Sometimes a heartfelt gathering with board games in a cafe can be considered the same corporate event as a closed VIP event in a fashionable restaurant with invited guests to entertain stars of the level of Shakira or sting. The choice depends on the preferences of the team as well as on the financial capabilities or status of the company. However, the question of how to choose a venue for a large-scale corporate event occurs to our clients quite often. We decided to give some simple and useful tips based on our own experience.
Decide on the concept
It may be that an interesting corporate concept will deprive you of the need to choose a restaurant. Instead, you will charter a river tram for a Neptune Day party or stop at a planetarium rental with catering for a corporate event in the spirit of planet parade or Star wars. You can also consider more democratic platforms that can accept your friendly company and implement your original scenario.
Decide on the scale
In many ways, your choice will depend on the number of invited guests, the capacity of potential sites and the rampant imagination of your imagination.
Usually restaurants indicate the capacity of their halls on their websites and pages in social networks. You can also follow the reviews of food critics and site visitors about restaurants.
It is important to remember that sometimes administrators embellish the capacity of the institution a little. No doubts, almost any restaurant can accommodate a hundred people but whether they will sit comfortably in upholstered chairs or drink a cocktail on the dance floor while standing on each other's heads is an open question.
Therefore, after drawing up a shortlist of sites you need to go to each of them and make sure that the capacity of the best of the premises is suitable for you.
Consider the format of the party
If you need a place for a stage or dancing on a pole and the restaurant is designed for one hundred seats without taking into account such scenarios, it is better to check the details with the administrator immediately. If the host agrees to additional delights, please specify whether the restaurant staff can put on the stage themselves or you will have to look for a contractor? If the room is large and you need sound amplifiers, then where to put them, so as not to clutter the space and balance the decibels? You choose the format of a disco-where can the DJ and equipment be located? If you are planning to spin your guests in a Viennese waltz or involve them in moving contests make sure that the room is well-conditioned and has a sufficient ceiling height for guests to perform acrobatic rock and roll instead of waltzing.
Consider the interests of guests who are in the minority
Smoking is prohibited in the halls of cafes and restaurants but look at establishments that have outdoor terraces - sometimes there are ashtrays for visitors; be sure to check whether the restaurant has a specially equipped Smoking area. This is an important detail because if the restaurant is located in a residential building it is possible that the corporate participants who went out for a smoke break will be joined by residents who utter phraseological phrases with untranslatable wordplay about smoke and noise after 23.00.
Perhaps your guests are people who are forbidden by religion to eat certain foods or strict vegans, so you should ask in advance whether the restaurant can prepare kosher, halal or vegetarian dishes and whether there are special notes on the menu.
If there are guests with disabilities among the party guests, be sure to pay attention to whether the entrance to the restaurant is equipped with a ramp or lift.
Parking
If the restaurant is located far from the metropolis you need to arrange transport to deliver guests to the corporate party and back.
Sometimes it happens that guests arrive in their own car and after the party they can’t always get behind the wheel. This should be taken into account when choosing a restaurant.
Ask future guests what they are going to drive and how they plan to leave the party.
If most of the guests plan to drive their own cars, then the restaurant should have a full parking lot. If one of the guests is going to arrive in their own car and leave by taxi, then you should ask what conditions the car can remain in the parking lot. Do I have to pay for parking if the cars are parked in the restaurant's own parking lot?
All questions should be clarified in advance, so that your guest’s cars are not taken away by a tow truck.
Find out about the restaurant's working hours in the event format
Sometimes it happens that the customer forgets to check with the restaurant until what time the room is at his disposal. An unpleasant surprise may be the sudden closing of the restaurant at midnight, when the party is in full swing and the "Gypsies noisy crowd" is still at the entrance.
In order not to find yourself in this situation, it is important to specify the opening hours in advance, warn guests about this, or plan to rent an institution in the format " White nights, or we are greeted by a cool morning...".
There are many subtleties in choosing places for a corporate event. And all other things being equal, it is better to entrust the celebration to professional event agencies and managers. They will not forget to take into account all the important details, help optimize the event budget and write a spectacular scenario for your holiday.
