The real cost of your venue

Corporate events require corporate venues, but keep an eye out for hidden mark-ups. You want your budget to go where there is most value for your guests, into food and entertainment, rather than on the hire of AV equipment or under-utilised staff. 

Ensure that for every offer from the venue that you remember to ask what the cost to you will be ... from opening up early to bump in the band, to using the Venue sound system, to pressing the on switch for lights in an auditorium ... sometimes the cost will be inclusive, but more often, the staff associated with these add-ons will become add-on costs to the original price. Sometimes these additional staff are not negotiable. 

As a matter of occupational health and safety, venues are required to provide internal staff for some skilled tasks, but check out who is available to multi-task rather than doubling up on personnel. If you are bringing in your own technical staff or band, do consider bringing in your own hire equipment, or borrow the band's gear for presentations, the MC and other formalities. 

Venues often require that Venue gear is managed by venue staff, and this is another road to expensive double ups. A friendly event manager from the Entertainment Store Group can work through these venue negotiations with you, or on your behalf and then manage the technical team on the night with an eye to getting best practise for the best value out on the floor.