How to Choose an Event Venue

When it’s time to plan an event, you want the best for your guests. The entertainment and catering are essential, but what brings it all together is the venue. It’s the place where everyone gathers to celebrate, join in on team-building exercises, enjoy a meal and plenty more. When planning a special occasion, it helps to know how to select a location.

So what makes a good conference venue or space for other occasions? It depends on what you’re planning, but we’ve got tips to help you decide. Create your checklist for choosing an event venue with the advice below and discover how to pick the perfect venue.

Crucial Aspects of Planning an Event

Before you get into choosing a venue, you need to think about planning your event. A lot goes into this phase, and a few critical aspects will help you determine venue requirements and other things you need later on. Consider the following.

• The guest list: Figuring out who you want to invite to your event will help you decide on a venue, budget and other needs. Create a list with a reasonable number of guests for an estimated budget that you can further define once you know more details. Once you have a guest list, send out invitations or a poll to see who can attend for a more accurate headcount. Making a guest list also means you’ll know the age range of your guests, so you can plan entertainment or other activities.
• The purpose: Are you in need of a corporate event venue or something for a bachelor or bachelorette party, birthday party or other celebration? Various occasions have different requirements for entertainment and available space, so think about how the purpose of your event will influence your venue requirements, as well as your guest list. If you’re hosting a corporate event, is it for a team-building experience for employees, or a company-wide celebration where you’ll also invite family members? Do you need to limit invites to adults only, or will it be a kid-friendly gathering? These considerations will guide other decisions, so be sure not to skip them.
• The timing: Pick the ideal date for your event, so you know when to book your venue and other services. Would most of your guests prefer to get together during the week, or on the weekend? Be aware of any holidays that could cause conflicts or popular times for traveling, since you’ll want your guests to be in the area for your event. If you’re planning a corporate event, it could be a bit easier to pick a date and time if everyone shares a similar work schedule.
• The weather: Some events require an outdoor space, while others can have an indoor space that’s suitable for all types of weather. Think about the weather where you live if you’re planning an outdoor event, because you’ll want ways to keep your guests cool, warm or dry if conditions aren’t ideal. Choosing an enclosed venue is the safest option, especially if you need to book in advance and won’t know how the weather will be until it gets closer to your event.

Creating a plan for your event will help make sure you get everything you need at your venue, from services to amenities. You don’t want to be short on food, chairs, tables or equipment, so developing a checklist for planning your event is essential.

Tips for Choosing an Event Venue

Whether you’re planning a small get-together or celebrating a big occasion, you need to find an event venue. Inviting your guests to a venue for an event is often less stressful than hosting an event at your home, but you still have some factors to consider when planning. Think about the points below when evaluating an event venue to find what’s best for your group.

1. The Location

The first step in knowing how to pick the perfect event venue is choosing the right site. You want a space that’s convenient for guests, and you can get that with a venue that:

• Is in a familiar area
• Is easy to get to
• Offers parking or other transportation options
• Is centrally located

Your invitees will be more likely to want to attend your event and arrive on time if it’s somewhere in a prime location that’s easy to find. You’ll also need to consider the type of venue you need for your event. Do you need a mix of outdoor and indoor space? Will you have a large celebration with dancing or a buffet of food you need to make room for? There are plenty of event spaces out there, whether you need on-site entertainment or other options, so consider carefully.

2. Your Budget

Whether you’re choosing an event venue for a corporate event or need space for a party, you’re going to have a set budget. Have an amount in mind for your venue so you can choose the best space for your event without going over this allowance, especially when you consider the other products and services you need to get. In that case, a bit of organization will keep you on track. When you’re planning your budget for an event venue, be sure to:

• Research local venue pricing
• Ask about the pricing plans, whether they’re per hour or per day
• Come up with an estimate per guest
• Organize contributions for your event if you need them

You want the best for your event, but you need to do so within your means. Donations can help you host a better event, but for corporate events, you may not be able to ask individual guests to chip in for the get-together. Planning a budget and researching different venues and prices will be useful in that case so you can get the best option.

3. The Venue’s Capacity

Having a headcount of your guest list will help you determine plenty of elements of your event, from the amount of food to serve to the number of parking spaces you’ll need. But venue capacity is the primary reason you should know how many guests you’ll have. For safety reasons, venues can only host so many guests at a time, and you won’t be able to go over. You also want your guests to be comfortable, not packed in at tables and chairs with no room to move. A venue should provide the maximum capacity numbers, so you know if they are an option for your event.

4. Food

Will you need to hire a caterer, cook the food yourself or enjoy what a venue offers? When you’re creating your event planning venue checklist, don’t forget to inquire about food needs. See if you’ll have to bring supplies for keeping food warm or cold as needed, and have enough serveware, plates and flatware as well. Regardless, make sure whatever you offer has:

• Variety
• Options anyone can enjoy
• Something fitting for the time of day
• Enough for everyone and then some

The time you host your event will help determine what type of food you need. If it’s earlier in the day, provide brunch options and coffee. If it’s midday, have a mix of snacks and lunch selections. If it’s later in the day, offer dinner with a larger meal. If your event falls somewhere between common mealtimes, you should still offer drinks and snacks to your guests. Make sure your venue can accommodate whatever food and drinks you plan to serve and has seating so guests can relax and enjoy their meals.

5. Setup

When you’re serving food or just have a lot of guests in a space, you need a setup for tables and seating. You may also want to decorate for parties or other occasions and arrange the room with a setup that works for your purpose. You may need dance floor space or a gift table for birthday parties, or a layout of tables and seating that lets everyone see a presentation at a corporate event. If you do have specific needs, make sure you talk to a location about:

• How early you can arrive to set up the event space
• If tables and seating are part of the price, or you need to rent them separately
• How long you have after your event for cleanup
• The layout you need for your event

If you can, visit the venue or check out pictures online to see if the setup of the space works for you. When you plan what to ask when hiring a venue, be sure to see if you can change the setup or if there are any limits to the event space. You don’t want to book a venue, only to find out that you can’t rearrange the tables or make the space suit your needs.

6. Media Needs

Tables and chairs are essential for events, but don’t forget about your audio and visual needs. Parties and get-togethers may need music and corporate events may have a presentation to share with guests. When you think about what makes a good conference venue, you should consider your media needs. A screen is necessary to share a presentation with a large group, and an audio setup will ensure all your guests can hear your presentation.

Make sure the venue you choose also has adequate acoustics if you’re playing music or have other audio needs. If a venue provides audio setup, it’ll likely have good acoustics, but it doesn’t hurt to check for specific events.

7. Availability

Once you have venue requirements and an event space in mind, you need to find out the location’s availability. All that planning and research is only worth it if you’re able to reserve the venue you’ve chosen for your event. Some venues accept reservations far in advance and are in high demand, so see how early you need to book your venue and make payments. You can also inquire about date flexibility and other logistics when it comes to your payment and booking, so you know all the technical details.

Tampa Bay Grand Prix’s Event Spaces in the Tampa Bay Area

One of the other essential things to consider when choosing your event venue is entertainment. What could be more entertaining than putting your driving and racing skills to the test? Wow the guests at your next event with a racing experience at Tampa Bay Grand Prix. With pro-karts that reach up to 50 mph, a racing challenge at our indoor facilities will get your and your guests’ adrenaline pumping.

We provide the perfect place to host your next event, not only for our thrilling racing experiences, but also for our other amenities and services. At Tampa Bay Grand Prix, we offer room rentals to make your event setup convenient. Rent our rooms by the hour, for half a day or for a full day to get what you need when choosing a place to host your event. Check out our track in the Tampa Bay area to find the perfect venue for your event.

Clearwater and St. Petersburg

Our Clearwater location features the Daytona room, which fits 30 people, and the Monaco room, which has a 40-person capacity. Perfect for somewhat smaller corporate events or get-togethers, our Clearwater event spaces have everything you need to celebrate, work together or gather for a luncheon before the fun begins.

Race with nine of your guests at a time on our indoor Grand Prix Track in Clearwater. Test your skills on a track designed by a professional driver, meant to challenge you and your fellow racers with twists and turns as you reach thrilling speeds and try to beat each other’s lap times.

Book Your Event With Tampa Bay Grand Prix

Looking for event spaces in near Tampa? At Tampa Bay Grand Prix, our racing options are challenging and exciting, perfect for almost any occasion, including corporate events. Put your skills to the test at our indoor facilities, where you won’t have to cancel if there’s unfavorable weather. We put safety first so you can rest assured that all your guests will have a thrilling time while staying safe with protective barriers, helmets and remote controls.

Check out our pricing or contact us today for more information about how to book a venue for an event at Tampa Bay Grand Prix. Learn more about our offerings for groups and parties, and plan an event that’ll get everyone’s adrenaline pumping!