Choosing the Perfect Venue for the event
Every event planner dreams of that perfect venue that has the potential to take the overall event experience to another level. Thereby, the selection of the venue is a crucial aspect of overall event planning.
From negotiation to arrangements, it becomes a test of different skillsets of the event planning. As an event planner, you usually go through various dilemmas while finalizing the event venue. To make your event planning smooth, we have listed some of the points that you should definitely consider while deciding on the venue.
LocationÂ
- If the event you are planning is a local event, the venue needs to be at a reasonable distance from most of the attendees.Â
- In case the scale of the event is significant and there are people from outside the city or even the country, distance from the airport and railway station becomes a crucial aspect to consider.Â
- Although the internet has made navigation much easier, you should still make arrangements for onsite signboards near the venue to direct the attendees towards the venue. There might be attendees with inadequate internet connectivity and their ease of access to the venue also matters.Â
- The locality of the venue is also an aspect you should consider. Research if there’s a history of tourist spam in the region as you won’t wish to have negative experiences for your attendees outside the venue.Â
Parking
Although the Parking facility is very much related to the location of the venue, we have covered it separately given how crucial it is. There have been instances when inadequate parking facility leads to bad attendees’ experience. To make sure that your event remains equipped with a parking facility, you can follow these tips-Â
- If the venue is hosting some other events, you can book parking slots for your event attendees in advance. You can estimate the number of vehicles based on expected footfall. Or, you can also run a quick pre-event survey to get a hang of the number of attendees coming on vehicles.Â
- It may also be possible that everything is fine with your venue except the parking facility and you think that the venue is otherwise perfect. In such a case, you can reserve nearby parking lots and add the extra cost to the ticket price.
Services and Amenities
Services and amenities at any event include catering services, tables, chairs, linens, Set up crew, AV capabilities, etc.Â
When it comes to these services and amenities at the event venue, there are broadly three different scenarios for the event planner-Â
- All the services and amenities are provided by the venue owner only and you aren’t allowed to collaborate with any third-party service provider, orÂ
- All the services and amenities are provided by the venue owner only but you have the leverage of collaborating with third-party vendors of your choice, or
- The venue owner doesn’t have any interference beyond the venue and it’s up to you to contact the third-party vendors for various services and amenities.Â
Depending on the terms and conditions of your event venue, you may belong to any of the three situations mentioned above. It is also possible that your venue is equipped with a few services and the rest you’ll need to manage on your own. Whatever the case is, make sure you take account of all these aspects well in advance while signing the deal.Â
Ambiance
Here is the real test of your event planning skills and how well you understand the nature of your event. The type of ambiance needed for a corporate event will definitely be different from that of Galas. As an event planner, you need to have a sound understanding of your event and the type of ambiance it requires. Moreover, you can take note of these two points-Â
- You may research the type of events the venue has hosted in the past. The online reviews of the venue should also be taken into account.Â
- At times, you can also modify the ambiance as per the need of the event. To avoid any last-minute confusion, It’s better that you have a prior discussion with the venue owner regarding all the changes you wish to see.Â
Legal aspects
This largely depends on the nature of the event, the local regulations, and the timing of the event. Based on all these factors, there are various legal requirements that an event is supposed to fulfill. Some of them include-Â
- Clearance from the local administration. In case the event footfall is very high, the traffic police and other concerned authorities need to make special arrangements to ensure smooth transportation in the region.Â
- Some events also need clearance from the green tribunal and related agencies.Â
- Sometimes, events require warehouse management systems or bulky equipment such as cranes for lifting and managing heavy inventory.Â
The resource to find the event venue
You can easily find your perfect event venue from the 10times event discovery platform. Here’s how you can make the best use of it-
- Every category of the event needs a different kind of venue. Depending on your needs, the venues have been categorized into conference centers, hotels, resorts, banquets, sports complexes, etc. Or you can also use filters of the region to find the best event venue in your area.
- Browse through the list of handpicked and popular venues and find the perfect venue to make your event a big success.
- You can also get all the relevant details regarding any particular venue so that you can stay informed to make the best decision.
- The review section gives a direction to your thought process.
Some Quick hacks before we wind up
- Try to be a bit flexible with the dates of the event. That way, you can negotiate for the prices in a better way. There will not be much room for negotiation in case the date of your event is rigidly fixed.
- Use your event app to facilitate networking among event attendees and encourage them towards car-pooling. This will not only save a lot of parking space but also strengthen the networking among the attendees coming together.Â
- You can equip your event attendees with RFID wristbands. This will give a clear idea regarding the movement of attendees through the event premise. You can use these valuable insights to understand those strategic hotspots of the venue with better exposure. It will help you in your event-planning for further editions.Â