What Comes First, The Venue or the Date?

I want to talk about what is considered one of the most important aspects of any gathering – the venue and the food!  Now, the audience really is the most important element of your event BUT, if you don’t get the food or the venue right, that is all your audience is going to remember.  So, let’s look at what makes a great venue and a great menu. 

Don’t Follow your Instincts!

Instinctively we pick a date for our event then start looking for a venue.  Next, we start looking at venues from a variety of online sources and unless it’s a celebration with a set date, we start to shift the date around, based on the venue’s availability.  We haven’t even thought about the food yet, let alone the audience. 

So, let’s just stop here for a minute and bring ourselves back to our purpose , you know, where we came up with a clear idea of why we were holding the event and what audience we thought would like to come to our event.  If you haven’t read that article, before you go any further, read this article on purpose.

So, let’s keep that audience in mind and think about the date, venue and food, based on their needs and wants, and our purpose.  Because you want to sell tickets, right?  You want to get the largest possible audience to your event, right?  So, you don’t want anyone saying no, because the location doesn’t suit them, or the date clashes with another major event in their calendar, or in their past experience, the venue didn’t accommodate for their special dietary requirement.  And especially if because they feel you have ignored the purpose by booking an inappropriate venue or choosing an inappropriate date that doesn’t meet their needs. 

An effective way to ensure you don’t miss anything outlined above, is to firstly look at your target audience and establish appropriate dates that work for your guests.  Make sure you check your city’s major event calendars, local “What’s On” guides and if relevant, association and business event listings to see if your event has any clashes.  (Remember, if there is a clash, it’s not always a negative, it could be an opportunity to leverage off another event).  Once you have a range of dates in mind, start thinking about the food and the venue simultaneously.   

Why simultaneously?  Well, in my view, the venue and the food are integral to each other.  I have been to events at amazing venues, but the food has been rather disappointing.  And the same can be said for amazing food, but the venue décor has been dirty, out of date or just looking tired.  You want to find a venue that does amazing food, has the right look and feel for your purpose, is accessible to your audience, and is available in the range of dates you have determined is the right time for the best possible outcome. 

When working through these elements , you might find it helpful to come up with a site selection checklist prior to beginning.  A list of things that the venue must have, the food and beverage requirements that are non-negotiable, any accessibility requirements that are necessary for your guests, as well as the range of dates you have determined are appropriate.  If you create this checklist prior to starting to view venues (even online), you will have the best chance of choosing a venue based on your needs, rather than your wants. 

You could even give your selections a ranking system so you choose the right venue from a variety of determinants, not just it’s location or size of room.  Once you have selected a few venue options that meet your checklist requirements, I highly recommend doing a site visit in person where possible.  And if you can’t do a site visit in person, make sure you check a variety of online review sources, as well as customer and venue produced photos.  And don’t forget Google Maps as they often have a virtual tour you can activate. All of these ideas will give you a balanced view and set your expectations. 

If you would like to delve deeper into the event planning process, I can show you through my monthly workshops. Visit the workshops page to see when the next one is.