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A venue is a location where an activity will take place. Selecting, reserving, and paying for a venue is an important part of the event planning process.
What it is: Selection of a venue is based on the needs of the event, the capabilities of the venue, and the resources available for the planning committee to pay for the venue. A venue is the location or facility the event will be held at.
What it does: The selection of venue process provides a structured way to ensure the event will have adequate resources to meet the objectives defined by the event-planning committee.
Use the venue selection process to find a location for any event.
How is it used:
Where: It is used in planning for fundraising events, business or organization meetings, celebrations, promotions, races, public relations events, etc.
Why: To be sure the event is successful and meets the desired outcomes.
Where it shouldn't be used: When a standard venue has been used historically and is an intimate part of the event itself (Boston Marathon, Stadium of Fire, Indianapolis Five Hundred, Kentucky Derby, Masters Golf tournament, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, General Conference, etc.)
Any restrictions: None
Warnings: Don't assume that because an event was held in a venue last year the same venue will meet the needs of this year's event. It is better to have a venue that is too large than to have a venue that is too small.
Defining the objectives of the event: First, you need to have the objectives of the event clearly defined.
What venue characteristics are necessary to meet the event objectives?
How many people will the event need to host?
How much space will each participant need (standing room, sitting room, room to be active, etc.)?
Can the event be outdoors, does it need to be covered, or does it need to be indoors?
What amenities does the venue need to have available (food, restrooms, security, etc.)?
How important is location and proximity to the desired population (e.g., does it need to be near campus)?
What, if any, ambiance is necessary to meet the objectives of the event (museum, art gallery, golf course, etc.)?
How will you compensate for the venue?
Can you reserve a park from the city for little or no charge?
Can you have a club or organization on campus reserve a space on campus without charge?
Can you find a restaurant, conference center, community center, etc, that you may be able to offer publicity or access to as part of the event to reduce or eliminate compensation?
What resources does the event-planning committee have available to pay for a venue?
Compare the alternative venues using the factors above to choose the optimum available venue.
Create a prioritization table including each of the criteria selected above.
Determine the minimum levels required for each criterion.
Exclude any venue that does not meet a minimum required criteria.
Provide a score for each criterion for the remaining venues.
Add the scores to find the optimum venue.
RGS Venue Selection Guide (very Detailed)
The prioritization template above is a great output representation to show the relative value of each venue option.
This content is provided to you freely by Ensign College.
Access it online or download it at https://ensign.edtechbooks.org/projectbased_internships/venue_acquisition_strategy_and_implementation.
