If you’re new to venue finding or organising events, or even if you’re an event professional, why not take a look at our guide below for hints and tips on what to think about in the early stages of planning your event, and how to make the most of our service.
Placing your enquiry
The more information you have to hand when you contact us, the more quickly we can carry out your search request and secure you that all import perfect venue. Below are a few things to think about before you get in touch…
Event type and audience
Tell us about your event, what you’re hoping to achieve, and who will be attending and why. We want to gain a real understanding of what you need your venue to deliver right from the off! Knowing this information will make sure we don’t propose a fun, quirky venue with a view for your event where there are serious issues to discuss, or send you to a luxury formal private dining room for your relaxed staff Christmas lunch.
Timings & dates
It really helps for us to have an accurate idea of timings to work with. By knowing how much set up and de-rig time you need, we can work with venues to secure the right window of time so are not rushed on the day. By telling us from the beginning we’ll have an opportunity to find the best fit, and best fit in a venue’s diary can lead to some great savings for you. We don’t want you to have any nasty surprises or increased costs so please help us to help you, but telling us as much as you can from the outset.
Please try to be as accurate with your event dates as possible. Moving an event date by as little as one day can really impact on availability and rate, especially if you are enquiring in London or other busy cities.
We love flexibility and so do venues! If you can look at holding your event on off-peak days or dates (Mondays & Fridays in particular) there are some great deals to be had.
If you are unable to provide a window of dates, or at the very least a month and preferred day of the week, we may find it difficult to collate accurate information due to the fluctuating market – so it’s always an idea to have your dates available before you call us.
Equipment and layout
Be clear on how you’d like your meeting or conference room set up. Adding large sets or big pieces of audio visual equipment to a brief further down the road could rule out some venues that you’ve fallen in love with. It’s really helpful if you know your meeting room layout when you contact us as well as the size of any additional staging or production – click here for a handy guide if you are unsure on which layout you require.
Of course, if you can be flexible with layouts, then that’s fantastic! Venues love theatre-style layouts as it often means they can utilise more of their meeting rooms in this style. It also means that you will have a wider range of venues to consider.
Budget
This is one of the most important pieces of information that you can provide us with.
You might not have an exact figure for your event, but if you can give us a bracket to work within, an approximate per head price, or an idea of what you paid at the last event it will ensure we can provide a much more suitable proposal.
Having a budget to work within means we can speak to the right venues straight away, without proposing too many over or under-budget. The last thing we want to do is waste your time, our time or our suppliers’ time.
Contrary to popular belief, venues do not ask for a budget so they can build a package that matches it. It is used as a tool to best match what you’re looking for, to save time, be realistic and to be able to add value to your event.
Communication and feedback
The key to finding a successful event venue is communication!
The venue sourcing process is a journey. We all have different ideas about what ‘unique’, ‘modern’, ‘traditional’ or ‘funky’ means, which is why it’s important to let us know your thoughts and feedback all the way through the process.
You may find that you like all the venues we propose first time around, you may only like the look of one and that’s no problem. We often re-propose again and make adjustments as the event and brief evolves, and that’s what we’re here for, supporting you at every stage until we uncover the perfect venue for you.
The little things make a difference..
It doesn’t matter how small it seems to you, please let us know about the little things that you’ll look for in a venue.
It could be that you hate pillars in meeting rooms, that you must have natural daylight or that you have a particular brand you’d like us to include or avoid. Whatever it is, from car parking to sustainability credentials, please mention your requests to your consultant and we’ll do the rest.
