Organizing an event is no easy task, but it can be mastered through continuous experience and learning from the experts in the field. You may find yourself working on a series of events this year, and if that’s the case then you should work on your skills as early as now. Indeed, there are no shortcuts to master this task, but if you want to make things easier when organizing an upcoming event, you may as well want to know the possible mishaps you may encounter-and learn how to avoid them.
Among the biggest and most challenging steps when organizing any event is booking the venue. Your venue should not only meet the requirements of the event, but also to satisfy the taste of your client. The wrong choice of venue may lead to a sloppy output, and this is definitely the last thing you’d want to happen.
Hence, below are the most common mistakes encountered even by expert event planners and how you can stay away from them:
- Never book at the last minute.
The cardinal rule when organizing an event is to plan ahead, and this means you also have to make your reservations at least a month before the target date the activity is going to be held. This is because you’re not the only one who is conducting events in the vicinity; there are other groups who are competing to reserve the best venue for their respective gatherings.
Venue spaces also increase their rates when booked a few days before the target date of the event. By making reservations ahead of time, you may be able to get special discounts and freebies such as the use of sound equipment, parking space, and even special catering service options.
- Do not neglect the requirements of your event.
Some event planners usually think that all venues are the same, and it’s just a matter of booking them ahead of time. However, this isn’t always true. Before scouting for event venues in Singapore, you should come up with a checklist of event requirements first so you know exactly where to start looking for the right space.
Among the event requirements that you need are the target number of guests, the activities to be held (including entertainment), the food to be served, and the technical facilities to be used. It is helpful that you have all these written down so that you can check on them from time to time while doing your venue search.
- The ocular inspection is always a must.
Once you have shortlisted two to three venues that meet your initial requirements, it is best that you pay them a physical visit. This is because you need to visualize how the event will look like when held in that venue. Also, the photos on the brochures or websites do not give you the whole view of the venue itself, only its best angles.
When you visit the venue, you should also make sure to check if it meets your event’s requirements. If not, then you may want to talk to the venue management if you can bring in your own suppliers or if they have available vendors who can provide your specific needs.
- Estimate how much space is needed for your venue.
One of the things you don’t want to experience in an event is overcrowding. A crowded party doesn’t always mean that it is packed with guests; it may also be the fact that the venue is too small. An overcrowded venue poses various security risks, and this is something you definitely have to avoid at all costs.
If you are going to look for event venues in Singapore, you should check how many persons can the space accommodate, whether seated or standing, and if the accommodation may change if additional facilities are set up.
