Before you start researching event venues and locations, it is imperative to take stock of your needs for your event. A large screen may require a 20 foot ceiling, trendy back projection instead of frontal projection requires at least an extra 25 feet of the room’s length. Should your guests be seated school style (with tables and chairs), or just on chairs, or even just standing tables? Is this a wedding reception where you need to seat 200 guests and still have room for a dance floor? Do you need hotel rooms for overnight guests? All these things make special requirements on the infrastructure of the location, which is why it is so important to know what you need before you go looking for it. The right location will be a significant factor in the success of your event. See our Event Checklist Pre-Planning to help you find your structural and factual needs.

Hotels are often a good place to start looking, as many have large and smaller meeting space available. It is often cheaper on whole to have an event in a hotel if you will have guests spending the night, as hotels will generally compromise with the costs of meeting space and set up times. It also makes it easy for the guests to get from the meeting to their hotel room, which saves you on transportation costs. A good place to start hotel research is  the Event Hotel Planner  . This tool will save you a lot of time by contacting hotels on your behalf and getting you price quotations and availability fast.  They also promise to help you save up to 70% on your costs, as they can negotiate much better prices due to the large volume of reservations they serve. And best of all, it doesn't cost you anything, it's free!

One chain of hotels that I really like to work with is Accor Hotels.  Aside from offering a best price guarantee, their service is top notch, whether you are in one of their 3*** or 5***** hotels. 

Convention Centers are a great choice for larger events (500+ guests), and are often the only choice for such events.

Think outside the box: many events can be held outside the traditional conference or ballroom setting. Look for venues available for private hire: mansions and villas, many museums, wineries, charterd boats are all great ideas that will give your event that special touch.

Remember that list you made of your needs? This is where it comes into play. When researching venues and locations, don’t forget to ask if they can accommodate your wishes and needs. The most beautiful ballroom won’t be good enough if the ceiling is 2 feet too short for your screen.

To help you with your research we have made a Event Venue Check List that you can download.