There are many factors that come into play when planning an event. The venue is one of the most important aspects to consider during the event planning process because everything should be centered around it. From the seating to the food and entertainment, your venue will determine what you choose for each. Checkout the below items to consider in choosing your perfect event venue.
Size
How many guests do you plan on having at your event? How much space will your entertainment take up? This is the first question you should ask yourself during your event planning process. The size of your event will affect the venue you decide to book. Remember that you never want to book a venue that doesn’t fit all your guests, and you also don’t want to book a venue that is too large. A venue too large, could look strange and potentially blow all of your budget. When it comes to an event venue, it’s better to go smaller, for intimacy purposes, but not too small where your guests are uncomfortable.
Outdoors? Indoors? Both?
Whether you want your venue to be indoors, outdoors, or both can determine the whole vibe of the event. Usually events in the winter are done indoors, while events in the spring and summer are done outdoors. The reasoning is usually the weather, but if you’re looking to play it safe and you have the budget, go to a venue that has both. Outdoor venues can usually be a little less expensive but that can all depend on location and other amenity factors that are included with the venue.
Location
The venue location is huge. It’s true what they say, “location, location, location.” You don’t want to plan an event and 90% of your invited guests live hours away. However, there are some events that do require out of town guests like weddings. If so, plan your event close to the hotels that your guests will be staying at. A convenient location is extremely important for an event. It could determine how large the turnout is.
Services
Does the venue provide other services besides hosting your event? Looks alone will not pull off a killer event. Guests want to be entertained and they don’t want to attend an event that is boring or requires unnecessary work. For example, if you use a hotel as your venue. You’re are already set for guest rooms and the option to use food the hotel could potentially provide. Services can be a huge plus for event guests. They can even add something extra to your event so guests enjoy themselves more.
Cost
When planning and event, staying on budget can be easier said than done. There are two sides of determining how much you should pay for your event venue. You don’t want to be cheap and pay for a rundown venue on the wrong side of the tracks, and you don’t want to overpay and have nothing left for the DJ or entertainment. We all want our events to be hosted at the most glamourous locations. Some savings tips would be to look at different days of the week and different times of the day. Additionally, if you book a venue further in advance, you can end up paying less than booking something at the last minute.
Atmosphere
You want to have a positive atmosphere when it comes to the venue you choose for your event. Some things to take into consideration is how the staff presents themselves, how the furniture looks, and even the air temperature. You want your event venue to match the theme of your event. You wouldn’t have a corporate event on the beach and you wouldn’t put a concert in a room that could maybe fit 20 people.
What Your Client Wants
This is very important. The client is always right, but it’s your job as the event planner to keep their expectations balanced with what they have to work with. If their budget doesn’t fit with the venue they want, or you think the venue doesn’t match the theme of the event, it’s your job to effectively communicate with them to produce a top-quality event. However, you don’t want to necessarily dominate them either. Your client knows the event guests better than you do, so having their input can elevate the overall guest experience.
