Finding A Venue
Welcome to the 2nd blog of our five part series about how to plan an amazing event!
It’s hard enough choosing where to go for dinner on a Friday night when there are literally thousands of places to go, let alone choosing a venue for a very important event!
I always think back to that classic scene in “The Notebook” movie where Noah is screaming “what do you want????!?” that has been made into a meme about deciding what to eat.
And guess what – that’s not going to be you (you’re welcome).
If you type into Google search “event venue” it comes up with 65 million results – overwhelming right?!? So here’s your first tip - get off Google search if you're trying to find a venue! There are amazing services out there that will find you an event venue, and they will help you find exactly what you are looking for. Best news of all, all of the services I’m going to recommend are FREE - please don't pay for this service, as venues pay thousands and thousands of dollars to be recommended to clients like you on these venue finding services! Save that money for a wine ;)
The first one that I'd like to recommend is called Joylab (www.joylab.co.nz). They look after 22 venues across Auckland – north, south, east and west! If you go to them with all the details on our previous blog (https://www.eventflair.co.nz/blog/first-things-first/), they'll be able to check availability and be able to send you a narrowed down list of great venues to suit your needs. I would recommend Joylab if you're looking for a space between 20 to up to 600 guests.
If you're looking for a venue for a multi-day conference, or a combination of both accommodation and event space, I would recommend Auckland Conventions Bureau (www.aucklandnz.com) - again, a free service!. They will narrow down all the venues that they have on their system (at least 100), and find a venue/venues that suit your event, numbers, budget and requirements. They will also send you straight to the right person to talk to at each venue, instead of you sitting on hold trying to find out.
Lastly, an event finding service that is available almost anywhere in the world is via contacting your local council. As an example, the Auckland Council website has a venue finding form where you can type in your date, numbers and location, and a big list of venues will come up with availability and facilities - again, free service!
There are millions and millions of event venues out there, so make sure you get off Google search, and take advantage of those free event venue finding services out there.
Blog 3 of our 5 blogs on throwing an awesome event is what to ask when you are on a site visit to your venue. Our tips will ensure that you leave the venue with all the info you need, and don’t end up being ‘that customer’ with the venue on speed dial as your brain remembers all the little details.
Stay tuned!