The Real Deal

As and event planner, I’ve been on my fair share of site visits. As informational and practical as these visits may be, I am always cautious of getting the “best foot forward” treatment when visiting a venue. Any vendor is happy to put a little more effort in presenting itself when an even professional shows up, but that doesn’t mean they offer the red carpet service to everyone. I’ve had vendors wine and dine me in selling their venue, I’ve seen the venue in recently cleaned ship-shape, and I’ve been escorted in on the VIP list and given the best seat in the house. “So there’s a problem with that?” you ask skeptically. When the time comes to host your event, your guests may not see the recently polished balustrades, they may not be sitting in the best seat in the house, they may actually be sitting in the WORST seat. My advice to you (so that you don’t get duped into thinking your venue is Buckingham Palace, when it’s really just Pizza Palace) is as follows:

Go it alone first:
Show up early, before your appointment, as any old guest. This works for venues such as night clubs, restaurants, and other spots that keep regular business hours. You can see what the place looks like when it’s catering to its bread and butter crowd, and get a feel for what you’ll really be in for. Without the salesperson escorting you around, you can look for yourself, and not accidentally miss the fact the bathrooms are out a door and down a hallway, shared with ten other businesses, or the fact that the east end of the room reeks of stale alcohol like a frat house.

Ask to see the place empty:
In the case of nightclubs, bars, and most swanky spots, it will always serve you well to request to see the place as Mother Nature intended, in broad daylight, with no thumping music and ambient lighting that improves even the most egregious beer stains on the walls. It is NEVER pretty to see a nighttime spot in the daytime. However, taking this in to consideration, you will notice some flaws that shouldn’t be forgiven just because the lights turn down low in the evenings. Look for torn upholstery, graffiti, and broken furniture or fixtures. Although they may seem to disappear in the dark, a guest who sits down on a couch with a multiple cigarette burns in it will notice.

Stake out:
Without going all “James Bond”, take a peek at your venue in action. Hotels, outdoor venues, and banquet halls are excellent examples of places you could see in action without being a creepy voyeur hiding behind the drapes. Most outdoor venues are public places, so take a stroll on an evening or afternoon that you know a shindig is going on. As far as hotels or banquet halls, most venue representatives would be happy to give you a peek into an event being set up or taken down, so you can see how the room can be transformed. Its hard to imagine a fabulous soiree on a blank slate, and if you can see what the venue pulls together, you’ll have a better idea of whether your expectations will be met.