Venue Sourcing: Finding the Right Space for Every Event

A venue is the place where the main story is staged. It could be the launch of a new line of products in Manchester, a company retreat in the Scottish Highlands or a gala dinner in the city of London, the venue that you decide upon contributes tremendously towards making or breaking the event. Then venue sourcing enters: a tactical game that involves location just the right venue to suit both form and function of your event.

What Is Venue Sourcing?

Venue sourcing is simply the action of finding, reviewing, and booking the venue that meets the purpose of an event, budget and style. Compared to merely browsing through open spaces, venue sourcing is more comprehensive in that it not only considers size and location, but also atmosphere, facilities and flexibility in the venue.

It usually consists of:

• Venue research on the premises that would suit capacity, location and style.
• Evaluation of facilities, catering and technical abilities.
• Negotiation of rates and terms to optimise values.
• Liaising with the venue to get things finalised.

What Makes Professional Venue Sourcing Important:

Market Information Availability:

When it comes to the venues, you are in safe knowledge in the hands of professionals as they know which ones you can trust, which ones offer some, say, hidden value and which ones may prove challenging to deal with to avoid making embarrassing mistakes.

Time Efficiency:

Having instant access to industry databases and access to personal contacts, venue sourcing specialists can compile a shortlist of a venue in days, rather than weeks.

Hidden Opportunities:

There are numerous high-quality and special places that do not sustain much advertising. Seasoned venue sources will be able to gain access to spaces that you would otherwise have not known about.

Venue Sourcing Process:

Briefing The process begins with a thorough briefing about the event: Purpose, size, location preferences, budget and any must-have features.

Research-The sourcer researches the industry using industry tools, as well as sources through personal networks to find probable venues.

Evaluation- Both premises are evaluated on their suitability in terms of location, layout, technical arrangement and service quality.

Short-listing- Creating a short-list of the best choices are indicated usually with photos, floor plans and pricing.

Negotiation and Booking- Negotiation and booking of rates and terms are made and the venue is booked.

Coordination- There is constant communication with the venue so that the venue is ready to host the event.

Types of Events which are beneficial in Venue Sourcing:

• Team building, strategy meetings, conferences, company events.
• One on one parties: birthday parties, anniversaries, weddings.
• Everything in the streets, shows, exhibitions, parties, charities.
• Hybrid events- Hybrid events are the integration of audiences, both in-person and online, to maximize reach.

UK Urban vs Rural Venue Sourcing:

Urban: Cities such as London, Birmingham and Manchester provide a wide choice and high capacity with excellent transport connections, with the most popular venues filled fast.

Rural – The Cotswolds, Lake district and the Scottish Highlands provide a different landscape and the feeling of escape but there should be additional planning around travel logistics.

Venue Sourcing in the UK Examples:

London Great international conference centres, plush rooftop terraces, ancient halls.

Birmingham – The middle of the country, best suited to a national event where people are coming in different regions.

Manchester – Fashionable hotels and adaptable artistic facilities that would fit business and culturing events.

Glasgow – Venues, theatres, art galleries and modern event halls ideal to host creative industries.

Cardiff – Seaside, traditional places to visit that have a bit of character and utility.

Oxford – Lecture, seminar and networking locations.

Value Added Other than Venue Solution:

Professional venue sourcing may also comprise:

Visits to sites- Making arrangements that could allow you to view short listed venues physically.

Layout tips – Assistance in designing the space so that maximum people will be engaged.

Supplier recommendations – Catering, light, staging and decorations based on the venue.

Contract Clarity Legal language is a serious challenge and a threat to ensure clarity and safeguard your interests.

Venue Sourcing Advantageous Tips:

Be decisive on what you can afford-This makes the search easier.

Use the one-two punch when listing non-negotiables early in the conversation e.g. Accessibility, parking, AV capabilities as these may be required.

Keep an open mind to the options – You may just find that the best choice is a venue where you would never have thought of going in the first place.

Plan ahead early booking – This applies especially to high-volume periods and popular cities.

Venue Sourcing vs Venue Finding:

Both work towards connecting you with the proper event place, but venue sourcing can be more strategic being more thorough in the evaluation and considerations of how the venue will benefit your objectives of the event. The process of venue finding revolves around ensuring there is a venue to locate and reserve; venue sourcing goes further as it involves considering the vision and audience experience of the event.

Conclusion:

Venue sourcing is much more than a mere search, it is a long-term effort of making sure that all factors of your venue selection compromise making your event successful. When you go with a professional, you will have access to insider secrets, time-saving, and venue rights that can simply turn an event that would otherwise be satisfactory to being the best ever. Whether your event is in the middle of London, a creative centre in Manchester or a rural estate in the Cotswolds, prospective venue sourcing will get you the ideal platform upon which to tell your tale.