21 Factors On How To Select the Best Event Venue

When you are planning for that one memorable and successful event, the location or the venue plays one of the important roles.

Whether you consider the ease of approaching the venue or simply the facilities available there, everything matters.

Ultimately, it is the union of all these factors that go on to make a lasting impression.

Below are the 21 factors to consider in event venue selection:

1. Location

When you are looking at top tips for selecting the right venue, the location decidedly is the most important consideration.

You may choose a venue close to the city centre or in the outskirts.

It will all depend on the kind of the event that you have decided on and the budget you have. But creating a right balance is important.

You may get cheaper venues far away from the city centre but a city-centre location can end up attracting more people.

So you need to weigh all the pros and cons before finalizing the location. That will ensure you have a winning combination.

2. Facilities

Next, you must take into account the various facilities that are available at the venue.

It can be something as basic as an activity room, conference room, enough toilets and also something as advanced as the acoustics or the lighting of the venue.

Check if the air-conditioning is effective and the overall condition is good.

Depending on the nature of the event, you also need to look for specific features. This will vary from event to event.

Make a careful note of all that you need.

3. Venue Size and Capacity

The next important consideration is the size of the venue. In simple words is the venue big enough to accommodate your guests or is it too big for the limited people who are attending it.

Can it cater to the requirements of your guests efficiently and most importantly, does the venue confirm to the purpose or objective of the event?

Different size of venue works better for different event types. All of these factors hold a lot of value and eventually go on to decide the success of any event.

4. Ballroom Layout

The ballroom layout is also one of the crucial factors.

The ballroom layout actually determines the efficiency of the space that you are dealing with.

Even a huge hall may not serve the purpose if it is not designed properly.

For example, you may decide on a really spacious room, but if there are too many pillars in between or has a narrow width, it will be no good.

So visit the venue and check the ballroom well before you finalize it. This will ensure that you do not have to deal with any last minute changes.

5. Accommodation

This is particularly important if you have many outstation guests at your event.

In that case, it is best to choose venues that have accommodation facilities as well. This will help address two concerns in one go.

First, if the guests are too far away from the event venue, transporting them from one location to another can be both time-consuming and expensive.

Second, just in case you miss out a guest or they get caught in traffic, the whole event can fall off track.

So, if you held an event that requires your guests to stay a night, it is always advisable to look for ones that also have accommodation facilities within the venue.

6. Do They Have Enough Resources For Your Event?

Details make a lot of difference when you are keen about hosting a successful event. So this is true even when you are deciding on the venue for your event.

Check every resource from chairs and tables to mikes and even chair covers if required.

A public conference would need closely positioned upright chairs but annual dinner or wedding dinner needs round table arrangement.

The bottom line is that there should be enough resources to cater to the guests properly.

That is why you must audit the resources carefully and organize anything that is missing.

7. Traffic Condition

There are some event venues that might be well provided but reaching the location can be extremely painful.

There could be several bottlenecks on the way.

Carefully study the traffic situation around the destination that you plan to finalize.

If necessary try travelling from various areas to the venue and decide what the best bet is.

That way you will have a fair idea of the time required and the degree of bottlenecks that your guests and participants are set to face at any specific time.

Traffic conditions differ at different times. So even for the same venue, the traffic conditions at a certain hour may not be the same as a different time.

So, time-specific information about the traffic condition around a venue is crucial.

8. Public Transportation Accessible

Often when you look out for tips for choosing a venue for any public event, the basic advice is to go for the venue that can be accessed by public transport.

Have you wondered why? Well, one reason is it is easily recognizable and popular, but another important reason is that it is easily accessible as well.

Even if only some of your guests are about to avail of this service, it always improves the accessibility quotient.

So always make sure you choose locations that are easily accessible by all types of public transport.

9. Parking Space

Supposing you are expecting 100 guests, is there enough space to accommodate at least 100 cars, if not more?

This is one of the most important considerations.

After all, you do not want to create a traffic snarl just because you are hosting a particular event. Neither do you want your guests to be late just because they were busy looking for parking space.

Organising valet or reserve parking services is another option if there aren’t sufficient parking spots within the venue that you decide on.

10. Hotel Reputation

It is always a good idea to cross check the reputation of a venue that you may be considering.

The reputation of the hotel will reflect your event, imagine what image that you projected to your visitors if you held an event at a 5-star hotel compared to a 3-star hotel?

You can check with the event planner about their experience having an event at the location.

That will offer you some real-time insights about the challenges that you may have to face in this location.

If your choice is to cut down cost, make sure you do a survey if it is worthwhile to hold the event there, the review on the hotel is crucial.

11. Does The Venue Give You Elegant Atmosphere & Feeling

When you are selecting a venue, it is like choosing your dream flat, your overall feeling is extremely important.

Consider the vibes that you get while walking into the venue. Remember that is pretty much the same way that rest of the guests are going to feel as well.

So it is always better to go to venues that give you positive vibes. The elegance and the beauty of the place should overwhelm you from the word go.

In that way, you can create a memorable experience for your guests as well. They will remember to savour every moment of this event for long.

12. Does This Venue Able to Suit Your Event Theme & Function?

Before anything else, try and match the event theme with the venue.

The site may be great with wonderful facilities. But what counts is that it should conform to the specifications of the event that you are conducting.

It should go well with the objective of the event that you are hosting. That is ultimately what comprises an appropriate event venue for you.

As a result, you must understand the goals and purpose of the event very well before you get down to selecting the site for the same.

13. Are There Any Other Functions On the Same Day or a Day Prior?

Normally big venues have multiple locations. So it is quite possible that the same place may host multiple events at one go.

There can be events before or after your event as well.

Carefully note all of these and check if there is any way that it can affect the efficiency or the success of your event.

After all, that is what matters. For example, if there are two events simultaneously, are their enough parking space or resources to cater for two events at the same time?

Moreover, if there is an event a day before, how soon can you get the venue to set it up?

All of these are important considerations that impact the overall performance.

14. Do They Have Any Restriction?

Details are what will help you achieve success in any event. While you are selecting venues, that is precisely why you must probe and find out any potential restrictions at the site.

You cannot control the guests once the event starts, but you can surely change the venue at the first place if there are too many restrictions.

Check if there are any restrictions like time restriction, activity restriction or food restriction. All of that will eventually impact the overall event’s success.

15. Do They Allow You To Do Venue Setup a Day Before?

In case you have elaborate decor to handle, it is always better to opt for venues that allow setup a day earlier.

This will ensure that the main day of the event is relatively less chaotic.

Also once you start the actual set up, often the deficiencies in arrangement also show up.

When all of this happens a day ago, you obviously have a lot of time in hand, and this will enable you to perform a lot more efficiently and plug the loopholes way more effectively.

The advance set-up also gives greater room for changes if required.

16. Cleanliness

This is one of the biggest pre-conditions for shortlisting an event venue. By cleanliness, we do not just mean superficial look.

The venue should be neat and clean both in terms of the facilities they provide and general maintenance of the properties.

After all, you do not want to end up putting your guests in toilets that have mal-functioning flushes or seats with bed bugs.

Look for cleanliness in every possible way. Check the conditions of the toilet, corridor and lobby.

This is what will help you zero in on a really well maintained, neat and clean venue for your event.

17. How Long Can You Stay There?

The time that your event allowed to stay in the venue is also crucial.

Let’s say the venue owners say that your event must be ended by 10 pm while your event is expected to end at 11 pm, how you will manage.

These are the factors that you will have to assess rather closely for the best outcome.

Remember, all of these together will yield the best possible options for you and help you create a memorable and meaningful experience for all.

18. Do You Need Special Needs Friendly Venue

First of all, You need to know who are your audiences.

Are they any pregnant women, old folks or disabled visitors? If yes, we need to consider whether this venue is wheel-chair friendly or special needs friendly.

You may need to examine whether the ballroom is too far from the entrance, or do they have lifts.

In many ways, that will go on to ensure that your guests have a comfortable and utterly memorable time attending your event.

What we mean to emphasize is the need to adapt the venue as per the guest’s requirements. They should be comfortable and feel at ease.

The effort is to cut down the unpleasantness as much as possible and create a meaningful and memorable experience for all.

19. How Good Is Their Service

In this context, the staff service can often make all the difference.

It is not just important for them to be helpful and efficient but they need to adapt their services as per the demand of the event and the guests attending it.

The staff has to be prompt and often there is the need to sync their performances with that of the event planning team.

Make sure you have a session with the staff and explain to them the purpose and the objective of the event, make sure that they understand the event flow.

It is imperative to ensure that they are all on the same page.

20. Food Quality

The venue is good does not automatically mean that the food quality is excellent.

In this context, it is always advisable to check the food quality thoroughly before you decide to serve the guests the same.

Other than the event activity, people also tend to remember the event experience and the taste of the foods. Without delicious and quality foods, you cannot impress your visitors.

Check the hygiene level in the kitchen too. After all, you do not want to serve food that makes people sick.