Event planning means making a lot of tough decisions, especially if you’re new to the industry. One of the most crucial decisions you’ll make is the location and venue of your event. This initial decision will inform all future decisions from guest list to catering so it’s important to choose wisely and do your research. If you don’t have a tried and trusted venue in your chosen location, you’ll need to consider a lot of event selection criteria before you begin to plan your event to make sure it runs as seamlessly as possible. It might seem overwhelming but with our handy guide, we’ll help make this important decision a little easier by giving you things to look out for.
Location
It’s likely you have an idea of the region for your event before you start to plan the finer details but if not, this is the first thing to consider. For a local event, you might want to consider the distance from your attendee’s homes and the city centre. For an international event with overseas guests and speakers, a location near the airport might be most suitable. In whichever case, don’t forget to consider traffic, transportation, and parking options. Make sure to include directions and transport links in your invites so guests know how easy it is to get there.
Timing
A good rule of booking a venue for an event is the timing. Book your event as early as possible, especially if you are tied to specific dates and times. The best venues may be booked up to a year in advance so don’t leave anything up to chance. Check the local area to see what other events are happening in the area on the same date to ensure there are no schedule clashes. You can begin your search once you have a good understanding of the budget, the estimated event size, and space requirements.
Venue Services
Make things a little easier on yourself by choosing a venue with built-in amenities wherever possible.When you hire a purpose-built event space, you’ll usually have access to their facilities and amenitieslike chairs, desks, AV equipment, and their staff who have the inside track and are often the key to a successful event. Consider if it’s easier to hire a supply company or use what’s there. Does the venue have a catering service you can engage? It might make sense to keep the services in-house for ease of organising and cost. You might also consider nearby or on-site accommodation for your guests, organisers and speakers, if appropriate.
Capacity
Once you have an idea of the number of invitees and attendees for your event, it might make choosing a venue a little easier. You’re automatically eliminating small and oversized venues in your chosen location, leaving you with an unintentional shortlist. If you’ve locked in your event, you will want to limit the number of tickets sold to avoid an overselling situation. Check with your venue if they have a limit of minimum on their food and beverage orders too, as this might help you better understand your limitations and budget.
Accessibility
Venue accessibility umbrellas a lot of types of access. Does the venue have adequate internet and technological access to support your event? Is the venue accessible to your attendees by car and public transport? Is the venue physically and technologically accessible to differently abled attendees allowing a fair opportunity for all to attend? Are the acoustics and AV equipment suitable to your software to ensure seamless integration? Is the layout of the event space customisable to make it accessible for your event needs? Does your venue facilitate ad encourage an eco-conscious event with correct recycling procedures and as little waste as possible? There are dozens of accessibility questions to consider before booking your event.
DCU Conference and Event Venue in Dublin
For an event venue in Dublin that ticks all of the boxes, look no further than DCU. Our historic campus has a range of event and conference spaces for all sorts of events in many different formats. We have on-site facilities like catering, AV hire, furniture and a talented planning and assistance team. We have ample parking, are accessible by public transport and have on-site accommodation available. We’re also close to the city and the airport. Our meeting rooms and conference venues can accommodate anything from 5 to 1200 attendees.
Contact our event planning team to learn more about our event and conference venue in Dublin and check our suitability for your event. Our talented and experienced event planning team are here to help.
