Maximzing Your Guest Experience

A lot of factors go into creating a positive guest experience at an event. One of the most critical is having enough space to hold the event. As an event planner, I get frustrated when we are brought into the planning once the venue has been selected. Once that contract is signed we are stuck with what we have.

Too often we see our clients being trapped in spaces that are too small for their needs. We are working with a national conference that hires a company to negotiate their venue contracts (this is our 4th year watching this process) and most years we walk away knowing that the client never should have been sold that property. We are as vocal as we professionally can be, but really? We struggled with a bridal client using a vineyard for their wedding for 115 guests and had to get creative with the layout (which included removing tables to clear the dance floor)to accommodate their numbers. We just met with another client using the same vineyard for 115 guests and their caterer swears he's fit that many people in the one room before. Sure, if there is no space for guests to move around. Why diminish the guest experience by squashing them into a space?

We find the same thing with rental companies wanting to put the event into the smallest tent possible, maybe to save the client money, but not every client wants to scrimp on space to save $.

A venue rarely is too large for an event - there are ways to create intimacy and bring the walls in. You can mask unused spaces with fabric walls or with lighting. I love creating progression to an event; using one space for cocktails, another for dining, and a third for dancing and after hours. You can always make a large room smaller, but you can't make a small room larger.

Guests who can get up from their seat and move about easily helps make for a positive event experience.

Not sure if your venue will be comfortable for your event? Ask the venue to provide you with a scaled drawing of the event space. Be wary and do not accept a floor plan where the tables are hand drawn in. We love creating event flow and room layouts. If you need help we'll create a CAD drawing for you for around $200. Well worth the investment to save the mistake of contracting a too small venue.