HOW TO SELECT AN EVENT VENUE FOR A SUCCESSFUL EVENT

Selecting the appropriate venue for your event is very important to the success of your event.  Whether corporate event, social event, or wedding, the venue needs to function for your needs and create the right environment.  A good event planner, whether on-site or consultant, should be knowledgeable about all aspects of event spaces.  Be sure to have enough knowledge yourself to question the event planner and if you are coordinating the event yourself, here are a few criteria for ensuring you select the right space.

  1. Style. Select a venue that reflects the personality of the event. If the venue is for a corporate meeting, make sure the setting is one that will be comfortable for the attendees.  Conservative, mature CEO’s may not be comfortable in a Bohemian style venue.  And of course if your event is a wedding you want the venue to reflect the personality of the bride and groom and yet be a comfortable venue for guests.
  2. Amenities. Make sure the venue has the necessary amenities for your event.  Are the bathrooms large enough to accommodate the guests?  Are the bathrooms clean?   Is the registration area large enough to accommodate the guests?  Is the load-in area appropriate for outside vendors?
  3.  Staff. Is the service staff at the venue professional, friendly, and well groomed?  Do they dress appropriately? If hiring outside service staff the same criteria apply as well as whether they are familiar with the venue.
  4. Fees. Is there a fee for the venue?  If so, is it within your budget?  If the majority of your budget is spent on the venue itself, you will compromise other aspects of your event such as food and entertainment.
  5. Provisions. Does the venue provide tables, chairs, linens, centerpieces, china, glassware, flatware?  If not, does your caterer or must those items be rented from another vendor?
  6. Size. Is the size of the venue adequate?   Most venues have a maximum capacity.  Make sure you stay within those guidelines as experience has taught them that the comfort of the guests and the service is dependent on those numbers.  By the same token, don’t book a large space for a small group of people.  The event will lack energy and excitement and will be interpreted as if people “did not show” for the event.
  7. Lighting. Is the lighting adequate?  Can you create the mood you desire with the lighting?  If bringing in custom lighting, is the electrical wattage and outlets adequate?
  8. Acoustics. Has the venue addressed acoustics?  Is the space so cavernous that conversation will be impossible?  Will the sound of your music be adequate?  If bringing in sound professionals be sure the venue is accustomed to working with sound engineers for electrical and set-up purposes.
  9. Parking. This is so incredibly important as it is the first impression the guests will have.  If parking is inadequate, consider offering valet parking.
  10. Small Touches: If a business meeting, will the venue provide fresh water, fresh coffee, and refills throughout the event?  Will the staff be able to attend to specific needs that may arise during the event?

Your event is special and should be executed flawlessly.    Of course last minute issues can always arise, but if you are well informed and have carefully chosen your event venue you should have a very successful and enjoyable event!

Wedding Event at the Phoenix Art Museum

Your Event Will Usually Fall Into 1 of These 3 Main Types of Event Catering…

Your event’s distinction among these three main event types will help define how to select Phoenix catering services for your event. We’ve outline the major differences between each below to help you begin shaping your event catering needs based on where your event falls within these three basic types of catering events.

  • hors doeuvresCorporate catering can range from simple meal drop off for breakfast, lunch or dinner for clients in from town at a remote construction site or to take care of employees working hard right next door in your corporate office board room as a way to say thanks for working late. Business catering events can be big ticket events for your business – such as corporate catering buffet services at your business grand opening, open house event, annual client celebration parties or even more elegant as a plated sit-down dinner during your employee appreciation awards gala each year.
  • Social catering is also at times referred to special event catering. This can include wedding anniversaries, birthdays, graduation parties and other such milestone events as well as neighbourhood holiday open house events for new home purchasers to meet the neighbors. Super fun theme parties and even holiday parties for Christmas, Halloween and New Year’s Eve cal all be considered social catering.
  • Wedding catering speaks for itself and could include weddings catered in one’s own back yard or one of Phoenix’s premier venues.

For the most part corporatesocial and wedding catering are the top three most prominent types of professional event catering and event planning services. However,Phoenix and the surrounding metro area offers a number of options for catering services so you could also include other speciality catering services such as private school lunch catering, on-set craft services to support on-site film production as well as contract catering to feed large groups of employees or clients in large cafeteria setting.

dining venue

Benefits of Working With a Highly-Qualified Professional Catering Company in Phoenix

One of the main benefits offered by a qualified caterer is the option for exclusive vendor arrangements for Corporate, Social and Wedding events. Be confident you are working with trained professionals who are extremely knowledgeable about food styling and event decoration, and know how to add that wow factor to any type of catered event. They should be able to demonstrate a track record of successful events that demanded a higher level of organization, diversity in menu, venue selection and room décor.

napkin-settingEvent venue selection can be a tough decision.

A venue could be a hotel, a restaurant or resort that offers outside catering services, as well as one’s own backyard, corporate office or local brick-and-mortar business location. Some of the most posh Phoenix catered events are held at some of the most premier event venues in the Phoenix valley, such as The Desert Botanical GardensThe Phoenix Zooas well as The Phoenix Art Museum, just to name a few. These popular Phoenix event venues will have a preferred list of catering companies they refer to for event catering needs for all of the special events they host at their particular Phoenix metro location.

Select At Least 2-3 Arizona Catering Companies To Have A Wide Variety of Catering Menus and Catering Service Packages to Choose From

Most any Phoenix catering companies offer a large and diverse array of catering menus, offer package pricing to help you compare and choose from their most popular catering service options and of course should be able to prepare amazing cuisine from any part of the world. As the event host, it’s recommended to make your final catering partner selection by selecting at least 2 to 3 caterers to interview based on your specific event budget and catering menu requirements. You should make your selection after reviewing their company profile and by researching their professional track record providing catering services at your specific event venue.

dessertHiring skilled and professional Phoenix Caterers to trust the success of your event is a event management task that should be taken seriously.

Take the time to do your research to select the right catering services – you will be able to make the wisest decision once you determine the unique catering needs and of course your event catering budget. Remember – proper pre-event preparation prior to the actual event day will relieve stress, help you control, manage and really know your catering costs, and result in a smooth professionally produced event.