Nothing beats a great party! Throwing an amazing party is a great accomplishment. Here are 4 important questions to ask your venue before booking your next event.

#1: What dates are available at your venue?

A great piece of advice when renting an event space is to actually call the venue to talk to a real person. Tell them your story. Share with them what you are looking for in a venue rental space. This will help the team be able to better help you than just a simple email.

One of the first questions you will need to ask your venue before you book is if your desired dates are available. The earlier you call, the better. Most venues are not completely booked until a couple of months ahead of time; however, if you are looking for a specific date, book as early as you can!

When calling a rental space that you love, a tip would be to have several dates to choose from. This way you can see if the venue has different dates available and maybe even different prices. Typically, a venue will charge more for Friday through Saturday events. If you are able to hold your event on a week day, you may be able to get a better deal.

#2: What is the cost of your venue?

Before you begin looking for the perfect location, determine how much you are willing to spend on this event. If you are looking for a corporate event space for your company, make sure you know what the budget is that you can work with. Most venues have a set price; however, they tend to work within people's budgets if possible.

Keep in mind that the event rental cost can also include other fees and costs. Make sure to ask your venue all the costs before you book so there are no surprises to you. Most venues will have the client pay for the event rental along with a cleaning fee, security fee, event staff fee, and a security deposit fee. The security deposit is typically returned to the client if there is no damage to the building. However, ask all these questions ahead of time.

#3: How many people can your venue hold?

What kind of event are you planning? Is this going to be a huge party with hundreds of people? Or are you looking at holding a more intimate gathering? Either way, you will need to know a rough estimate of how many guests will be coming to your event.

Before you book, make sure you ask your venue how many people can fit in the desired location. Having a space that is too large will cause your event to feel awkward and lifeless. On the other hand, if your event space is too small, your guests will feel uncomfortable and most likely leave.

Ask your venue how many people need to attend to 'feel good' at any given event. Also, make sure to ask how many people are actually allowed to be in the given space based on the fire code. All these questions need to be answered before you sign a contract so you can make sure this space will work for you.

#4: What parking is available at the venue?

Parking is extremely important to any event. Make sure to ask your venue before booking what the parking looks like for your guests and your vendors. Many event spaces will have their own parking lot which makes it easy for the client. However, if you are looking at an event space rental in Los Angeles, parking can be very tricky.

If your venue does not have parking, this is NOT a deal breaker. In the city, people are used to finding their own parking. Lyft and Uber are also great options to encourage guests to take. People can carpool together or grab a taxi. If you are concerned at the lack of parking, you can always include this needed information in the guest invites so they prepare ahead of time.

Many venues that do not have parking available for guests will offer some kind of valet. Make sure to ask your venue about all these options before booking for your venue. Remember, most likely, you are not their first event. They have probably faced these problems before and have already come up with a various amount of solutions for their clients.

We hope this article helps you find the perfect venue for your next event! Here is another great article to help you when location hunting. Happy planning!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How much time will I have to set up for my event?
A: When creating a contract with your venue, simply let them know how much time you think you will need. Most venues are willing to work with you to keep the costs down. If they have to hire multiple staff based on amount of hours, the cost may go up.

Q: What are the hidden costs when booking your venue?
A: Most venues do not have hidden costs. However, there are additional costs to rent the venue other than just the booking fee. Most venues will also include a cleaning fee, security fee, and event staff fee. Ask your venue about these fees before you book.