Whether you are planning a large corporate holiday party for your entire company, or an intimate dinner with a few friends, choosing the perfect event space always seems to be the hardest part! If you’ve ever planned a wedding or any other event, you know it’s hard to start planning anything else until you pick out the venue. Choosing the right location helps set a creative foundation for food menus, specialty cocktails, decorations, themes, activities, and entertainment. However, the choice can be overwhelming, and the hunt can be incredibly time consuming. So, we’ve come up with a list of ways to help you select your perfect event venue!
Size Matters
Before venue shopping, it’s important to know how many people you plan on hosting at your event. This is one of the first questions any event planner is going to ask you. Some venues are better equipped for smaller events. If you have a smaller guest list, go for venues that have spaces that feel more intimate. If the space is too large, it’s going to make the room feel empty and uncomfortable. Private Dining Rooms (also known as a PDR), like the one we have at Volcano Rabbit, can be the perfect place for smaller groups as well as allow you to book hip venues without needing to buy out the whole restaurant. If a PDR isn’t an option, as your event planner or the venue’s management team if they can “shrink the field”. Sometimes event managers can set up curtains or spandex to make a room appear smaller, therefore make your party seem fuller.
It’s About Time
The time and date are also important when choosing an event venue. Room and venue rentals may vary drastically depending upon what time you plan on hosting your event and what day of the week you want to reserve. Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs usually have their peak hours, or busiest times, on Friday and Saturday nights. So if you want your party during prime hours, you’ll most likely pay a prime fee. However, if you’re on a budget, consider choosing something off-peak and turn it into a brunch event, or perhaps a mid-week soiree. Another reason the timing of your event is important is determining the type of atmosphere you want to create. If your event is during sunset in the summer, choosing a rooftop venue like Rustic Root or Lumi would allow your guests to be wow’ed by the gorgeous San Diego sky. And besides, who wants to be cooped up inside if the sun is out and the weather is beautiful? Likewise, if you’re planning an event during rainy or snow season, it’s probably better not to chance your luck with an outdoor venue.
Keep An Open Mind
We love when we set up a tour for our clients, walk them into one of our nightclubs, restaurants, or bars, and they say, “Wow! I never thought of hosting an event here!” Just because a venue is a dance-party, crazy nightclub on the weekends, doesn’t mean it can’t be the perfect space for your corporate event. Take Side Bar for example. If you’ve ever been to this nightclub/lounge on a weekend night, you might never think it would work for your company’s holiday party. However, take away the crazy party-goers and you have a glamorous, gorgeous venue with plush, velvet seating areas, eye-catching décor, and unexpected wow-factors! Keep your mind open and check out multiple venues with different vibes and design.
Above All…Food & Drink
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. Provide your guests with delicious food and drinks, and they will rave about your party for years to come! We are lucky to be able to work with one of the best culinary teams in the state. This means, all of our banquet menus are designed to work for any kind of party and every kind of guest. Huntress, for example, has an incredibly thoughtfully curated and diverse private event menu, from seafood to high-quality meats, vegetarian to gluten free options, we can do it all. Plated dinners, serving stations, action stations, tray-passed goodies, dessert tables, and more…we are able to give our clients exactly what they want and need. When choosing a venue, make sure they have options, and are able to produce a delicious event that suits all your guests’ needs!
When you choose the right venue, everything else seems to fall into place. What makes a good venue, however, is the team that runs it. Work with an event sales manager that understands your vision and can help you find the perfect private event space!
To find out more about RMD Group Events and how we can help plan your holiday party, click here.
To book an event or private party at any RMD Group venue, click here.