Choosing the right venue for your event is imperative since your event success highly relies on your choice of the place. When you are capable of spending a handsome amount on this, then you do not need to worry. However, booking a great venue on a low budget is something commendable. For this, you should know your specifications and objectives of the event precisely. For instance, you should be aware of how important the event is for you. Also, how much the event’s success would contribute to your overall business growth or life; if it is a family event.
Thereby, those having a low budget or limited resources are troubled with the dilemma of what they want and what they can afford to have.
The general ideology for choosing a venue is that venues are expensive and adding services makes them even more costly. However, it is wrong. Also though most good places are costly undoubtedly the expense of the venue could be brought down to half if you choose a site wisely.
These are some tips and tricks that will help you in choosing a venue on a low budget. Let’s see how you can do this.
1. Choose an off-season month.
Consider choosing to hold your event in the low season. For example., aeroplane tickets are less expensive during an off-peak season like autumn or spring. During the summer and bank holidays, ticket prices increase due to high demand. Be careful and do your research and check when the need for the venues are low. Also, book an event hall a couple months in advance and don't leave everything for the last minute. This will help you to negotiate at a better price.
2. Choose a weekday.
Venues are generally high priced during the weekends because of their high demands. Everyone wants to hold their event on a weekend so that all of their attendees can easily make it and join the celebration. But if you are looking for a short type of meeting or holding a small event, choosing a weekday will give you a considerate price difference.
3. Avoid being close to famous and central places.
Usually, venues located in the city center or close to a famous place tend to make the area surrounding them very expensive. A restaurant near a renowned landmark will charge at a higher price. On the other hand, if the venue is located further away from city center or at a place without any famous nearby landmarks, then the cost would be relatively lower. Choose a site that has an excellent clean environment but is not close to any prominent place.
4. Don’t hesitate to opt for outdoors.
I wonder why outdoors venues sometimes are underestimated and kept as the last option. Of course, living in Dubai we wouldn't want to hold an event during summertime. October is the month when the temperature of heat drops down and the demand for outdoor venues increases. Spectacular hotels offer fantastic packages and incredible view. However, not all outdoor places are cheap, but from different perspectives, outdoor sites are a good option.
- The open skies make the place look even bigger.
- It can accommodate a large number of people without making the place look suffocated.
- You don't need any unique decoration other than just good lighting and a good location.
- It brings pleasant energy to the event.
5. Have a daytime event.
Having an event during the daytime will cut down your prices drastically. During the day, you do not require any special lighting to make your venue look alive and bright. The only thing you need are big windows. Day time venues have more significant availability as people tend to hold events in the evening. Of course, it depends, how big is your event and how much preparation it requires.
6. Have an outdoor day time event.
Many people assume that business meetings during the day should only be carried out within the walls. While open spaces for daytime are for informal events such as weddings or kids parties. Break this stereotype because outdoor daytime events can be for both official and unofficial reasons unless your formal event requires a tech-based working environment like multimedia. You can have official events outdoors during daylight such as:
- Introduction of new partners or new personnel
- Yearly awards and certification events
- Monthly/Yearly office party
- Team building activities
7. Choose a short event.
Choosing the type and the length of your event is crucial if you want to keep your budget low. The general trick here is to avoid long events where you need to serve main dishes. Instead, choose a small buffet, refreshments or serve an afternoon tea. This practice would immensely save your money as compared to events offering lunch or dinner.
8. Have a buffet-style food.
Having a sit-down seating arrangement will require more staff and more crockery. Buffet style arrangement is comfortable as every attendee can pick themselves what to eat from the options provided. Also, you are spending less money on staff and reducing the waiting time as the food is already prepared.
9. Always check your attendee to staff ratio.
Don't flood your event with staff members. Depending upon your event and how it will proceed, decide how many staff members you will need. One experienced staff member is equal to 5 untrained staff members, so do not fall for the number. Look for quality and experience.
10. Plan everything, ask questions and stay focused.
It is easy to fall adrift with temptations, but please remember that you have a fixed budget. Each temptation will only put you off your budget. Think of which basics are essential for your event and what you can avoid.
Remember, everything you add has a price tag, so stay focused.
Conclusively, everything depends on you how to manage your budget for conducting an event, whether a formal meeting or an informal birthday party. Make a list or use a project management tool to keep focused and updated on what is required for your event and how you can minimize the cost. The better you would assess your needs and have a clear picture in your mind, the more compelling and memorable event you will be able to arrange.
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