All in the (Location) Details
Location, location, location! One of the most important elements to throwing a great event is the where!
So how does one go about choosing the perfect place?
Before we go any further -- no matter what type of venue you choose, we highly recommend working with an event producer for a lot of reasons. Event producers are professionals in the event industry and possess extensive knowledge of all things events, especially venue space. Because of our experience, we often know the venue you are considering like the back of our hands, which gives us a leg up when negotiating contracts. Venue contracts can be tricky and can often leave you with unexpected expenses if you don't know what you are doing – like cleaning, security, wifi fees etc. Event producers also do large volume business, which allows us to pull from our resources to help get you the best deals. We know how to best support you to make your vision come to life.
When shopping around, there are two principal distinctions of venues you can choose from – a full-service venue or a four-wall venue. Both are excellent options, and both come with pros and cons.
Let's talk full service. This is a great option for someone not working with an event producer. Full-service venues are basically a one-stop shop with resources built into the event contract. Most resources and vendors you need will likely be contained within the venue itself. This means your vendors know the space inside and out, which makes for a much more seamless planning process. Additionally, because your vendors know the venue so well, it makes day-of troubleshooting a breeze. Full-service venues are a great option for easy planning, however, there are some cons to going with this option. Often with a full-service venue, your budget becomes far less flexible. Because you are forced to use the venue's approved vendors, this leaves you with little to no room to shop around for the best price. There are usually a handful of restrictions regarding suppliers and what you can do with décor making it harder to transform the space into your dream event – so be sure to do your research before signing the dotted line!
Four-wall spaces are pretty much just that – four walls and an empty room. These venues allow a lot more flexibility and creativity. Because you are not confined to the supplier limitations of a full-service venue, you are able to book the vendors you want that will best support the purpose of your event – just be sure to watch your budget! Like they say, with great freedom comes great responsibility and trust us when we say putting on an entire event from scratch is A LOT of hard work and responsibility! These types of venues are generally easier to work in, however, unless you are working with an event producer – bringing in an entire vendor team (down to a cleaning crew for after the festivities) -- and sourcing all your décor can get very expensive and overwhelming.
When deciding where to host your event – above all else, functionality trumps all. At the end of the day, it won’t matter how beautiful the space looks or how great the food was if the space itself wasn’t functional for the purpose of the event. Be sure to keep in mind things like capacity, the flow of the room, if it’s in an urban area how will guest get there and whether it is easy for Ubers to access, if you are doing an event that will need heavy technology usage is the wifi strong enough to support the need, if you are live-streaming your event (as so many people now do) does the venue have a hardline for seamless streaming, if it is winter is there a coat/bag check for guest, etc. It’s important to really anticipate the needs of your event and your guests before securing the right venue!
While the above is not an extensive list, a good working knowledge of these types of questions to ask will get you off to a great start! Better yet, let us think through the logistics and do it for you!