You are planning for an important event like your wedding, engagement party, or a corporate event. You’ve been to enough events by now to know the difference between an event that people remember and one that left everyone feeling stressed. But what was the difference? How do you successfully create a day to remember? Picking an event venue can make all the difference in the world. Below are some things to think about when choosing a venue.
Location, Location, Location
Location is everything. If you are having a big event, you will want people to be able to easily access the venue. How easy is it for your guests or participants to travel to the site? How far away is it from where most people will be traveling? Providing maps or a mobile app can save you a lot of time and energy and help guests arrive on time. If participants are going to be traveling by car, you need to make sure that there is enough parking to accommodate all your guests. If there isn’t, but you really like the venue, look at other means of transportation such as ride-share or other transportation service.
Venue Capacity and Layout
It may seem like an obvious question, but how many people can the venue serve? This goes beyond just capacity numbers. Is there enough space that you can feed all your guests? If you need separate spaces for different aspects of your event, can the venue safely accommodate that? And does the layout make sense? For instance, if you are hosting a business event can participants walk between sessions in a way that provides flow?
Amenities and Services
There are pros and cons to an event center providing its own amenities. Having everything in one place can be a huge help. It will simplify the amount of vendors and contracts you have to manage during the event. If a venue offers food, make sure to sample it ahead of time to ensure that it meets your standards. Sometimes though people go with outside vendors for cost savings or because they prefer the services they offer.
Acoustics and A/V
Acoustics are very important. Are people going to be able to understand the speakers when they are presenting? Will people have access to quieter areas where they can chat? Also, you need to understand what your A/V needs are and whether the venue can support them.