Once You Answer These Three Question, Finding the Perfect Venue Is a Breeze

Booking the right place for your event doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. No matter the event–be it a birthday, happy hour, or corporate gathering–finding the right place comes down to answering a few easy questions. So easy, it shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to align with your group! 

Once you’ve got these nailed down, you can narrow down your options and book with confidence.

Here are the three questions to ask yourself that will make finding the perfect place a breeze.

1. What Type of Event Are You Looking to Plan?

The type of event you’re hosting will help you zero in on the perfect place to host it. Are you planning a seated dinner, a lively cocktail party, a more casual hangout, a corporate event, or something else?

For a seated meal, you’ll want a restaurant with enough space for your guests to sit and enjoy a full-course meal. Look for venues that offer group dining options or private rooms where you can enjoy your meal without interruptions.

For a drinks-heavy or more lively party, you’ll likely want a more energetic atmosphere with dancing and drinks, and a club or lively bar might be more your speed. These venues often come with DJs or live music and are great for large groups.

For a cozy, intimate vibe or any smaller gathering where conversation and mingling are the priority, a cocktail bar or lounge is a great fit. 

For a corporate event, consider venues that strike the right balance between professional and relaxed. Whether you’re planning a casual happy hour or a large-scale holiday party will determine the kind of space you need.

2. Do You Want to Prepay for Your Guests or Let Them Pay on Their Own?

Throwing a party does not need to be a financial burden for the planner. One of the first decisions you need to make is whether you want to cover the cost for your guests upfront, or if you’d prefer them to pay for what they order at the venue.

• Open-Bar Packages: If you decide to prepay for your guests, you’ll likely be booking an open-bar package. These packages allow you to pay a set amount per person, giving your guests access to a predetermined selection of drinks (and sometimes food) for a specified amount of time. 
• Minimum Spend Packages: If you’d rather your guests pay for what they order themselves, you’ll be booking a minimum spend package. This means that the venue will reserve the space for you in exchange for agreeing to meet a certain minimum spend requirement. As long as your group collectively spends that amount on food and drinks during the event, there’s no additional cost to book the venue. 

3. What’s Your Budget?

Throwing a party does not need to be expensive and having a budget is not a bad thing! Knowing how much you want to spend, or how much you want your guests to spend is key and understanding how pricing works for different types of events makes it really easy to find the right place to meet your budget.

• With an open-bar package, budgeting is relatively straightforward since you’ll know the price per person ahead of time. If the package is, say, $50 per person for a two-hour open bar, you can easily multiply that by the number of guests to determine the total cost. 
• Minimum spend events work a bit differently. Instead of paying a set price per guest, you’ll need to work backwards by taking the venue’s total minimum spend and dividing it by your estimated guest count. This gives you an average cost per person. To figure out how easy it is to hit that minimum, check the venue’s menu and divide the per-person spend by the average cost of a drink or food item.
  • For example, if the minimum spend is $1,000 and you expect 40 guests, the average spend per person would be $25. If the average drink costs $13, each guest would need to order around 2 drinks to meet the minimum. 

Now That You Know…

Once you’ve answered these three basic questions you’re ready to find your place for your event!

Head over to Party Place, where you can search for venues based on your specific date or simply browse through your options.

Finding the perfect venue for your next event has never been easier!