Event space – what to consider, what to prepare for and how to make a choice?

What kind of venue is suitable for this particular event?

Upcoming event and looking for a suitable venue? Let’s take a look at a few things to consider in your search.

What kind of opportunity do you have coming up? Do you need space for several hundred or even thousands of people? Do you want an event based around food or perhaps a day of activities? Do you need a drinks reception? Do you want a quiet courtyard and privacy around the venue or rather quick access to the nightlife of the city centre? Do you need ample parking space? These factors will determine the first boundaries between the right and wrong kind of premises.

How will the catering and serving of alcohol be arranged for the event?

The availability of food does not have to determine your choice of space if you don’t want it to. It’s wonderfully easy if the food is available directly from the venue, but as long as you make your reservations early enough, you can order a caterer to deliver quality food to almost any venue that doesn’t have its own catering.

If alcohol is to be consumed at your event, your options are clearly divided at this point. Those venues that have on-site serving facilities make it easy for you, in that all you have to do is let us know what you want ahead of time, and the venue staff will take care of the rest. You and your guests get everything you want, with quality service, without the worry of shopping trips, transport, figuring out exact quantities, storage or anything else. The final bill is, of course, at restaurant prices. A cheaper, but more laborious and risky option is to choose a party venue that does not have on-premises licensing, meaning you can bring your own drinks. This will save you money, but you will need to plan carefully for serving, estimating the quantities of drinks to be bought, transport and storage of leftovers, and the risk of running out of drinks. Of course, you can still opt for the more expensive but easier option of having a caterer at the venue, who will then provide the same services as would otherwise be provided by the venue’s own restaurant. Please note, however, that you should never take your own drinks into a licensed premises, as the serving of alcohol is strictly regulated by law.

Make sure that the venue’s restrictions and guidelines allow for the program you have planned

Make sure that the event space allows for the programme numbers or decoration ideas you have in mind. For fire safety reasons, fire, even candles, are not allowed in many indoor areas. Because of smoke detectors, the use of a cigarette lighter may also be on the list of prohibited uses. Likewise, soap bubbles may be on that list, because if they settle into soapy water, the bubbles can cause problems for the technology. Confetti is not allowed in all venues, as a few seconds of spectacular banging usually leads to lengthy clean-up and the discovery of residues on the furniture months later. If there is even a chance that something will need to be hung from the ceiling or walls, make sure that the venue has suitable hanging points and discuss the intended use with the venue manager.

What services and facilities do you need, and what does the venue provide?

Ideally, party venue hire companies will give you a fairly free hand to organise activities in the space and arrange and decorate the space as you wish, while still helping with the arrangements where necessary and possible.

It is also easier to organise if the event space is equipped with furniture, i.e. a sufficient number of tables and chairs, and the necessary technology. Depending on the programme, you will probably need at least sound equipment – speakers, microphones and an instrument for playing music. You may also want presentation equipment, such as a large screen or projector and a video projector to which you can connect your own computer. Performer lighting and party lighting are also nice to have, especially if the party is in the dark season.

Also make sure that there are enough toilets for your number of guests and that the space is accessible if necessary. The easiest way to do this is to rent a space that includes final cleaning. It’s likely to be cheaper if you don’t include cleaning, but plan in advance who will be responsible for this so it’s not an unpleasant surprise at the end of the evening.

The cheapest venue may not be the most wallet-friendly in the end. The cheap price may be because the venue doesn’t have any of the facilities or services you need for your event, and you’ll spend significantly more time and money picking up every single thing you need separately.

Check the terms of use and guidelines well in advance and carefully follow the deadlines, for example, for reporting diners and special diets. Restaurants and caterers usually need information on numbers and diets at least 14 days before the event.

Ready, semi-finished, blanco

Some facilities are practically ready for your event as they are. Furniture, decoration, technology, staff, parking, stalls, catering and serving. Others are semi-finished: the house staff will ask you about your needs and tailor the space to your requirements, the house has a ready-made partnership with the technology supplier and the restaurant or catering service, and if necessary, a listed event producer who knows the space to help with the organisation or even the decoration and programme. In this context, a blanco space is a space where nothing is ready, but where you can arrange the facilities that you yourself choose as important.