It's not just about the venue — your event destination can actually affect whether or not your guests will show up (72% of event attendees say destination is a significant factor in whether or not they attend an event).
Before you do anything, you have to make sure your event destination takes into account of your event’s objective — you want to think about which destination (city, venue, and event space) will help you achieve your overall goal (whether it’s to promote your product, drive brand awareness, close deals, etc.) and cater to the right audience.
Convenience: a venue may be super unique and awesome, but convenience is going to be one of the biggest factors in event attendance. Begin by choosing your city carefully (is it easy to get to for your target audience?) and then choose a venue that’s conveniently located near restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, etc.
Climate: don’t underestimate the power of bad weather on your event. Climate is a key factor to think about, especially if any part of your event will take place outside (even if it’s just the check-in line!). And be prepared with umbrellas and reliable AC for unpredictable weather changes.
Cool Factor: throw an event any old city, and you might have a tough time luring out-of-town guests. But throw an event in, say, Sonoma and you just might get people thinking “Well, I’ve been wanting to plan a vacation and I’ve never been to wine country, and work will pay for the flight…”
Want the all-in-one guide to choosing the perfect event destination and venue? Cop it now.
Finding the ideal space for your event is like looking for the perfect apartment. It may feel impossible (and sure, you may have to compromise on some things) but if you focus on what really matters and start early enough, you can do it.
So what exactly should you be looking for? Based on a recent survey of 180 planners, the perfect venue largely boils down to these four things:
We broke this down even further to consider the little details — everything from A/V to bathrooms — that you should be looking for when shopping for venues.
Remember: there are a lot of factors that affect whether or not a venue is right for your event, and most of the time, the best way to evaluate a venue is by seeing it for yourself in-person. Before you look, think about this list and everything you’ll need — large and small, general and very specific — so you know what to ask about.
We’re all human. Things happen. But hopefully this list will help make sure you remember every little thing you need when it comes to your event venue.
We surveyed event planners on all the event mistakes they've ever made, and here's what they said.
You’ve got your destination, you’ve got your venue. So who will you be working with on-site to make the magic happen?
Every event requires different types of vendors, but these are the ten we see most often:
Your venue may have specific relationships with caterers or you may be allowed to bring in your own food and beverage options. Look for an experienced company who can adjust to any kitchen set up, order the proper amount of food for your party size, and has the manpower to clean up along the way so your event doesn’t get trashed.
Tables and chairs and silverware, oh my! The more you can consolidate everything coming to your venue into one rental company, the better. Some catering companies may have this stuff covered, including sound and lighting equipment, but if you need a crazy-custom light show, you may want to go with a specialist.
Over the course of your event, you may need to move people around via limos, buses, rickshaws, etc. Look for safety records of your transpo partner, but also check up on the touches that’ll affect your guests’ experience (will the driver let someone plug in their Spotify for an impromptu dance party? Can people drink inside the vehicle? Do they clean up between groups?).
Friendly reminder: make sure someone is providing meals for the team and vendor staff. Negotiate a hospitality rider into your contracts. Well-fed and hydrated workers = better workers. Remember to bake staff transportation into your budget as well.
Ready to lock in your event vendor? Use this vendor contract template to make sure you don’t leave anything out in your contract.
Depending on the type of event you’re throwing, you may decide to work with a partner for a variety of reasons: it helps you bring in new audiences, it helps cut costs, it makes your event look more official, etc.
It may seem simple, but there’s a lot that goes into finding and securing an event partner. And it’s not just about finding a partner — it’s about finding the right partner for your event and your brand. These can be other companies in your industry, publishers, or even CPG brands like food or beverage makers (which can replace some of your vendors above).
As a rule of thumb, look for a partner who:
The next time you’re thinking about partnering up for an event, use this three-step event partnership strategy — including how to pick, pitch, and execute a successful event partnership.
When you think of an event speaker, your mind might go straight to a stuffy auditorium filled with people barely paying attention. We’re here to break that stereotype, because your speakers have the power to take your event to the next level (whether it’s a big conference, VIP roundtable, educational seminar, product launch, or otherwise).
Before you start looking, start by getting a better idea of what your event’s content will look like:
Even if you don’t have all of these details fleshed out, this information will help you better target the right guest speakers.
Need to find a great guest speaker ASAP? Get our step-by-step process for finding the best speakers for your events.
This is something often forgotten by a lot of event planners, and incredibly important to us at Splash. See our accessibility tips.
Find the perfect event speaker? Use this downloadable speaker brief template to create a speaker brief that’ll help lock them in and keep them committed.
