Venues and Lodging
The information below will give you a short overview of items to consider when starting to plan your event.
Venues
There are many venues available for meetings, conferences and events. Things to consider are the size, location, cost, space of meeting rooms, available furniture, technology, windows, air conditioning, number of restrooms and proximity to meeting rooms and accessibility. In addition, it is vital to ask what other events are going on before, during and after your event to ensure noise levels or other circumstances will not interfere with your event and to know that you will get the service necessary to ensure a successful event.
When researching venue options, look for facilities with AV equipment, microphones, and podiums as part of the room rental price. Identify whether the venue offers free parking on-site or nearby. Negotiate for must-have amenities, such as free parking or complimentary breakfast options.
Be sure to look at rescheduling policies. It is important to try and have venues agree to rescheduling without penalty. Rescheduling without penalty includes coverage for forces of nature or unforeseen circumstances that force either the venue or your organization to cease contract terms.
Food and Beverage should also be considered when contracting a venue space.
Lodging
Venues and lodging can make or break event experiences. Plan ahead and do your research when booking and coordinating lodging.
When booking lodging, ask for the cut-off date to be at least two weeks prior to the event dates. Block rooms for 75% of expected audience if most attendees will be staying overnight. If there is no availability left, that leaves 25% to find alternative lodging. If the majority of the people attending the program are from local communities, book lodging for about 25% of the expected audience.
Nobody likes being surprised with hidden fees or unexplained penalties when receiving a final invoice after the event has finished. Be sure to look for any specific penalties or additional fees or charges in contracts or ask your sales coordinator directly.
Consider requesting a hotel audit list if it's not automatically included with your contract or terms. Audit lists compare the list of program registrants to those who booked lodging. By comparing, audit lists may identify someone who was an attendee but didn’t book their room under the group reservation; by adding their count to your room block, you increase your number of used rooms and reduce the amount your organization may have to pay for the attrition.
Be sure to look at rescheduling policies. It is important to try and have venues agree to rescheduling without penalty. Rescheduling without penalty includes coverage for forces of nature or unforeseen circumstances that force either the venue or your organization to cease contract terms.
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