Finding the right venue for your corporate event – and sorting out the associated issues – is no easy task and there are several things you need to consider when looking for the right venue. While you can arrange the event and search for the venue yourself, it may be more beneficial to employ the services of a corporate event management company or corporate planner.

There is no doubt that the right venue can compliment a corporate event, but it can also play a big part in making the event a success. The right venue will portray your company, staff and its delegates in the right light, making you even more appealing to customers and clients.

The first thing to consider is probably the most obvious and that is the number of people you anticipate will attend your corporate event. You need to find a venue that is the right size, firstly so they will all fit in but you don’t want it so big that there is too much space for your guests and any furniture, exhibition stalls and the like you plan to have.

The type of event will also have a bearing on your choice of venue. If it’s a dinner then you will want a venue that caters for that, while an exhibition will require a venue more suited to that, like an exhibition hall.

Availability of a venue will also be an issue. Just because you have found the right location does not mean that it will be available on your chosen dates for your corporate event. With corporate event planning usually running on very tight schedules it helps to find two or three venues that suit your needs well in advance. This will, hopefully, ensure at least one is available for the date or dates you have in mind.

In addition to the venue itself you will need to think about accommodation and transport for your delegates. This is why the location of your venue should play a very big part in your decision making.

You don’t want a venue too far away from transport links like train stations and motorways as this will make it difficult for delegates to attend – in fact, they may decide not to attend at all. You should also offer some sort of transfer from the nearest large transport link to your venue for those who travel in via public transport. Making them pay a potentially expensive taxi fare will not be appealing!

Suitable accommodation in the form of hotels should also be close to the venue. After a long day of networking there will be some people who don’t want to travel long distances home – or to the nearest hotel! Again, transfers should be on hand to take those who require it to their nearest accommodation.

It would serve you well to get a list of those who wish to stay over when they book their place at your event and then make reservations on their behalf. The cost of this could be factored into the delegate fees if you don’t want to pay for it yourself.

As discussed, you could attempt to arrange all this yourself, saving you the cost of a corporate event planner. However, there are some significant advantages to using a corporate event management company aside from simple time saving.

Firstly, and especially if you choose a company in the local area, they will have a much greater knowledge than you of local venues and a greater insight into which would suit your event best.

Secondly, as regular ‘customers’ of the venues, they may well be able to obtain a discount on your behalf. The same goes for any accommodation and transport you need to book on behalf of your delegates.

Finally, their experience will be invaluable in assisting with other aspects of your event.

Author Bio: Ian Grainger is writing on behalf of Owl Event Management, specialists in corporate event planning.

Category: Business Management
Keywords: corporate event management, corporate event planning, venues