You’ve finalised your brief, received a proposal and reviewed it with your team or event agency partner, now what?
It’s time to plan a site visit not only to see if the reality of a venue lives up to what you see on a screen, but more importantly to ensure that the space will work for your requirements and your attendees journey.
Take a look at our top 5 tips to get you ready for your inspection:
Preparation is key
- ZiaBia always put together a site inspection agenda to ensure we dot every single i and cross the t’s to find the perfect venue and know the key questions to ask. This is written with the brief notes as a guide to make sure every query is raised and answered during the visit.
Pictures are proof
- Have you ever looked at a meeting room online then turned up to find it looks completely different (good or bad)? By taking good quality wide angled photos or videos you not only have real-time images of event space but also files that you can share with your planning team in the lead up to the event.
Be mindful of travel and accessibility
- Be mindful of travel and accessibility – this is not only to get you there for your meeting or any other appointments if you are seeing more then one venue in a day, but also to understand the journey that your attendees will be making themselves. Is the venue clearly signposted? Is there a nearby train/ bus route? Is there parking? These are all questions that attendees will need to know to get there.
Proper policies and procedures
- Is there step-free access? What is the proximity of hire spaces and facilities? What is the venue doing to reduce the impact of your event on the planet? Knowing these aspects is crucial in ensuring your event is not only open and inclusive of everyone, but ethically responsible for waste and energy produced and safe for your attendees to be in.
Notes are non-negotiable
- As soon as you can make sure you write up your notes (unless you take them digitally!) and follow up any actions. You can then update your team with a full picture to help them decide on which venue is the most suitable. Inevitably you will see venues that you don’t end up using for that particular event. By having a written record about all venues visited you will be able to refer back to it another time – maybe for your next event! All site inspections add to your venue knowledge and should not be seen as a waste of time if you proceed elsewhere.
No two venues are the same therefore no two site visits will be. Keep this in mind when moving from one venue to another. If the site visit is overseas, these tips still apply and then some – consider journeys from guest’s respective home airports to the event venue, as well as restaurants and activities.
If you would like any more advice or tips before your next site inspection, check out our other blog posts. Need some help with your project? Please do get in touch today!
