Event Planning 101 – The Venue, Part 1

Once again, welcome back to our in-depth look at  Event Planning.  Today, we are going to begin a several week long journey into venue selection and considerations.

The venue is one of the choices which has the most direct impact on your budget, along with catering choices.  There are a number of decisions which need to be made as you decide on a location, all of which will have a huge impact on your actual event.  Today, I will focus on these initial considerations, and in upcoming posts I will focus on specific types of venues, with the pros and cons for each.

There are two crucial questions you need to answer before you can begin your search for  a venue:

1. How much space do you need?
2. What is my desired atmosphere?

How Much Space?

This ties into my post from last week.  This first decision relates to how many people will be attending, as well as what activities you are planning.  Most locations will be able to tell you how many people they can hold, based on a variety of options.

For example, if you are having a lunch or dinner served, you will need a larger space than you would if you are having a conference with just seating.  Again, this information can be easily obtained by talking to the venues you are considering.

The other key element to space planning is to determine what services you wish to provide your guests with.  If you want  a carnival theme, with rides and amusements, you need more space.

What are we doing?

Is this a formal event? Is it a business seminar? Is it a party? Do you want your guests to talk with close friends, or do you want them to mix and mingle?  Is this event public or private?  All of these questions play into what type of location you will choose.  If this is a summer barbecue, a public park might be appropriate.  If, on the other hand, this is a business meeting, a conference hall at a local hotel might be in order.  Weddings (which we will cover once we have addressed the more general events) have a completely different range of options.

What it all means

The key as you move forward in planning your event is to make sure that your decisions fit the nature and size of the event.  Next week, we will cover types of  locations and the considerations that go into choosing them.

DJ Jay-Dub
Entertainment Team
The Event Entertainment Experts

Event Planning 101

• Overview
• The Guestlist
• The Venue, Part 1 – Initial Considerations
• The Entertainment – Coming Soon
• The Documentation – Coming Soon
• The Food – Coming Soon
• The Decoration – Coming Soon
• The Details – Coming Soon