where. I’ll mention this to our other members and take this into consideration while looking for the right place of the event.
My sister is getting married soon and she asked me to help her choose the venue so I am glad that I found this article. You make a great point that you should visit as many venues as possible so that you can get a feel for the theme and space that you want. I know that my sister wants a modern venue so I will be sure to look for that style when going to different venues. Also, it makes sense that you should choose a reception place that accommodates your guests in size as well as special concerns.
Thanks for the tip about finding an event venue that has services such as security and catering. Finding someone who has these services on staff would help you because you would not have to find so many different services all at once. In addition to this, you may want to check with past clients to make sure that they had a good time at the venue in question.