If you’re keen on live music at your party/event choosing the right venue will have a huge impact on how that goes. Here are some good things to keep in mind as you decide on your location!
Choose the right site, not your favourite. If you have your heart set on a venue try and take a step back, ask an objective third party and see if it is really suitable for live music. It might be beautiful but have terrible acoustics, or a small stage area or be hard to access. Think about how the room will feel full of people and music.
Have several date options. Nothing worse than deciding on a venue only to discover it’s booked on the day you’ve told everyone to hold. Have a shortlist of dates and be open to booking your 2nd or 3rd option if you need to.
Contact the venue. Describe what you are hoping to do and see what they say. Ask if they have done anything like that before and how it went (good, bad and ugly).
Get the details clear. Have a plan, budget and focus and stick to it, here are some things to ask yourself:
- How much is the hire fee/rental fee?
- When can you load-in and soundcheck?
- At what time do the doors open?
- By what time does the event need to end?
- What technical resources does the venue provide?
- Are there any special rules?
Get things in writing. Many times, very small venues will not demand that you sign a contract, but you should definitely ask about any sort of written agreement anyway. Just something confirming the date for the show, the price you’ll pay to lease the space, and any special arrangements you have made. Be careful when you’re signing one of these contracts because if the event falls through, you’ll be liable for paying them the fee anyway after your name is on the dotted line.
Negotiate a Price. In some bookings there is flexibility in the rental fee. There main thing that helps here is the size of your event and if you are ordering catering, along with the bar sales etc they can be expected to make.
Proving that you’ll bring in a big crowd
Proving that you’ll a lot of press before and after the show
Stage. Make sure there is a great place for musicians to stand and setup, and if you are hiring a band make sure the stage can fit not just the musicians but all of their gear. Bass amps, stage pianos and drum kits take up a great deal of space.
Seating/standing plan. Plan out where people are likely to congregate and plan where the speakers and band will go. You will get loud and soft areas and need to make sure your guests can be comfortable where they want to be.
Ask your musician/agent. They’ve done this before a hundred times so ask them if they know the venue, how it goes and what to look out for. They’ll have insight that you would likely have never considered.
If you are looking to book a room near us please reach out, we know the spaces well and would be happy to help.