What do I Need to Consider When I Book My Corporate Event Venue?

Planning for your corporate event is more challenging than what event planners originally had in mind.  It’s also about how to work with the venue organizers during and after your important corporate event. 

There are planning roadblocks that can be avoided and it’s important to think about booking your corporate event venue for your event in a three-dimensional way. 

Key Points to Cover When Planning For Your Corporate Event

• What is the purpose of the event? 
• What activities do you have on your agenda?
• What type of event is it? Is it a ballroom? A seminar or an exhibition? Is it formal, high-tech, or musical?
• Who is your target audience for your corporate event?
• How many delegates are you expecting to attend your corporate event?
• What is the budget for your corporate event?
• What activities do you have on your agenda?
• What layout is required? Do you require an exhibition space, a ballroom, or a seminar space?
• Will there be any sponsors of some sort at your corporate event? 
• How many sponsors are you looking to have on board?
• Will you need booths for the sponsors, what types of layouts for the sponsors?
• Will there be catering or refreshments?

Once you have covered the above points, you can begin your search for a venue in a more comfortable mindset. Having the venue booked at least three months in advance will ensure that you have the date of your event set in stone. This date will help you plan a timeline and allow you to set milestones you’ll need to work with until your event actually takes place.  

Part of planning for your corporate event is finding the right venue for your event. This can take up quite a bit of your time. Thankfully there is a shortcut to help you save time; fluidmeet is the perfect platform that can source for you the right venue, at the right budget, for the right delegates, and at the right time that is preferred for your target audience. There are plenty of banquet halls in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to choose from in the fluidmeet platform. What’s great about using fluidmeet is that there is no need to contact each convention & inquire about venues that best suit your needs. Using the fluidmeet platform helps you skim through the many venues to find the one right for you. 

Seven Important Considerations to Help You Decide on your Corporate Event

1. Budget

There are ways to keep your costs down and allow more room in your budget for food, beverages, and entertainment. Being flexible on the date can be a great negotiating tool, as certain days of the week tend to cost less – and you could get a larger corporate space depending on the day of the week. 

2. Floor Layout & Flow of Traffic

Even though you’ll be finding your venue early in the event planning process, you’ll still want to have a rough idea of what types of activities you’ll be including, the amenities you’ll require, and the needs of your team and the attendees. While narrowing down your selection, get an illustrated floor plan of each venue, and walk through your favorites at least once, making note of important things such as where the outlets are and where AV equipment is or can be located. The layout and floor plan will greatly affect a few different aspects of your event. It’s important to also think about the flow of traffic through your event. The kind of flow you’ll want will be different, depending on the type of event you are organizing. What areas will be in high traffic at the event? Where will registrations be located? If you want to have keynote speakers at your event, you’ll need a stage and a podium. You may also need a demo area if you have a product to display. All these things need to be considered. 

3. Light & Sound

It’s important to pay special attention to the existing decor inside the venue. You will see images on the fluidmeet platform of different venues and you will notice different interiors. If you’re holding a gala dinner, you’ll likely need different venue accommodations and lighting than you would for a banquet or an exhibition space. You might need to have bright décor for your corporate event if it is an upscale or a high-tech one. 

 As for sound, have you ever attended an event at a venue that was so loud, it was hard to hear others? Poor acoustics is usually the reason for a loud and noisy venue. A low ceiling will make the venue seem cozy, but it will make it louder if it’s crowded. Alternatively, a large warehouse-style venue will result in echoes. So keep light and sound an important part of selecting your appropriate corporate venue. 

4. Catering Facilities and Other Amenities

Does the venue have a kitchen and can it provide catering to your event? If so, often a venue will waive the facility fee and charge a deposit along with the cost of food for each attendee. Other venues may not have kitchens. Those venues without a kitchen may have an affiliation with a food supplier, or it may be free to bring in your own food vendors. Some venues have partnered with a fantastic food vendor.  

It’s important to note that it can create a huge headache, and negatively impact the experience of your attendees if you need to bring in your own catering – so don’t make room to explore at this stage.  A good piece of advice – if you can’t book a venue that serves food your attendees will enjoy (a very important part of the venue), then select a venue that allows you to bring your own catering externally. 

Some venues have built-in audio-visual equipment for you to use, and others will require you to bring that in yourself. Make sure you are aware of these amenities. 

Does the venue provide you with tables, chairs, and linens you can use? If a venue has these items, you can save a great deal of money and effort by using what they have, assuming it matches your theme and ambiance. Make sure you consider these little details and leave a positive impression. If you’ve found a venue that provides support staff, then that’s going to make life easier. Otherwise, you will have to source your own event management team. 

5. Location & Parking Facilities

A convenient location means most attendees that you are targeting will attend your event. However, if many attendees will be flying to your venue, hosting your event near the airport or their hotels will be more practical. Better still, if your attendees are being housed at a single location, hosting your corporate event at that hotel eases the need for valet parking and minimizes the chance that attendees will be late or get lost. You could also offer valet parking for the event, even if the venue doesn’t. Providing a valet may be essential if the event is an upscale event such as a gala or a large exhibition. 

6. Capacity & Safety

First, make sure that if you are expecting 500 people, then they cannot comfortably fit into a room with a 250-person capacity. And second, make sure to follow the fire and safety codes that the venue has to abide by. 

7. Accessibility for Those with Special Needs

Accessibility refers to the possibility that everyone, especially those with special needs, can access the building and its amenities. If you will have elderly guests, consider finding a venue that has minimum stairs. Those with wheelchairs need to be located at the front of the room during your event and have easy access to get in or out. 

There’s a lot to consider when choosing your event venue, and if you take the above into consideration when doing your research, you’ll certainly find the perfect venue for your event. 

Try fluidmeet for your next events, training room, exhibitions, or social gatherings to make them memorable! 

 

Do you want a banquet hall, event space, or looking to rent an office space convenient for your business?  Do you want to book a venue for your social event? Then contact us at fluidmeet, and we can assist you.  

 Download the fluidmeet App now! 

It’s your time, your choice. We will make and guarantee availability for you.  

Blog Prepared by fluidmeet Staff Writer 
Author: Maha Ahmad (support@fluidmeet.com) 

About fluidmeet: 

Established in 2015, fluidmeet is a leading online marketplace and an emerging booking and venue management platform that “connects” individuals and corporates seeking rental of serviced offices, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and banquet halls with venues and their hosts in a timely, cost-effective and efficient manner.