Choosing an off-site meeting location can be a difficult decision when planning your event because it has the ability to define the entire experience. It also gives you another opportunity to impress (or disappoint) your guests.
Here are some suggestions and what you should consider when selecting your next offsite event venue:
Budget
When you are in-charge of planning an off-site meeting, you most likely have established a budget you need to stay within. There may be additional fees to consider in addition to the rental of the space, such as:
Labor & Setup Fees
Catering Fees
Per Person Minimums
When SHould You Book the Venue
If you have a preferred date & time in mind, the earlier you start looking for your off-site venue and book it, the better. This will gives you the best chance at hosting your off-site at a venue that works best for your event and also plenty of time to get all logistics worked out.
Where Should Your Venue Be Located?
The location of your off-site venue should ideally be located as centrally to your attendees as possible. Proximity to freeways and public transportation options should be evaluated when selecting your venue. The last thing you want for your attendees is to have them sitting in rush hour traffic.
It needs to be as low stress and hassle-free as possible for your attendees to get to.
Additionally…
What about adequate parking? Is the area well-lit if guests will be there during dark hours?
What Should I look for in a venue?
Finding an off-site venue that is large enough may seem obvious but when planning an off-site many forget to have a buffer.
If the capacity for your venue is 50, and you have exactly 50 attendees, you may run into issues if you need additional space for activities, food & beverage set-ups, breakout spaces and more.
On the other hand, you don’t want to select a venue that is too large for your group, or you risk your event feeling empty and it may make it harder for attendees to engage with each other.
You also will want to have an idea of what type of activities you will be doing during your off-site to ensure the venue layout will work for you and the overall event flow.
For instance, if you know that your off-site will include activities where each participant needs a lot of table space, you’ll need to make sure the size and layout of the venue can accommodate those needs and there are an adequate number of tables available.
Catering options
Many venues may have preferred or exclusive catering that they use for their event space. This may limit your flexibility if you had a certain food in mind or put strain on your budget as these options tend to be a little more expensive than using outside catering.
On the other hand, having to arrange your own catering (and pickups and deliveries, etc.) may be more than you want to take on when planning your off-site. Having a venue that will arrange catering for you is one less thing on your plate!
Additional Considerations
The last thing to think about would be to confirm if the venue includes tables, chairs, tablecloths or if you will need to rent those. Some venues may also include AV/projection systems, white board, flip charts, markers, etc. - all the things you may need for some great brainstorming sessions.
Gather Cincy would love to host your off-site meeting!
Selecting the right venue for your next offsite event can be OVERWHELMING. Let Gather Cincy take care of the details so you can focus on making the most of your time outside of the office.
We are centrally located in East Walnut Hills, just 5 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Clifton and more! There are two parking lots attached to our building and plenty of free on-street parking available, so no one will need to stress about parking.
Bring in your own food and drinks, or we’d be happy to help arrange catering for you!