Sarah Hill

Choosing the right venue is an integral part of organising a successful event. Whether you’re using the services of venue finding agencies, or trying to do it on your own, numerous aspects go into choosing a site that not only helps accomplish your goals but also makes your attendees happy. Luckily, even though it is a complicated process, it can still be broken down into actionable steps that, if executed, can significantly increase your chances of finding a venue that’s right for your situation. So, to help you get started, here are five tips that every corporate event planner should consider when looking for the right venue. Choose a Convenient Location No matter how you try to spin it, there’s no going around the fact that the location of the venue plays a vital role in the success of the event. If you can’t find a location that’s easily accessible to all attendees, as well as being in your price range, you’ll have a hard time executing your event, even if every other detail is taken care of. When choosing the location, you need to think about where the majority of your attendees are coming from. If it’s a local event that’s limited to one city, a more central location makes sense because people from all over the city will be able to reach it more conveniently. However, if you’re organising a national or even an international event, a location closer to the airport or other transportation hubs may be more suited, as that will allow guests to reach their destination faster, which is essential since you want people at your event and not stuck in traffic. If the majority of your guests will come by car, make sure that there are sufficient parking arrangements as you don’t want your guests to scramble looking for a place to squeeze in their vehicle. Make Sure There’s Enough Room Another crucial aspect of choosing the right venue is figuring out the size requirements for your event. You need to have at least a rough idea of how many guests will be attending so that you can make the appropriate arrangements in terms of the venue size and its amenities. One of the worst nightmares for a corporate event planner is finding out that they miscalculated the number of attendees and that their venue is now overflowing with people, making everyone uncomfortable and making it almost impossible to go through the event’s plan on time. Therefore, it’s always better to err on the safe side and opt for a slightly bigger than necessary venue, as that way, the worst-case scenario is that it’s a bit more spacious, which isn’t that bad up to an extent. Think About the Style and Function When working with venue finding agencies to find the perfect site for your event, it’s important to not focus all of your attention on details like the location or the capacity. Even though the venue might tick off all the boxes on paper, you must make sure that it fits your event’s style, as well as your corporate image. In the end, every corporate event you organise is a representation of the company behind it, so you need to make sure that your brand is portrayed in a positive light and that there are no details that would inconvenience or unsettle the guests, or even cause damage to your reputation. One part of this is the décor and style of the venue, but functionality can’t be overlooked as well. You or your representative must visit the venue and thoroughly analyse it, making sure that the layout is convenient and logical and will work well for your event’s plan. Prepare for the Unexpected In event planning, you can never be too careful about planning for the unexpected to happen – if you miss even one seemingly insignificant detail or dismiss an improbable scenario, that could come back to haunt you and could even ruin your event. One of the most important things to consider, especially when organising events in the UK, is the weather. While having an outdoor area for your event is always appealing, you need to think about the possibility that the weather conditions will make it impossible to host an outdoor event, no matter what the current forecast may predict. So, while that doesn’t mean you should dismiss outdoor events altogether, you must prepare for the worst and come up with a detailed plan on how you would act if you’d need to change your plans at the last second. The best way to go about this is to have a designated outdoor area for parts of your event, but also prepare an indoor space that could serve as an easy-to-setup replacement, should the weather conditions change unexpectedly. Consider the Amenities Few things are as frustrating as having to scramble to replace or find amenities or catering when you realise that the venue can’t deliver on its promises. Whether it’s media equipment that’s not up to par with what you need, or catering that isn’t sufficient for all of your guests, dealing with unexpected shortcomings of the venue is not something that you want to face. Therefore, you must personally check every aspect of the venue, including the amenities and equipment that they provide, so that you know exactly what you’re going to get on the day of the event, and can be sure that your requirements are met. Of course, that also means that you must write down a thorough and detailed list of requirements before even beginning your search for a venue, as what you need will largely dictate your selection of venues, and knowing that in advance will allow you to save time by eliminating a lot of the potential sites that can’t offer what you need. Author Bio Sarah Hill is a content writer at Seven Events Ltd – leading professional conference organisers in Birmingham offering venue finder, event management, team building, incentive travel. She started her career in the events industry almost a decade ago as time progressed she became an avid event blogger sharing her insight on corporate event planning. Contact Splento if you are in need of: Event Photography and Videography Professional Headshots eCommerce Photography and Videography Book a professional photographer near me and ensure every moment is perfectly captured.