When you’re planning a corporate event, there’s more to consider than food, seating, and PowerPoints—a lot more. There’s capacity, timeframe, budget, parking, and, of course, a venue. A corporate event venue can offer everything you need for the event, but that doesn’t mean all of them do. Failing to make the proper considerations when choosing a venue—location, amenities, reviews, and more—could spell trouble for the success of the whole affair.
In this blog, we offer some essential tips you should heed if you want to end up at the right private event venue—a venue like Union Mills.
Step 1: Define Your Event Goals and Budget
We know you’re eager to start browsing corporate venues, but let’s follow the process. There are a lot of options out there, and a good way to whittle down the possibilities is to remove any that are outside of your price range. A private event venue fitting like a glove won’t matter if you simply can’t afford it.
On top of budget, you have to have a clear vision of what you actually want out of your event.
- What’s the event’s primary goal? Networking? Team building? Celebration?
- What is your expected guest count?
- What atmosphere are you aiming for?
When you make these identifications, examine them against your total budget so you can begin to break it down and determine if your plan is feasible. Be sure to consider things like catering and beverages, audio and visual needs, decor and entertainment, and of course, venue. If you’re considering Union Mills—and we hope you are—get in touch with us and we will give you a cost breakdown.
Step 2: Consider Location and Accessibility
You want the venue to be convenient for your guests. Is it close by and easily accessible, or will everyone have to travel far and wide to reach it? Consider the following:
- Proximity to highway: Union Mills is located in Frederick—right by the junction of I-70 and I-270.
- Parking availability: Street parking, nearby parking garages, and various parking lots make parking at Union Mills painless.
- Accessibility for disabled guests: Our building is ADA Compliant.
- Nearby lodging: Frederick has various lodging locations available, with a hotel right next door in the planning and preparation stages.
- Local traffic conditions during your event time: Outside of the occasional rush hour backup, traffic isn’t a problem in Frederick.
Step 3: Evaluate Amenities and Services
A quality private event venue should offer amenities that make for a smooth, stress-free experience—both in the planning stages and on the day of the event. Make sure any venue you’re considering has all the perks listed below (hint: Union Mills has all these):
- High-speed wi-fi and quality A/V equipment and capabilities
- Adaptable seating arrangements and breakout spaces
- Onsite catering
- Setup and cleanup services
- A dedicated point of contact
These amenities are the difference between the perfect corporate event venue and one you should avoid.
Step 4: Visit the Venue in Person
Doing your research online is invaluable—our own website has plenty of information that will be of use to you. However, this is an in-person event you’re planning, so nothing beats seeing corporate venues in person. When you physically walk through the space, you get a true feel for the layout and flow, as well as its cleanliness. Natural and artificial light likely aren’t done justice in photos, and there’s obviously no way to test out the acoustics in an online image gallery.
When you give a private event venue a visit, you can properly visualize where all the elements of your event will be. You’ll also get a better feel for how your guests will fill the space—something that’s difficult to determine by just looking at a picture.
Step 5: Read Reviews and Get Recommendations
A corporate event venue will put their best foot forward when showing off their space on their website. We know that includes us, so here’s something else you can do: Get other people’s opinions! Check out reviews on popular sites to see what previous customers and clients have to say. Do this, and you’ll know if a venue can walk the walk in addition to talking the talk.
Here’s how to go about it:
- Read reviews for the corporate event venue on sites such as Yelp, Google, or sites specific to event planning
- Look for consistent feedback. This is a great way to weed out unhelpful negative reviews or fake, salesy positive reviews.
- Ask people you know what their experiences (if any) were like with the venue.
- Ask the venue for references—we’re happy to give them!
Genuine, reliable, word-of-mouth recommendations are still as powerful as ever, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you neglected them.
Choose the Right Corporate Event Venue
A lot goes into planning a corporate event, and choosing the right venue is a big part of it. When you do thorough research into every venue you’re considering, you’ll be able to make a sound decision.
At Union Mills Public House, we’ve created a space that’s versatile and accommodating for various styles of corporate events. We encourage you to look through our photos, contact us for details, and of course, pay us a visit to see the space in person. When you decide we’re the best fit for your corporate event venue, we’ll be happy to get to work!
