In Part 1 of this article, I covered the basics of group size, equipment needs and overall room setup needs, all of which are crucial elements when reviewing potential venues. I gave my word that in Part 2, I would stress the importance of site visitation and also provide some tips on how to stretch your dollar in working with a budget.
A great way to stretch your dollar is to take advantage of the lengths venues will go to in order to keep you happy and just ask away! No task or "favor" is too small for you to ask of your venue, provided you are not requesting that they go on a latte run for you and 80 of your attendees or something equally ridiculous.
For example, say you were looking for a location for your annual staff meeting (about 3 hours) and you had found the perfect conference room in a hotel but discovered they didn't offer in-house catering. Because the meeting is a morning meeting and will only last 3 hours, you could ask the hotel representative if they might offer up something similar to their continental breakfast spread at a "per person" fee. This alleviates the extra stress of locating a breakfast caterer, most likely at a cheaper rate and the representative is likely to oblige, as you are a paying customer.
By finding small opportunities to utilize the venue in such a way, you will inevitably stretch your dollar and might even come in under budget, which always makes the boss a happy boss.
Keep in mind the amount of time attendees will be spending in the room and ensure that it is a comfortable atmosphere. An ideal space would be bright, clean, fresh-smelling (funny, I know, but you would be surprised) and possess an overall positive energy.
Some vendor representatives will over-exaggerate the services/amenities of their facilities in the hopes of getting a booking, so you will want to visit to ensure that you are getting what you are paying for.
This is also a good time to go over the room setup specifications that I discussed in Part 1, so that you can compare the flexibility of each venue regarding this.
In the event that you are planning for an out of town event and are unable to visit each of the venues, try to address all of the concerns mentioned above and get specific answers. Also, check out the venues' websites and ask the representatives if they might be able to send you images of the space in an email, in order to avoid any potential disasters.
I hope that I have provided some insight to answering those open-ended questions that always present themselves in searching out a venue. I also hope I equipped you with some tools that will help you make a wise selection for your upcoming event. Feel free to share with the rest of the class if you have a great tip of your own!
Consider Your Budget
You may have noticed that the underlying theme of Part 1 is to rely on the venue representatives for as much as they will allow and that is for good reason. Venue representatives have one job and that is to constantly fill their vacant spaces. This means that as a potential occupant, they are dead-set on doing whatever it takes to meet your needs and get you in there.A great way to stretch your dollar is to take advantage of the lengths venues will go to in order to keep you happy and just ask away! No task or "favor" is too small for you to ask of your venue, provided you are not requesting that they go on a latte run for you and 80 of your attendees or something equally ridiculous.
For example, say you were looking for a location for your annual staff meeting (about 3 hours) and you had found the perfect conference room in a hotel but discovered they didn't offer in-house catering. Because the meeting is a morning meeting and will only last 3 hours, you could ask the hotel representative if they might offer up something similar to their continental breakfast spread at a "per person" fee. This alleviates the extra stress of locating a breakfast caterer, most likely at a cheaper rate and the representative is likely to oblige, as you are a paying customer.
By finding small opportunities to utilize the venue in such a way, you will inevitably stretch your dollar and might even come in under budget, which always makes the boss a happy boss.
Site Visitation
Obviously, you aren't going to visit 20 venues but as your list of possibilities lessens, you want to consider visiting your top 3 or so to get a better feel for the space, atmosphere, parking, restroom location etc...Keep in mind the amount of time attendees will be spending in the room and ensure that it is a comfortable atmosphere. An ideal space would be bright, clean, fresh-smelling (funny, I know, but you would be surprised) and possess an overall positive energy.
Some vendor representatives will over-exaggerate the services/amenities of their facilities in the hopes of getting a booking, so you will want to visit to ensure that you are getting what you are paying for.
This is also a good time to go over the room setup specifications that I discussed in Part 1, so that you can compare the flexibility of each venue regarding this.
In the event that you are planning for an out of town event and are unable to visit each of the venues, try to address all of the concerns mentioned above and get specific answers. Also, check out the venues' websites and ask the representatives if they might be able to send you images of the space in an email, in order to avoid any potential disasters.
I hope that I have provided some insight to answering those open-ended questions that always present themselves in searching out a venue. I also hope I equipped you with some tools that will help you make a wise selection for your upcoming event. Feel free to share with the rest of the class if you have a great tip of your own!
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