The 3 Things I Always Look For When Sourcing A Venue

I am in the unique position to have been at both sides of venue sourcing - Selling the venue and also sourcing on behalf of clients, both of which I love.

Being based at a venue is great as you know its USP, the capabilities of the venue and get to see first hand guests utilising it for a variety of exciting events. On the other hand, sourcing a venue is really satisfying as you have the opportunity to pick a venue that 100% fits the event brief, rather then making the brief fit the venue.

I wanted to share 3 fundamentals I always look for when considering venues for an event.

1. Is the venue accessible?

By this I do not simply mean “is it near a train station?”. My considerations are what would guest’s journey to this venue look like? Obviously, you need to know where guests are traveling from to know the answer to this. As an event planner, this is one of the first questions I ask.

The guest’s experience starts with their travel to the venue. If that has not been fully thought through, you are starting the day off on the wrong foot and could potentially cause unnecessary stress to your guests. The opposite to what you are trying to achieve!

This applies right through to the entrance of the venue. Is it easy to find? How do they greet their guests? How do I feel when I walk in? Is there disabled access? All very easy to determine pre-event, and often the first thing talked about in a post-event evaluation.

2. What is the venue's reputation?

By this I mean what are the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about the venue?

The venue is your stage, and a lot can be said by a persons choice of venue. Does the venue reflect the brand values of the business? Does it support the objectives of the event?

Think about it, you receive an invite to The Ritz London. What are the initial thoughts?

Luxurious, grand, prestige, history, heritage, tradition... are these the sort of words that came to mind?

As an example, lets say the specification for the event is a fun, vibrant summer drinks reception for staff on a Friday evening as an after party following on from a day of out door activities.

Is The Ritz London the correct venue for the event?

The obvious answer is no. This is an exaggerated example to demonstrate the importance of reputation and its impact on the identity of the event. Get the venue wrong and you are at risk of your guests misinterpreting the purpose of the event.

3. What is the Sales Manager like?

And last but definitely not least, the Venue Sales Manager. This is an integral part of the process and can make or break the event.

You will know within a couple of minutes the type of person you are dealing with. Are they excited about your event? Are they asking lots of questions? Have they invited you for a venue show round or tasting? Are they willing to create you a bespoke package based on your unique requirements?

The answers to the above questions should all be yes. In my experience this is one of the integral ingredients for a successful event. If they are not on board and excited about the event from enquiry stage, chances are they will be the same throughout the planning process.

Some amazing Venue Sales Managers I work with are... Jamie Williams, Hospitality Sales at Goodwood. Jamie gets excited about every enquiry I make, holds space while my clients review options, invites us to experience the venue and is just generally a pleasure to deal with. Jamie even recently offered to meet some of my clients in London to tell them about Goodwood and get to know them better.

Another is Samantha Bailey, Regional Head of Sales for London at The Jockey Club. Sam brings energy and vision to any event she is involved with. She swiftly gets back all enquiries made - nothing is too small for her full attention. She puts you in touch with the most relevant Event Manager at one of her venues along with appropriate recommendations based on your brief.

My advice is to look for people like Jamie and Sam to support you with your event, and the whole process will be a lot easier, productive and enjoyable - and in my experience makes for a more successful event.

I hope this article has given you a better understanding of what to look for when sourcing a venue and welcome any questions or requests for further information.

www.definehospitality.com | hello@definehospitality