There’s no doubt that London is an expensive place to live and work – in fact, it’s one of the most expensive cities in the world. That said, it’s still about 15% cheaper than New York!
If you happen to take a walk around Central London, though, it’s easy to see why it is one of the most sought after destinations for tourists and businesses alike. It is full of interesting, iconic, world-famous buildings, steeped in history.
There’s also no doubt that there’s a huge range of wonderful event venues to choose from when it comes to you organising an event in London. Tobacco Dock, the Natural History Museum and The Brewery are just examples of these, where you can really go to town and create a wonderful impression!
With London being so expensive, however, it’s important that you get the decision right when you are organising an event – event venue hire London has never been more important! Our 10 event hire tips for London venue searching may well help when the time comes, so check these out!
Make sure the brief is watertight!
Whoever your client or company is, make sure that the brief you receive, right at the very start, is concise and detailed. OK, so an experienced event professional may have more of a free rein over how the event will come together, but understanding and managing expectations from the start is crucial, for everyone involved.
Define your event concept
Pay careful attention to your audience – who are you organising the event for? This will help you determine the type of venue you need. Is it a glitz and glamour affair, for which you’ll need a modern and contemporary setting? Or maybe it’s a more industrial themed event, for which you might choose blank canvas event spaces, so you can accessorise them accordingly.
Budget carefully
It’s easy to go over budget when it comes to event hire London, especially when it’s someone else’s money! Set your budget and stick to it – the event venue is going to be one of the most expensive parts of your event, so work to your figures.
It’s all about location, location, location!
London is full of great event spaces, some in Central London, and others slightly out of town. It stands to reason that the more central the location, the more expensive the venue is likely to be to hire. There’s a trade-off here – cost vs convenience.
Organise it early!
Needless to say that the best London event venues get booked well in advance, especially as there’s a thirst amongst people post-COVID to get back to enjoying events and occasions again. Start your planning process early, and get your venue booked as one of your first ports of call.
Negotiate!
And whilst event venue hire London can be an expensive business, it’s also a competitive market. The venue will be as keen to host your event as you are to have it there, and so ask the right questions. Don’t be afraid to negotiate. After all, every pound saved on your London venue hire is money back into the budget that you can spend elsewhere on decor and accessories, for instance, and really go to town with the finishing touches.
Choose a venue with suitable facilities & accommodation
Remember – the event venue you choose might well be perfect for staging your actual event, but also pay attention to other factors such as accommodation (and prices), car parking, Wi-Fi and so on – all essentials on the modern day event hire professional’s checklist.
Remember to check out transport links
Accessibility is all-important, especially if the venue is out of town. If it’s in Central London, it’s easy to get an Uber or use the underground. Out of town, however, and it’s a bit trickier, so make sure that the event venue is well serviced from a transport point of view.
Use your little black book
If you’ve been in the event organising business for a while, then you’ll already have a list of preferred venues with which you work, and that’s great. Also, work with preferred suppliers and contractors at these venues, who know the access restrictions, parking limitations and so on, as many London event venues are historic and iconic, but a pain for loading and unloading kit such as event furniture hire London, for instance!
Build relationships!
And finally, always keep a note of which venues were successful for you in the past, and nurture those proactive relationships with staff at the venues, as you never know when you’ll need a favour!
So, hopefully these top 10 tips for choosing the best London event venue will help you when the time comes. Use the internet as your start point, and pay the venues a visit – a site visit is a great way to understand and explore a venue to find out if it will work for you.
Good luck with your search!
