We know that finding conference venues can be a long and complicated job, with different events requiring different things from their venue meaning event planners have a lot of things to think about when finding just the right place. To help make the lives of event planners and conference organiser's easier, we have pulled together this guide on how to find the perfect venue. #1 Make sure you fully understand the brief When you are working as an event planner, you will more than likely have a wide variety of clients that you work for and so making sure you understand each individual brief is a must do. Talk to the client and make sure you know exactly what audience they are targeting their event at, what type of content is going to be shared, and how important WiFi and other technology is to them. The more information you have, the better as this can really help you narrow down what type of venue will work and what won't. #2 Visit Venues on a Regular Basis If finding event venues is part of your service, such as it is at Conferences UK venue finding agency uk, then you probably think you have a great knowledge of venues in your local area as you have no doubt used them for events a few times. However, in the competitive market of hospitality, hotels are being refurbished all the time and there are new events and new openings happening all the time. This is why it is essential to regularly visit venues to keep an eye on what has changed there, if anything, so that you know the strengths and weaknesses of each when it comes to event planning time. #3 Think Outside the Box You don't always have to show clients the same venues you have used before, why not show them something new - it may be their perfect venue, they just haven't considered it as it they don't know about it. Adding new, exciting venues into your proposal list will show them that your venue knowledge is second to none, and also prove to them that they need your services to keep them ahead of the curve. #4 Don't be Afraid to Negotiate Use your buyer power to get the best rate - don't be afraid to negotiate with the venue, if they want your business they will be prepared to be a little flexible with price. You can also negotiate on other things as well, such as minimum numbers and cancellation rate, to make sure you are getting the best deal you can for your client. #5 Minimums and Capacity Knowing the exact number of people your venue can hold, and what is the minimum number they will accept is crucial to getting your event right. If you have 250 people, then they will look a little lost in a venue that can hold 500, whereas you don't want to be trying to squeeze 500 people into a venue that can only hold 250! You also need to think about what displays you are having as well - for example if your event is a conference with a stage, then this stage will take up a lot of space and will need to be allowed for - as it may affect maximum numbers. You will also need to know minimum food and beverage orders for the venue - and never guarantee higher numbers than you actually have (even if it brings the cost per person down) as you will be charged for the higher number of people even if less turn up. #6 Layout Being au fait with the layout of your chosen venue is also really important, as it will help you to decide how the traffic flow will work. It is also a good idea to know where all the power sockets are located and also where the fire exits are. You need to know this as you need to make sure that the fire exits are not blocked by anything, and that you have enough power sockets for your needs and that they are in the right places. If you are going to be using more than one room in the venue, you need to make sure that people can get from one room to another without much difficulty. #7 The Early Bird This is not something that is always within your control, but the earlier you can start your venue search the better. Popular venues will get booked up months in advance, so book as early as you can to make sure you secure your preferred date - and the other benefit of this, of course, is that it gives you more time to get everything organised. As you can see, there are a lot of things to think about when you are searching for and hiring venues, but this is where venue finding services - such as Conferences UK come in so useful. We can help you with all sorts of venue finding tasks, such as finding meeting rooms in central London, and we do this by simplifying the process to make sure both you and your client are happy. Get in touch with us today to find out more.