What makes a great site inspection?
For anyone who follows us on social media, you’ll know we love to get out and about. Nothing beats seeing potential venues for events first-hand while gaining valuable product knowledge to share with the team! Here are some of our top tips to make sure you get the most out of your site inspections:
put yourself in your delegates’ shoes
The best way to determine if the venue is going to work is by putting yourself in the delegates’ shoes, even before you arrive at the venue. Ask yourself how long it took to get there. Was it easy to find? How will other delegates get there? Do you need to know about local transport, or is there sufficient on-site parking?
Remember first impressions count when you’re at the venue, and they will remain with your delegates. Is the venue attractive? Does it meet the brand/culture expectations of your business? You could be at the venue for some time, depending on the length of your meeting or event. So, it needs to be a comfortable place where your delegates can relax and enjoy their experience.
venue relations
Venue staff can play a big part in your day and, as part of the site inspection, you’re not just assessing the suitability of the venue. Gain an understanding of who you’ll potentially work with and, whether they’ll be supportive and flexible with your event needs. Remember they want your business to add money to the books, but make sure they will work with you to make it a success.
The person you’re liaising with is likely to be a salesperson and will say and do all the right things. So, when you’re walking the venue, note how other venue employees are engaging with their guests. It’s all about great customer service – always expect the best!
get some good snaps!
We like to visit venues with clients so they can experience them first-hand with us. But, accompanied visits are sometimes impossible. So, we often need to share our venue thoughts/proposals with clients at a subsequent project meeting. By taking quality pictures throughout the site inspection, we can start to build a story and share how the event would work and flow. Above all else, it’s fantastic product knowledge and insight to share back with your team in the office. We love a good picture, and any opportunity we get – we’ll share it!
ask the right questions!
The venue can only meet your brief and budget if you ask the right questions, ensuring there are no hidden extra costs along the way. Here are some key questions to consider:
– WiFi: Is it easy to connect? Is there a charge?
– AV: Is this built-in or does it need to be hired in?
– Refreshments: Where are they located and how frequently are they served?
– Food tasting: Is this an option? Can you choose a bespoke menu?
– Branding: Can you add your own to personalise the event?
– Invoicing: What’s their policy? Are deposits required?
– Refurbishments: Always check there are no refurbishments planned around the date of your event. There’s nothing worse than building works, potentially disrupting your day(s).
– Other events: Will other events take place on the same date? Will this have any impact on your event and the use of the venue?
our final top tip – always check the toilets!
Nobody likes a bad bathroom. Even if it’s not included on the show round, stick your head through the door. With your delegates’ shoes back on, ask yourself if you’re satisfied with the cleanliness and quality.
We pride ourselves on fantastic venue knowledge and strive to continually build on it. We even have our very own venue relations guru, Ross. What he doesn’t know about venues and our partners isn’t worth knowing. He even has a weekly vlog – #RossGoss shared every Friday via our social media channels, highlighting nuggets of information on some of our favourite venues. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to ensure you don’t miss the next one!
If you’d like to know more about our venue finding service and how we might be able to support you on future events, get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!
