01
Fit
The venue should suit the event format before decoration tries to rescue it.
Resources / Venue guideA venue that works.
Before you sign
A venue that works.
Not just one that photographs well.
Use these questions to compare capacity, access, infrastructure, real costs and contingency before a beautiful room becomes an expensive constraint.
02
Flow
Guests, staff, food and equipment need routes that do not compete.
03
Reality
Compare the complete operating cost, not only the room-hire price.
04
Resilience
Weather, access delays and technical failures need workable alternatives.
05
Feeling
The space should support the atmosphere you want without fighting it.
The viewing checklist
Thirty questions worth getting in writing.
Bring the same brief to every viewing. Consistent questions make very different spaces easier to compare.
01
Format & capacity
What is the comfortable capacity for your exact layout?
Are ceremony, dinner, dancing and service zones separate?
What furniture can be moved or removed?
Is there a realistic wet-weather version?
When must the final guest count be confirmed?
02
Access & timing
When can suppliers enter for setup?
Is there a loading bay, lift or restricted delivery route?
When must music and guest activity finish?
How long is allowed for breakdown and collection?
Who controls access on the event day?
03
Infrastructure
Is the available power suitable for catering, lighting and sound?
Where are water, waste and preparation areas?
What sound, lighting or staging is already installed?
Is reliable guest and production internet available?
Which areas are accessible without stairs?
04
Suppliers & service
Must you use an approved supplier list?
Are outside caterers, planners and production teams allowed?
Is there an in-house event manager on the day?
Which staffing or security services are compulsory?
Where may suppliers store cases, packaging and personal items?
05
Costs & inclusions
What is included in the venue hire?
Which staffing, cleaning, security or utility fees are additional?
Are setup and breakdown hours charged separately?
What deposit, damage and overtime rules apply?
When are instalments and the final balance due?
06
Contract & contingency
What happens if the venue cannot host the event?
What are the cancellation and date-change terms?
Which insurance or permits are required?
Who approves the final floor plan and production plan?
Are every promise and exception written into the contract?
Pause before booking if…
The comfortable capacity only works without service or circulation space.
Important costs are described verbally but missing from the proposal.
The rain plan changes the guest experience beyond recognition.
Setup access is too short for the suppliers and production involved.
Noise, timing or supplier restrictions conflict with the event format.
The contract leaves cancellation, overtime or responsibility ambiguous.
Found the right space? Build the right team around it.
Turn a venue into a workable event plan.
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