What makes a great venue site visit?

As a venue finder and event planner I often find myself visiting venues either to find out more about a venue that I don’t know well, exploring new venues or to see if the space would be a good fit for a particular event that I am working on.

This site visit is absolutely crucial to my opinion of the venue overall and so it always surprises me when venues either don’t understand how to conduct a good site visit or appreciate the concept of showing off their venue and the level of care and hospitality that they provide.

I was on the other side of this for many years working in sales at various venues and hosting site visits of my own for clients and agencies and so always find myself comparing against how I would have done things.

Let’s set the record straight, for a client these site visits really are important don’t underestimate the power of a great site visit which can leave a client with such positive messages that even if the venue is not right for this particular event they will recommend it to others and come back to the venue for other events compared with a site visit where a client can leave feeling totally underwhelmed and even so worried about the lack of care shown that they would never even consider using the venue or recommending it to others.

So what makes a great site visit? Some venues are fantastic at site visits whereas others I have seen recently could certainly use a little help. So here goes, there are little things that you can do that go a long way when it comes to making a great impression. Remember that a client has taken time out of their day to come and visit your venue so appreciate their time and your own by using that time to wow.

• Prepare! Be ready! At the point of booking this site visit in your diary, send over driving directions, explain about parking etc ensure that the journey to reach you is smooth so that the client arrives without stress.
• If the client is due to arrive at 10am be ready 10 or 15 minutes before, don’t leave them hanging around the reception area admiring the décor!
• Be hospitable! At the end of the day we work in the hospitality industry, it’s amazing how many venues forget this. Ask how the journey was, offer a coffee, ensure that the client is relaxed and ready to see all that your venue has to offer!
• For the site visit itself try to ensure wherever possible that you have rooms set up, clean and ready to view, preferably in the layout the client would be looking for but if this is not possible at least clean and tidy! There is nothing worse than being shown a dirty room filled with broken tables and chairs that are being stored out of the way.
• Sell your best features! Have great technology? awesome tell us about it! If you have the largest spaces in the city or a really funky creative space make sure we see that. This is your opportunity to really sell all of the benefits of your venue and remember that clients will likely see more than one venue and so make sure that yours will compare favourably.
• Once you have shown us all you have to offer check that there is nothing else we need to see, or ask about, offer to spend some time sitting down and discussing the event or venue, offer a drink or even lunch if applicable. Leave the client with a lasting impression of how well they were looked after.
• Follow up! Send a short follow up email to thank the client for taking the time to visit and to find out when you can expect any updates on decisions if the site visit related to an active enquiry.

I know some of the above may sound pretty self-explanatory or common sense particularly if you are a seasoned hospitality professional however you would surprised how many site visits I have attended to turn up at a tired, dirty looking venue, after struggling to find it, to be left waiting and not even offered a glass of water after a 3 hour journey! To then be given a quick 10-minute walk round with hardly any relevant information given, to then never here from them again. It hardly fills you with confidence to place any kind of event at a venue like this.

Make sure every site visit you do at your venue is your time to shine and above all enjoy it!

On the flip side those of us attending site visits can also do our part to make it great!

• Be on time!
• Offer up information about the event to help the conversation flow and ensure all relevant points are covered.
• Ensure you have left plenty of time to really see the venue without rushing.
• Always Thank the venue for their time and hospitality!