Choosing the right venue is a key element for the success of your event, whether it is a training session, a workshop, an integration event or a social event.

We share with you recommendations and general considerations to take into account in your decision process:

Before starting, define:

• The number of attendees (Tip: Add extra spaces for unexpected attendees).
• The activities of your event and the space distribution to execute them.
• The setup, this can be theatre type, cabaret, boardroom, U-Shape, banquet, classroom, oval or other.
• The audio visual equipment needed (e.g. number of projectors, speakers, type of microphones, screens).
• Printed materials, including how and when to display them.
• Event branding.
• Food and beverages.
• Employee transportation, in case the event is held outside the company’s facilities.
• Number of parking spaces.
• The vendors that will provide service during your event and the times of their intervention (e.g. assembly of elements one day prior to the event).

Ensure that the venue can:

• Maintain favorable environmental conditions such as air conditioning, heating, shade or ventilation.
  
  For outdoors, validate if the region has adverse weather and protect your attendees from possible dehydration or low temperatures.
  
  For indoors, make sure the temperature is comfortable during the event. Increasing the number of people inside a space will consequently increase the temperature in the room.
  
• Cover with the food and beverages selected for your event, and has the hygiene measures and equipment to keep them in adequate conditions for their preservation.
  
  The indispensable ones are fresh mineral water and coffee, validate their availability throughout the event.
  
• Cover with the required spaces, audio visual equipment and adequate setup for the number of participants and the planned activities.
  
• Have accessible access to its facilities, if the venue has particular access characteristics such as remote parking or dirt road, consider valet parking or transportation of personnel in vehicles suitable for the type of terrain.
  
• Ensure the availability of parking spaces for the number of attendees or vehicles expected, as well as the type of vehicles, in the case of large vehicles.
  
• Receive your service vendors at the required time.

We recommend a site visit to the venue to validate:

• it is a secure area with a low crime rate (i.e. robberies and assaults),
• the general conditions of the building including the restrooms that will be assigned to your event these must meet your expectations,
• the quality, condition and type of table linen and furniture,
• access to the facilities and parking,
• spaces free of dangerous and noxious fauna,
• compliance with safety guidelines, such as identification of evacuation routes, emergency exits, meeting points and firefighting equipment.

In your decision process, visualize your event minute by minute in each possible venue and select the one that best suits your needs.

Having a checklist of the indispensable and nice to have features and services will be useful for your decision process.

Content based on the experiences of
Ur Corporate Event.