When you’re organizing an event, you need to have an eye for detail. It’s critical that you know the market, the flow of the program, and the needs of the event participants and guests. Your choice of venue is also important to deliver a pleasant experience for everyone.

The Best Time To Look For A Venue

The best time is ‘as soon as you can’.  If you’ve already settled budgeting, estimated market size, and space necessities, then you need to look for a suitable venue next.

Ideally, you need at least 4 to 6 months to look for a venue so you have enough time to look into other details such as event brochures, website, marketing, and catering.

Location

Your venue should be accessible from most homes or workplaces. Locations accessible to transportation from attendees coming from the airport or those out of town would be a good option. However, traffic might be a problem. You may want to look into venues where there’s ample parking space for their vehicles. Most venue hire eastern suburbs Melbourne offer good locations for events such as seminars and corporate gatherings.

Parking Spaces

Does the venue offer valet parking? If not, then all is not lost yet. There are several alternatives you can choose from. Check for parking spaces nearby and include this in your ticket prices. However, you can also opt to inform attendees bringing vehicles to pay the fees when they arrive. Also, negotiate with Uber or Lyft for discounts and distribute promo codes to your attendees. You can also provide valet parking even if the venue doesn’t provide it. This is important especially for upscale events such as a gala.

Using An Event App

To make it more convenient for your participants, you can use a mobile app that directs them to the venue. This will reduce chances of cancellations, late arrivals, and your participants would feel that you’ve planned this thoroughly.

Venue Capacity

Maximum capacity is important so you know if you can still have a ‘buffer’ space for extra attendees. Some attendees might be walk-ins so by allowing some ‘space’, you can accommodate them. If a room can comfortably fit a 500-person maximum capacity, you need to have attendees of about 250-350 if it’s a small to medium scale events. It is also important to check on safety codes and see if the venue abides by it.

Food And Beverages

Also known as the ‘F&B minimum’, these are offered by the venue with a set minimum amount for food and beverages to be spent. Should the estimate for the amount you spent on F&B is more than the minimum requirement, you may have a good standing with them. You can negotiate for a complimentary service such as Wi-Fi upgrade or A/V support should you reach a certain level of spending on F&B.

Amenities And Other Services

For venues with kitchens, they often waive facility fees and will only charge to cost of food per attendee. As for those without any kitchen, you may want to partner with a food provider for this. It’s imperative that you check the quality of the food in advance. It will have a massive impact on your subsequent events.