Picking a venue is a crucial part of your party and event planning. Often it can be one of the most stressful stages of the planning process. However sitting down and predetermining a few key factors should help you in deciding which venue is the right one for your party or event.
Developing a List of Criteria for Your Party and Event Planning
By taking some time at the planning stage and determining what you are looking for in a venue will help eliminate the stress of making the final decision. In this post I’m going to provide you with a guideline of some areas that you should decide on when selecting a venue. If you work through the checklist, the results should give you a clear picture of the type of venue that you require for your party or event.
The following list will help you determine which venue is the best for your party or event. Once you have worked through the checklist you should be able to review the venues in the area where your party or event will occur and select one that will fit your criteria.
Location – do you want a downtown venue or are you looking for a venue that has ample parking. If your guest are not being transferred by you to the venue than consider factors such as public transportation and parking.
Venue style – what setting are you looking for. Are you looking for fun, casual or does your event require something more elegant such as a museum or art gallery.
Type of party or event – are you looking for a sitdown dinner, presentation, or a mingling event.
Availability – when will your party or event occur. If it’s during the day make sure that any venues you’re considering are available during the period you require.
Capacity – how many guests are you expecting. Make sure the venues are able to accommodate your numbers
Venue caterers – if you have your own caterer in mind, make sure that any venues you are considering will allow outside caterers. Also if budgets are a concern, many venues that have in-house caterers can often provide you with a quote that is lower than if an outside caterer is involved.
Private or exclusive – if you want your party or event to be private, make sure any venues you’re considering can accommodate that.
Wheelchair accessibility – especially if your event or party is inviting the general public. Many municipal bylaws require public events to be wheelchair accessible.
Party and Event Planning-There Is Help for Selecting a Venue
A lot of party and event planning companies have moved their business to the Internet. What this means for you is that there are several areas that you can go to for help in finding the perfect venue. As a party and event planner I would suggest that you look for sites that are free for you to use. Website companies such as Cvent and Welcome To The City offer an area for people to search for venues based on the criteria that they have selected. You can create free user accounts that allow you to save your searches and come back to work on your selections as needed.
Party and event planning does not need to be stressful. Determining the factors that are important to you will help you pick the final candidate. If you don’t determine what you’re looking for in a venue you may find yourself scrambling at the last minute for a location.
Related articles
- 3 Tips for Event Planners Choosing Venues (plananevent.org)
- Planning An Event – Back Up Plan? (plananevent.org)
- Party Event Planning (plananevent.org)
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