Are you currently looking at venues for your next live event? Finding the right location is one of the most important decisions in event planning. Not only will it play a major role in the feel of your occasion, but it also shapes what you can achieve from a practical point of view.
If you’ve found a spot that has great visual appeal, the good news is that you’re halfway there! However, it’s important that those breathtaking views come with the essential venue amenities. From parking to technical capacity, there are a few vital elements to consider.
So, what facilities are included in an events venue? Finding the answers will help you to make sure that nothing is overlooked.
What Are Event Facilities (And Which Ones Do You Need)?
Facilities at an event can cover a fairly broad range of features. They’re often part and parcel of the venue itself, so could include anything from the space in and around the building to the choice of services available. Typical examples of venue amenities are AV equipment, catering, security, a Wi-Fi connection, lighting, and decor.
Because events come in all shapes and sizes, it’s really important to think about what kind of venue amenities you need beforehand. For example, corporate events often require film production, projectors, tables and chairs, interactive tech etc. However a product launch would have a completely different set of requirements.
As the facilities at an event become more ambitious, you can naturally expect costs to rise. For planners with tighter budgets, it might help to group venue amenities into two lists: the essentials and the nice-to-haves. Alternatively, event management companies, with their strong venue relationships, can excel at making your pennies go a long way, which can help to avoid cutting corners.
What Facilities Are Included in an Events Venue?
First things first, every venue has its own quirks and charms. This means that anyone wondering what facilities are included in an events venue might be disappointed to learn that there isn’t always a definitive answer. What we can say with certainty is that some venue amenities should be included. And for good reason — they’re pretty much non-negotiable if you want to achieve event success.
Here are the essential features to look out for when planning for facilities at an event:
Courteous Caterers & Venue Staff
Everyone has experienced below par customer service at some point in time. Spending serious sums of money on a venue can quickly be undermined by an inexperienced or unwelcoming front of house. This could be an issue if dining is central to your plans, as poor service might risk ruining the ambience.
Waiting teams aside, you should expect a high level of attentiveness from all venue employees. It’s possible to get a feel for this from early email exchanges and phone calls. Nothing should be too much trouble, especially when you’re parting with significant sums of cash.
You can try to avoid this pitfall by using a planner who offers venue-finding, reading reviews, or asking the location about their approach to customer service.
Tech Support
Regardless of what type of corporate event you’re working on, some technical features are essential. Even if you don’t plan to wow guests with an audio-visual extravaganza you will, at the very least, need a reliable Wi-Fi connection. This will help attendees to share photos, posts, and messages about the amazing time they’re having.
When it comes to technical mastery, you should also consider:
- A/V Support: If the likes of keynote speakers, presentations, graphics, lighting, or music are a feature of your event, everything will need to work seamlessly. Having a dedicated A/V technician ensures that equipment works as expected and addresses any technical gremlins that pop up.
- A/V Equipment: Good quality equipment is one of the most important facilities at an event. Better kit means you can achieve more impressive results, meaning guests will be blown away by the sights and sounds and not distracted by stuttering images and loud feedback.
- Lighting: When asking what facilities are included in an event venue, don’t overlook the lighting set up. Lights are much more than a bit of optional razzmatazz, they are staples of event production that can influence the mood and complement your theme. For intimate gatherings, ask about dimmer switches, while for more uptempo occasions, opt for bright, bold colours. Pro-tip: if the venue has its own lighting set up this will usually be more economical than hiring a separate specialist.
Whilst many venues can support production requirements, it’s important to remember that not all of them provide top-of-the-range AV equipment. For more impressive production sets, an event management company can supply cutting edge equipment that really wows your guests!
Signage
Both indoor and outdoor signage are important facilities at an event. Outdoor signage not only helps attendees to find the venue, but it also acts as an extension of your overall event design and theme. You should see it as an essential element in your branding, so think about where you could place signs as you narrow down your location shortlist.
Indoor signage is another important feature in your event theme, so make sure there’s plenty of inside wall space. Bear in mind that guests’ photos will end up being shared online, so think about where your signs will have the most visual impact. If those images go viral, it could act as a great promotion for future occasions.
Rooms & Layout
Searching for the right venue is an important decision that will need to match the purpose of your event. By this stage in planning you should have a clear objective that feeds into every choice you make. Therefore, if you’re organising a conference, you might need a spacious main hall and smaller rooms for breakout sessions and registration.
It’s also important to find a spot that complements your theme. Perhaps you’re staging a masquerade ball to end the working year with a plush bash? If so, historical venues will be a much more organic extension of this than more modern buildings.
Parking Spaces
So you’ve booked the countryside retreat, the invites have gone out and the event is happening within days. The stage is set for a great weekend of team building and games! However, the venue doesn’t have great public transport links and there isn’t quite enough parking space on site for all of the coaches and cars. Is there time for Plan B?
A lot of practical decisions will be made when producing live events, and they’re all important to some extent. You can avoid last minute hitches over things like parking by asking guests about travel in advance. Once you know how much space you need, check venue websites and ask about capacity to ensure transport can be easily arranged.
Security and Surveillance
Security is one of an event’s facilities that should be regarded as non-negotiable. It offers guests peace of mind that any valuables will be safe and that, should there be a problem, the venue will have adequate surveillance in place to assist. Although not every occasion will need doormen, you should take steps to ensure that the venue has decent CCTV coverage for important areas, including the car park and cloak rooms.
Bathrooms
On the subject of basic essentials, clean and comfortable bathrooms are event facilities that simply cannot be overlooked. On a practical level, you will need to make sure that there’s adequate toilet facilities for the audience size you’re expecting. You will also need to make sure that there are disabled toilets and baby changing areas for anyone who might use them.
Aside from comfort, it’s surprising how much of an impact a clean restroom can have on guests. Like it or not, people will judge an event’s facilities on factors like this. Even if you get everything else right, the last thing you want is the positives being overshadowed by gripes over long queues, dirty cubicles, and a shortage of soap and paper towels.
Why is Planning and Reserving Facilities Important For an Event?
Planning and reserving facilities in advance can be a crucial feature of successful events. While the benefits are far-ranging, the main advantages include extra availability, better pricing, and easier coordination. Because the venue is such a critical aspect in event management — and venues and facilities come bundled together — getting this step right will make everything that follows much simpler.
Finding a venue with the right amenities is easier when you give yourself plenty of time to make a decision. Not only could you get your preferred location, but you might also secure locked-in deals that can’t be affected by unexpected price increases. Additionally, you will find it easier to hire the remaining facilities once the venue is a known quantity and not TBD.
Getting a grip on events’ facilities should also help you to comply with local regulations, while also offering peace of mind that some of the biggest decisions have already been made.
ConnectIn Events Will Make Sure Everything is Covered
The venue can make or break an event. However, with so many different places to choose from, finding the right one can be challenging — especially if you’re new to event planning.
This is where ConnectIn Events comes in. As one of the UK’s leading event management companies, we have contacts all over the country and across Europe. Our industry knowhow and free venue-finding service has helped us to plan occasions that meet even the highest expectations, wowing attendees and forging magical memories.
Our versatile and experienced team is just as comfortable planning product launches as it is staging office parties. When you work with us, you get a dedicated partner who guides the process from start to finish. We’ll keep you in the loop at all times and pull out all the stops to get the most bang for your buck.
Experts in meeting deadlines and the masters of innovation, we’re the UK’s favourite event planner. Whatever your budget, whatever your goals, we’re ready to help.
For more details, get in touch with a member of our talented team today.
