Are they smiling and courteous? (Even a few rude encounters with staff could reflect poorly on your event.) Make sure this is okay with the venue staff before you investigate, and be as unobtrusive to the in-progress event as possible. Remember how you tried to book visits when events were in progress? Now’s your chance to pop in and see how things are going.Even the most meticulous planning can’t compensate for a venue that doesn’t have the right personality. How do you feel when you first walk into the venue? First impressions matter, period.
You don’t want to pass on a good venue just because you were tired or hungry during the visit! If you have the time, try to book visits on different days, or at least leave several hours in between visits.This will give you the best preview of how your event could look. Request appointments when events are in progress.Be ready to start the negotiation if the venue doesn’t take the lead study the line items of the proposal and pick out the costs you suspect could be lowered. Simply give your contact a call and explain your situation. Negotiate! If a venue you love sends a proposal outside of your budget, you don’t have to mark them off your list.For example, a venue might include fees for their in-house catering services, but if their policies allow for outside vendors, you might be able to save money there. As you review venue proposals, keep an eye out for costs you might be able to trim.For example, did you fill out an online form, send an email, or make a phone call? This spreadsheet will help you keep your outreach flow organized and your details straight, and it will be super helpful if you need to follow up with anyone. Keep a spreadsheet of who you contacted, when you reached out, and how you reached out.Use Google Maps to do a street view around your venue choices to get a feel not just for your venues, but also for the surrounding areas.Layouts and sizes of the available rooms.While every event may be different, some universally important factors include: Select about 5 research factors that are most important to your event.Can you picture the event you envision taking place in the venue?.Do the venues do weddings? If so, their rates might be higher.
What kind of events are they showcasing? It’s best to choose a venue with expertise in the kind of event you’re planning the staff will know the drill, anticipate your needs, and help you troubleshoot when things go wrong. Check to see if the venues have event portfolios.Outside vendor policies (This is important if the venue offers few services in-house.).Services offered in-house, including catering, audiovisual, waitstaff, cleaning services, etc.Customer reviews (Check on Yelp if nothing is posted on the official website.).Restaurants and coffee shops within walking distance.Use their official websites, but also search on Google Images to ensure a true representation.) Look and feel (Browse pictures of the venue.Hotels within walking distance-if the venue is not a hotel.Layouts and sizes of the rooms (Do the spaces comfortably hold all your expected attendees?).For example, someone might tell you the city is a college town where it’s impossible to find an available bar or restaurant on any night of the week. Your associates might have insights you never even considered. Survey a few key stakeholders to get their thoughts.Available venues (Have you found any promising choices in the city? Even the best city can’t make up for a sub-par venue.).City personality (Does it fit with your company culture?).Since you’ve already done a ton of research, you simply need to select about 5 research factors that are most important to your event.Use handy tools like Spotted by Locals, Trover, Off the Grid, and Time Out to have some fun. Practical details make your event happen, but you should also investigate notable features, the elements that give cities personality. Explore the personalities of the cities.