DECIDING on the perfect venue, whether that’s for a business event or other occasion, brings up many considerations. Catering manager at Moulton College, Dawn McCue provides a list of the top five things to consider:
1. Cost and flexibility on event date
There are numerous different costs to factor in when choosing a venue, and these can include room hire, cost per person and minimum spend requirements. Thoroughly reading through the contract before signing will help to determine any hidden costs. Being flexible on the event date is important too. Often, if you’re able to show flexibility by providing a couple of date options this can help to cement a good working relationship with the venue right from the start.
2. Layout
Having an idea of how you’d like your venue to be arranged, and understanding the flexibility of the layout, will help you to decide if it works for your event. Some spaces can easily be rearranged to cater for different room layouts, whereas others not so much so. Having a discussion with the event organisers beforehand will help to clarify any concerns.
3. Services and facilities
The IT and wifi support that is required on site is important to know before the event, so it can easily be arranged if required. It’s worth creating a list of essential requirements, and comparing this with the facilities offered by the venue. It’s also worth considering any licences, additional fees and security.
4. Capacity
Without knowing the capacity, it’s impossible to know how well your event could run at the proposed venue. There is also fire and safety codes that the venue will need to comply by, so legally it’s important that you know if your venue could work, based on predicted attendees.
5. Transport and parking
The geography of the location should be considered, ensuring that the venue is easily accessible by train and road routes for guests. Finding a venue with convenient parking is ideal, however it’s not always realistic. If there isn’t a car park in the close vicinity, there are ways around this. You could reserve any parking spaces nearby for attendees to use, and negotiate this in the ticket price, or organise a taxi ride for attendees.
Moulton College has over 20 rooms and two bars available to hire; suitable for trade fairs, conferences and training days, business workshops, birthday parties, christenings and dance classes. If you’d like to know more, contact Angela Stewart – Events and Function Co-Ordinator on or 01604 491131 ext. 2113; or contact to discuss your options and arrange a tour to see the facilities.