Guest blog: Are you getting the best value from your venue?

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By Kristin Lamb, head of sales and marketing, ExecSpace

It comes as no surprise that one of the key elements of organising any event is securing a space or venue. It may sound like simple work – finding a venue and exchanging contracts – but the devil is in the detail and more often than not, there’s a myriad of hidden factors that will impact the eventual price tag.

Here are my five top tips for getting value for your money:

  •  First is the day of the week that you decide to hold your event on. If you book venues on a “shoulder day” i.e. a Monday or a Friday, the chances are they will be cheaper.
  • It’s worth sitting down and doing some desk research around any other major events, international conferences or festivals that are taking place on the same dates as your event as these will undoubtedly bolster tariffs.
  • The size of the booking will also have a significant impact on the rates as some venues charge room hire plus catering, whilst others charge delegate rates or packages on a cost per head pricing structure – so take the time to do your sums and think about what will yield the best levels of return for you.
  • Consecutive year deals, series training or roadshows can be used as a strong bargaining tool so consider securing more than one event at the same venue or make multiple bookings at the same chain of venues across a number of cities or countries.
  • Lead time – work with your venue finding agent to understand the metrics of your booking patterns; what is the optimum lead time to source a venue, negotiate best value, retain space on option to allow for site visits and exchanging of contracts, that results in the best value per delegate?

Kristin Lamb is Head of Sales and Service at ExecSpace. Joining the business in 2014 as a Venue Consultant, she has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top, rapidly progressing to Head of Public Sector in 2015 and to her current role as Head of Sales and Service in 2018. Kirstin is responsible for the day to day operation, implementation and ongoing management of their diverse and high profile customer accounts.

Her wealth of meetings and events experience, unflappable nature, and professional approach is what sets her apart.


Molly Hookings
Author: Molly Hookings

Molly joined the editorial team in March 2019. She has several years’ experience working in broadcast and journalism, as well as marketing and PR. Past experience includes working for the BBC and independent publishing houses. If you have a story you think Molly might be interested in, please email: molly@eventindustrynews.com