Every other decision in an event can be changed. The venue cannot — not without losing a deposit and three weeks. It is worth an uncomfortable hour of questions before the signature rather than a comfortable tour.
Capacity and layout
- What is the capacity in the layout we are actually using? A room that seats 400 theatre-style seats 180 cabaret. Ask for the number in your format.
- Can we see the room set up, or a plan to scale? Pillars and sightlines do not appear in photographs.
- Where do people go between sessions? Circulation space decides whether your breaks feel busy or crushed.
The technical questions
- How much power, and where? Ask in amps per point, and ask where the points are. Registration desks, charging and AV all compete.
- What is the wifi, honestly? Not "we have wifi" — how many concurrent devices, on what backhaul, and is there a dedicated SSID for your team? Your check-in desks depend on it.
- Is there a wired option for the desks? The answer to a bad wifi day.
- What AV is included, and what is charged? In-house AV is often exclusive; find out before you quote an external supplier.
Access and logistics
- When can we load in, and through what door? A 6am load-in through a passenger lift changes your staffing plan.
- Is the space accessible — genuinely? Step-free routes to the stage, not just to the room. The accessibility checklist has the full list.
- What signage can we put up, and where? Some venues forbid anything on the walls, which decides your wayfinding plan.
Money and terms
- What is the catering minimum, and when is it locked? This is usually the largest variable cost you cannot recover.
- What is the cancellation schedule? Ask for it as dates and percentages, in writing.
- What is excluded from the quote? Cleaning, security, overtime, furniture moves and power drops are the usual four.
- Is there another event in the building that day? Shared foyers, shared lifts, shared noise.
- Who is our contact on the day, and are they on site? A named person with a phone number beats an account manager in another city.
Write the answers down
Not in an email thread — in one document, per venue, in the same order. Three venues compared on the same fifteen answers make the decision for you, and the document becomes the brief for whoever runs the day.
Once the venue is fixed, the rooms and capacities feed straight into your programme. Our guide to building an agenda without clashes picks up from there, and you can hold the whole plan — venue, rooms, sessions and attendees — in one place by starting a free event on Gathervo.