18 Jan 7 Steps in Choosing The Best Event Location
Whether you are planning the first-ever company event in 2023 or just another one in a row, you are probably struggling to decide on the perfect location for your event. Choosing the right location can be the key to the success of your event, and there are several factors to consider when making your decision. In this article, we'll provide you with 7 steps that will help you choose the best location for your company event. From considering your attendees' needs to looking at the overall ambiance of the location, these tips will help ensure that your event is a hit. So, without further ado, let's dive into our top 7 steps for choosing the best location for your company event.
1. Budget
Before you start looking for venues, set a budget that you can afford. Also, keep in mind when choosing a location that the cost of the venue isn’t alone. Make sure your budget covers all expenses like food, beverages, staff, chairs, microphones, etc.
There are different price ranges depending on the venue. If you have an idea of the price in advance, you can automatically narrow down your choices. When putting together a budget, decide what would be the main thing you want from the location. Is it some special needs like audio/visual equipment that will be important to your guests or the atmosphere? Have all of that in mind when determining the budget at the start.
2. VENUE SIZE
The most important factor is obviously the size of the venue and the number of people you expect at your event. If you expect 25 people, you do not need a large banquet hall. If you expect 500 people, you definitely need a banquet hall.
Depending on how many guests you are expecting, you should make sure that there is enough space for everybody so that everyone feels comfortable.
When you find your potential venue’s capacity try to find a balance. Let us explain what we mean by that. First of all, you can’t fit 500 people comfortably in a space with a capacity of 300, but there are also fire and safety regulations that the venue must comply with. On the other hand, you don’t want your guest to travel 10 minutes from one side of your location to another just to catch up with other people. So, not too big and definitely not too small.
3. Accessibility of a Location
Check if the place you're considering for an event is easy for guests to reach. You should ensure that guests can easily get to your event, whether they arrive by car or public transportation.
Look for a venue that is close to public transportation terminals if you have guests arriving by bus, and close to the airport if you have guests arriving by air. Make sure there is enough parking on site for the number of guests invited and also make sure that parking space is free for your guests at the time of the event.
4. SERVICE
Besides the appearance of the venue, it's also important to consider the services and amenities that they offer. Consider asking the next questions in order to know what to expect:
- Does the venue have a kitchen and can it provide catering for your event?
- Does the venue have tables, chairs, and linens that you can use?
- Is there a set-up/clean-up staff?
- Does the venue have audiovisual equipment?
Also, if you don’t want to spend too much time asking all of these questions alone, we will be more than happy to help! You can learn more about OLIDOOL’s service HERE or just go right ahead and contact us HERE.
5. Catering
The venue will often turn down the set-up fee and only require a deposit and the cost of food for each guest. Other venues may not have a kitchen at all. These venues without kitchens may have a partnership with food catering services that you must use, or you have the option to bring your own vendors. This can be great if the venue has partnered with a fantastic vendor. If it's not, it can cause major problems and negatively impact the attendee experience. If you can't check the quality of food service in your chosen venue or you know that there is bad catering service, maybe you should stay away from that venue. You need to make an event that your guests will enjoy eating at so do whatever you need to get that experience for them.
6. Layout
Even if you manage to find your venue early in the event planning process, you should still have a rough idea of the type of activities you plan to host, the equipment you'll need, and the needs of your guests. If you don’t have some pictures in your mind of how everything should be like, then we strongly recommend you start thinking about that.
As you narrow down your choices, get an illustrated floor plan of each of your potential venues and walk through your favorites at least once, noting important things such as where electrical outlets are located and where AV equipment is or can be located.
7. Acoustics
We bet that you have at least once attended an event where it was so loud that you could barely hear others, so you strained your hearing and lost your voice. That's the result of poor acoustics. Acoustics is just a fancy word for how sound travels through the venue. A low ceiling makes the venue seem cozy, but makes it louder when it's full. Or a large warehouse-style venue leads to echoes. When choosing a venue you should have in mind, just like for layout, what you want for an event and how you imagined it to be. Then, according to that, you should tailor your choice of venues where you can organize an event.
But, if you really like some specific venue, but the acoustics are bad, there are things you can do to improve them, such as using courtyards outside the venue or using acoustic clouds or canopies.
Conclusion
When searching for the perfect venues for your corporate events, you should seriously take that task. Keep all of the above in mind, but above all, you can for sure let your instincts be your guide. If you bring the various elements together and realize them smartly, your event will achieve exactly what you want it to.
And don't forget DETAILS MATTER!
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