Things to consider when choosing your event venue

1
Things to Consider When Choosing your Event Venue
2

• When organizing an event, you are confronted by
  many decisions. Choosing a venue is the one
  decision that will have the largest impact on
  your event. The date of the event, catering
  options, and attendees pleasant experiences
  all are partly affected by which venue you select.

3
What to Consider When Searching for a Venue

• Location
• For a local event, you may be looking for a venue
  within a reasonable distance from most attendees
  homes or places of work. If many attendees will
  be traveling from out of town, a venue near the
  airport or their hotels will be beneficial. In
  whichever case, dont forget to consider traffic,
  transportation, and parking options.

4

• Parking
• Does the venue have a parking lot or valet
  parking? A venue with a parking lot is what
  dreams are made of. If thats not the case, are
  there parking lots nearby which attendees can
  access and use? If there is no parking available,
  youre not completely out of luck as you have a
  few alternatives
• You can reserve nearby parking lots for your
  attendees and either include the cost in the
  ticket prices, or have attendees pay when they
  park.
• Take a look at Uber and Lyft discounts offered
  for events. You can negotiate with them to set
  this up and distribute the promo code to your
  attendees.

5

• Provide a way for attendees to share a ride or a
  cab with each other. It would also be a good
  chance for them to interact with each other. An
  event app like Whova provides the Bulletin Board
  and a group chat feature to help on this,
  so check it out.
• You could offer valet parking for the event, even
  if the venue doesnt. Providing a valet may be
  essential if the event is an upscale event such
  as a gala.

6

• Capacity and Minimums
• Whats the capacity? 
• Youll need to know the room capacity of the
  venues for a few reasons. First, 500 people (if
  it is your estimated event size) cant
  comfortably fit into a room with a 250-person
  capacity. And second, there are fire and safety
  codes that the venue has to abide by.
• What are the FB Minimums?
•  If your venue offers food and/or beverages and
  sets a minimum food and beverage spending amount
  (known as an FB minimum), ensure that the past
  FB records from the previous events are in line
  with the minimum. If you estimate much more FB
  spending than what the venue requires, it means
  you would be a good customer to them. Negotiate
  whether they can provide complimentary service
  (e.g. upgrade Wi-Fi or A/V support) in return if
  your spending reaches a certain level.

7

• How to make adjustment based on attendee
  feedback? 
• It is important to be able to make an informed
  adjustment for a size of a room or FB right
  before or during your event. You can easily
  headcount or collect instant feedback
  through live polling on an event app, which save
  you time and money.

8
Services and Amenities

• Does the venue have a kitchen and can it provide
  catering to your event? 
• If so, often a venue will waive the facility fee
  and only charge a down payment along with the
  cost of food for each attendee. Those venues
  without kitchen facilities may have a partnership
  with a food provider that youre required to use.
  You may want to check their food in advance. If
  it is not good enough, it can create a negative
  impact on your attendees experiences. So, either
  go with a venue that serves great food or allows
  you to bring in outside food vendors.
• Does it have tables, chairs and linens you can
  use?
•  If a venue has these items, you can save a great
  deal of money and effort by using what they have,
  assuming it matches your theme and ambiance.

9

• Does it have a setup/clean up crew?
•  If youve found a venue which provides a setup
  and clean up crew, rejoice! This isnt always the
  case. If these services arent available youll
  need to build your event team or find volunteers.
• Does it have AV capabilities? 
• Some venues have a built in audio-visual
  equipment for you to use, and others will require
  you to bring that in yourself.

10
Birthday party venue Abu Dhabi

• Cheeky Monkeys
• Abu Dhabi, Al Forsan Village Khalifa City A
• Al Ain, Al Ain Mall, 2nd Floor
• info_at_cheekymonkeys.com