It’s not exaggerating to say choosing the right event venue is the most important decision you will make as an event planner. Some say, “A perfect venue is a big-ticket item that impacts everything” and we believe in that quote. The venue can make or break an event, so, it is obvious why clients demand MICE agencies give their best efforts to choose an event venue. So how do you deal with these clients? Here are some tips and guidelines about choosing a perfect event venue.
1. Date | Time |The sooner the better | Start Early
Venue planning takes time, so the sooner you start the better. As everyone said: “Time is gold” and with that “Gold” you could organize an event in peace and harmony. For extensive events, start planning 4 or 5 months before an event arrives and for smaller ones, start 1 or 2 months earlier.
Start planning early!
2. Choose Location Wisely | Location
Some Say “Location is the key to a successful event” and we couldn’t agree more. When it comes to choose a place, it is better to think as your attendees. So choose the location as near as possible to your most attendees’ home or workplace. If your guests are coming from out of town, find an event venue near their hotel, airport or terminals. Probably you do not want your attendees to be late, so share location venue via social networks or print the map on your brochures.
3. Transport as a Crucial Part
Let’s be honest, nobody wants to spend hours to get to an event. Therefore, you have to make sure your attendees can get to the venue easily. So what should you do? You can find a building with less traffic in the streets around the venue; consider parking for attendees with their private cars, choose a location with a great transport system or prepare taxis in the venue area.
At AMB 2017 and 2018, we decided to choose Novotel hotel and IBIS hotel for our exhibitors accommodation as these hotels are located near by the “Shahr-e-Aftab” exhibition venue (AMB exhibition ground) and they don’t need to deal with city traffic. Also, we considered round trip transfer (Hotel-Exhibition-Hotel) in the certain time for their comfort.
4. Size Matters | Event Size
You’ve probably estimated the number of your guests already. You have to consider how many attendees you have and who is your target audience? When you answer these questions, you can pick a good venue with a good capacity towards the number of attendees. Knowing your target audience helps you to choose an event venue that pleases your guests and puts on a happy smile on their face.
Iranian Aviation Confex 2018
5. Consider ramps and lifts | Accessibility
Remember we’ve told you to think as attendees? In this part, you should do that again. Think about your guests check if there is a child or someone with special needs, and make sure they get what they need. If your guest list is not completed yet, check recent events hosted by other companies. That gives you some ideas about your guest’s needs.
6. What is the weather like? | Weather
Always check the weather and keep an eye on it. It’s become more important when you want to perform an outdoor event. When rain pouring maybe you can surprise your guests with an umbrella or in the hot summer days you can give them a hat to prevent sunburn.
7. Achieve the perfect atmosphere | Achieve the perfect Ambiance
A great atmosphere helps your guests to relax, interact with others and enjoy their time in the event. Based on the event topic and your guests’ expectations, you should make a perfect atmosphere. For example, a luxury event needs a fancy hotel and a modern style venue is suitable for a trendy event.
Fancy gala dinner at a hotel
8. Budget
All of the sectors above comes down to cost. Your event date flexibility provides you to compare rates between days. Normally summer Thursday nights are expensive than other nights of the week in Iran. Also, the cost of your venue gets a huge portion of your budget. So choose your event venue wisely because you still need to pay for food, supplies, and amenities.
9. Remember the food
I read somewhere that people will remember the food in events and I believe in that. A good catering leaves a good impression with your attendees and helps them to feel welcome. Maybe you think catering is so easy just like a piece of cake; first, you order some food and drinks then ask your stuff to serve them. However, put that thought away. Leave the catering to the professionals; they know what to do and how to serve the food. They believe in “Food can make or break any event” and try hard to impact guests. Besides that, ask providers and caterers about how much money they charge you for the minimum number of guests. For instance, they provide food for 200 people and charges you. So just, make sure you have invited guests at least that many to prevent money waste.
