Assessing Venue-Finding Options

In every town there will be dozens of potential venues, with capacities varying from ten people to 1,000. So how do you know where to start looking?

Venue-Finding Services

Professional venue-finding services can be found listed in Yellow Pages directories and in trade journals (see Further Reading). They can dramatically cut down the time and money you need to spend on making initial enquiries. The service is usually free as they are financed by commission payable when the client makes the booking. It is likely that they will have a wealth of knowledge about different types of venues, and will usually locate a selection of potential venues for you to view. Often they will arrange for a brochure to be sent to you and make appointments for viewing on your behalf.

Considering The Pros And Cons Of Using A Venue-Finding Service

• Sometimes the choice of venues on their books is limited to those who pay to be there, which can mean that the service may be biased.
• Venue-finding services will also often negotiate costs with venues on your behalf. They will already have a good idea of how far below the published delegate price a particular venue is likely to go.

Venue-Finding Software

There are various software packages on the market, some of which are available free of charge, from which you can download onto your own computer a short-list of potentially suitable venues. Again these may be limited to the companies who pay to have their information included but the choice is extensive.

Using A Local Council Conference Bureau

Most local councils now have dedicated conference departments, usually attached to the tourism bureau, whose job it is to attract conferences and events to their area. The standard of service varies enormously, from simply providing brochures to arranging hosted visits, arranging partner programmes and making hotel bookings. The staff can be less biased than privately run venue-finding services as they are not subject to private financing. The British Association of Conference Destinations produces an excellent handbook containing contact details of its members (see Useful Addresses).

Viewing A Potential Venue

It is essential to book an appointment before visiting a venue so that your point of contact is able to devote his/ her time to you. Arrive a few minutes early to enable you to assess your own first impression of the facility. Imagine you are a delegate, entering for the first time. Remember that in the role of organiser you are going to get to know the building and staff very well before and during the event, but your delegates will pretty much take the venue at face value for their shortened stay.

Observing The Staff

Sit back and observe how the staff interact with each other:

• Are they cheerful and respectful of one another, or is there underlying discontent?
• How are they dealing with other visitors to the venue?

 

Before you visit, draw up a list of the essential items that you will require for your particular event. These are items that cannot be compromised upon, however much you are impressed with the venue. Also take a checklist of general items, such as the one in Figure 2, so that you can later compare notes on the various venues you look at.

Assessing The Facilities

Getting There

It may be the intention to take your delegates to a venue off the beaten track so that they are in serene surroundings with little to distract them but the glorious countryside all around. On the other hand, you may be expecting them to travel into a city from various regions of the country and back again on the same day, in which case ease of locating the venue will be of great importance. Consider the following factors:

Fig. 2. Venue checklist.

Assessing The Car Parking Facilities

• Does the facility have adequate car parking? If not, where is the nearest public car park?
• Is there a car park charge? Do you need to give/ purchase tokens?
• Does the hotel have a discount arrangement with the nearest public car park?
• Does the car park appear to be safe, i.e. is it manned, is it in an area where cars are likely to be vulnerable to trouble-makers?