So you’re putting on a corporate event… whether it’s a glittering award ceremony, a dynamic conference, or an extravagant launch party, there’s one crucial factor paramount to success which you’ll need to decide early on. The venue.
FIND THE BEST VENUE FOR YOUR EVENT
From novices to seasoned professionals, finding the right venue for your event can be a particularly daunting process with so much to take into consideration. Will it take place in a central city location with easy transport links or in a secluded location out ‘in the sticks’ with plenty of parking? What’s its capacity? Will one space suffice or will you need breakout capabilities? Is there electricity and running water?
This is where a ‘site survey’ comes in. Pivotal to the planning stage of any event, a site survey is an assessment which gives everyone involved the chance to evaluate if a venue or location will meet each of your event requirements. Regardless of your event, there are some key points you’ll need to consider which should form the basis of your site survey.
So, here’s our checklist:
1. VENUE CAPACITY
A great place to start when planning your event venue is to know roughly how many attendees will be at your event? You need to consider how your venue or location will facilitate the expected number of people in attendance. Will the site be too small? This could cause bottlenecks and overcrowding which always causes aggravation and dissatisfied attendees. Is the site too large and spacious? Having a large conference room filled with empty chairs won’t reflect well on your company and its events. You need something just in the middle, plenty of space but not too much!
2. AUDIENCE
Make sure you know your audience when it comes to assessing your venues. What will your attendees need from the site? Demographics of your audience such as age and gender are a good place to start. Always ensure your site is easily accessible by all audience members. It also does well to consider if you need additional seating areas in dwelling zones. Would your event be improved with bar or catering facilities? Your audience’s comfort and needs should always be front of mind when choosing a venue.
3. VENUE LAYOUT
Can the site work to your envisioned event layout? Walking through the site as if you were an attendee can help assess the location. This helps to envision where the best locations might be for particular aspects of your event – like staging, breakout rooms, sound and lighting equipment, cloakrooms and more. It’s useful to have a good idea in your head of what you want your event to look like before you go to the venue, but don’t let it hinder you… it’s important to be flexible when looking for a venue as it may be very difficult to find the venue which perfectly allows for your idea and vision.
4. ENTRANCES AND EXITS
Site entrances and exits are extremely important when it comes to health and safety at your event. You’ll need to consider the amount of entrances and exits the venue provides and calculate the appropriate entrance and exit widths to accommodate your attendees. They are also significant in planning the flow in and out of your event; think how this can be utilised and optimised to provide your delegates with the best experience.
5. GROSS AND NET FLOOR SPACE
Don’t be fooled by the size of an empty room! When planning your layout, you’ll also need to keep in mind the gross and net floor space of your venue. The space inside your venue when empty is your gross floor space capacity. Once you know this, you’ll need to consider the amount of space that elements like staging, exhibition stands, bars, food stalls, registration desks etc will take up. Once you’ve taken all these aspects into consideration, how much space do you have left? This is your net floor space, the space available to your visitors and crew to move around your event. It’s important to assess the health, safety, and logistical aspects. Can those in attendance comfortably move through the event space and avoid any potential hazards or over-crowding.
Site surveys are a key starting point for finding your perfect event venue, whether its for an expo, conference or launch party. If you have any questions concerning the suitability of a venue, or what else you might need to consider in your event planning, our expert team can advise. Alternatively, let us take the hard work off your hands with our venue finding and other live services.
