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Monday 5 June 2017

Here at Venue Search London our team of experts take clients on over 300 site visits a year, so we know a thing or two about how to prepare for these and what to look out for when you view prospective London conference or event venues.

Here are the five top tips from our free venue finding team:

• Don’t book without a site visit!  This seems a bit obvious, but even if you have used a venue before, it is well worth dropping in to see if there have been any changes or if there are any works going on that might impact your next event.  There are many online booking websites where you can book and pay for a meeting room online, which is fine for small short term meeting room bookings, but not best practice for larger events.
• Allow enough time to fully explore the venue.  You should allow one hour for each visit plus travelling time between them, so that means you should be able to visit three venues in half a day. For large London venues, where you might need to view multiple rooms, you may need more time than this and its always best to ensure that all the main rooms that you may need are available to view (and not occupied by other companies holding events).
• Ask the right questions.  A site visit should be far more than viewing the spaces, since it gives you the perfect opportunity to find out what is and is not included in the price quoted and to explain your specific event requirements directly to the venue team. Ask what changes may be made to the venue before your event and check how many more guests they may be able to accommodate if your numbers rise.  This is also a good opportunity to negotiate price and terms etc. whilst they are keen to win your business.
• Check the in-house production.  Many London conference venues now offer inclusive or fully-installed production, but the standards vary considerably by venue.  Its therefore worth asking to hear the PA and sound systems, view the various lighting settings and check their projector is punchy enough for your presentation.
• Assess their people.  Often the difference between a good venue and a great one is the quality of their sales and operations teams, which can have a huge impact in both the preparation and delivery of your event.  Venues with a high staff turnover are more likely to change before your event with the risk of lost information in such a change.  Ask to meet the person who will be running your event if they are not the person showing you around the venue.

Finally, make sure you are not wasting your valuable time visiting venues that are unsuitable for your event.  One way to make sure you only visit the right London venue shortlist is to ask our experienced team at Venue Search London for the best potential venues for your next party, conference or event.  Their service is free and they will review your online enquiry, set up the tour and take you around the venues to ensure that they offer the best potential locations for your specific event.