5 biggest mistakes when booking a venue for an event
If you’re arranging a wedding reception, party or business conference then the venue you chose can be vital in ensuring the overall success of the event. We’ve seen too many people book a venue solely on its reputation. This is a big mistake; a venue may be excellent but that doesn’t automatically make it the right place to hold your event.
Each event is different so you need to sit down and compare what you need for your party or business conference with what venues have to offer. Here are five factors that you always have to think about when you’re choosing a venue.
Location is vital
When you’re looking at the location of a venue remember that you should not just consider your own perspective. You need to think about everyone who is attending the event too. If there are people travelling to attend you need to find out if there is accommodation in or close to the venue. If people are using public transport you should check out links to the venue. Never book a venue without thinking about the logistics of its location.
The party next door
Depending on the venue you’re looking at, there may be more than one room for hire. The big question is, what other events are being held at the same time as yours? Do you really want your awards ceremony to be accompanied by a sound track of 100 people doing their best Frank Sinatra impersonation? Of course, you can never really predict what other events at the venue will sound like, but you can be aware and perhaps try and check how much noise filters through from one room to the next.
Last orders already
Early closing can sometimes kill even the best party atmosphere. This isn’t the case for every event, but if you know that you have a group of party animals in attendance chances are they are not going to want to be tucked up in bed by midnight. You should never make assumptions about closing times for the venue or for the bar. Here’s another hint; you may find an amazing venue with a bar that closes at 11pm. When you’re visiting or speaking to the venue it’s a normal day and you’re just blown away by the facilities and the decoration. You think it’s worth compromising an extra hour or two on the night for all of that. Will you still feel the same way on the night when the party comes to an abrupt halt at 11:30, just as it’s at its liveliest.
What will the live band sound like?
If you’re having live music at your event you need to be aware of the potential issues caused by sound limiters. Many venues are now forced to have sound limiters fitted in order to maintain their license. This means that if the music reaches a certain decibel level for more than a few seconds the electricity supply automatically cuts out and takes a minute or two to come back on. If this happens repeatedly then the electricity supply can cut off for several minutes. Obviously, this isn’t good if you have a live band playing. You also have to think about the acoustics in a venue; you don’t want the band to sound as though they’re playing in a cave. If the venue is particularly large, speak to them about adding soft furnishings, for example curtains, drapes, soft seats and seat covers, long table cloths and baffles. These will all hugely improve the sound of the band. Anything that’s hard will make things sound a lot more cave-like.
Is it worth it?
This is a really difficult question to answer sometimes. You have to decide whether the amount of money being charged by a venue is worth it, considering the location and the venue itself. One thing we would say is that you need to be realistic; on the one hand you shouldn’t be tempted to spend hundreds of pounds more than you can afford as you’ll probably regret it later, on the other hand you should expect to pay a competitive rate for an excellent venue.
Choosing is a venue is one of the most important parts of arranging an event so remember to give yourself plenty of time. Hopefully our tips will help you make the right decision.