How to Choose a Venue for an Awards Contest
Hosting an Awards contest can be intimidating. However, with a competent team and the right preparation, it can be a breeze. Whatever the size and capacity of your awards contest, you’ll need to go all out, pull out all the stops and give your audience a real showstopper.
To be able to do this, and more, there must be a lot of planning and organizing which must be done right. One of the most important aspect to help put your Awards Contest on the map is the right venue. There isn’t enough emphasis, but believe you me, the venue is 60% of any event. Everything else just falls into place and takes shape around the venue. Therefore, the venue should take precedence — always.
Requirements for Awards contest facility
When selecting the right venue, the budget is a huge determining factor. Alongside the number of guests that are going to be in attendance, the budget sets the pace. All things considered though, an Awards Contest facility must be worthy of the red carpet moment. There must always be a ‘wow factor’ when selecting the venue. Given that Awards events are always full of life, glam and excitement, the venue should exude excellence.
At the top of the list for an Awards Contest facility, there must be an air of excitement that should get the contestants all riled up and ready to be part of the event. Also, the venue needs to have a certain panache to it. This can either be based on scarcity or mystery. The trick is to excite the audience ahead of time, such that when they attend, they’re ready to be wowed and enjoy the Contest. A unique venue can help raise the aura of the venue. In case the ‘out of the box’ type of venues are taken, then it would do you good to get top decoration and lighting to add an eternal glow to the place. Be creative and let the place ooze life such that your audience will directly feed off.
By all means necessary, transform the venue to be exactly what you have in your brief. Before signing on the dotted line and booking the venue, you need to check a few basic requirements such as:
- Parking on site or nearby. Nothing turns off people like unsafe or unconfirmed parking. Be sure to get an easily accessible place that has excellent, safe parking
- Check for a signal. If there is no wifi network, it means communicating on the day, during the Awards Contest will be a total nightmare. Worse yet, some guests need to stay connected for their businesses. If there is no functioning network, this should be communicated well ahead of time
- Do a thorough check for AV settings to be sure that sound will not be a problem. If possible, you can go with a technical team member to check that the AV space is fully accessible and will not be in the way of the event
- Emphasis goes on the stage. The reason why people attend Awards Contest events is so that they can be able to see the contestants. The stage must be visible from all angles and there should be no obstructions.
Venue requirements for a big awards contest
For a big Awards Contest, your venue needs to step up and show that it’s worthy of the red carpet. You’ll need to review your previous programs to plan based on what happened the previous event. Your budget must be significantly flexible as this will help you find the best venue possible. A key factor is a preparation. With big events, prepare and don’t rely on last minute fortunes. It is easier to prepare for the unknown when the known has been anticipated and prepared for ahead of time.
Venue requirements for a small awards contest
The best venue for a small Awards Contest is one that will contain all the guests and still leave room for movement. Thus, size or building dimensions should take precedence. A big hall will spook you and your audience out, and take away from the event. Also, a small hall will take away from the classiness of the event. Thus, the venue requirements for a small Awards Contest are actually trickier than those required for a big event.
Location for awards contest venue
The location for an awards contest is a major determining factor of whether or not the potential venue will suffice. By location, you need to go check and tick the following from your list;
- Public buildings or shops in nearby proximity
- Accessibility by public transport
- Affordable and adequate accommodation within the area
- Accessibility by most of the major participants, sponsors, and main guests
How to find a venue: the step-by-step guide
Finding a place for awards event is easy, finding the right place, on the other hand, can be draining. However, without the right venue, pulling off a tongue wagging event will never be possible. Here’s how to stake the odds higher and find the right venue for the event of a lifetime.
- Determine the size of the event to understand the needs for a venue
- Make a shortlist of possible venues for the event
- Visit the venues on your shortlist
- Meet with the owner/organizer/manager of the event to discuss the terms and conditions
- Select the most suitable, book and pay a deposit to confirm
- Go to the site to set up, familiarize and prepare for the big day
Popular mistakes with venue
When people visit venues on their shortlist, they usually overlook a few things which undoubtedly cost them in the end. The most popular mistakes one can make with a venue include:
- Taking a venue that is above budget or selecting a venue before setting the budget
- Going for an ‘affordable’ venue which is difficult to access. Eventually, this hikes the price in transport and other costs or significantly decreases the attendance
- Selecting a venue in a noisy neighborhood
- Failing to check for emergency exits and safety precautions within the location
- Not paying a deposit and relying on the site owner/management to reserve the place simply because you gave them your word
- Not going to the venue beforehand to prepare and rehearse on site. This usually leads to mistakes on an actual day.
Conclusion
The right venue will remove a significant weight off your shoulders. It will also help promote the event, manage the crowd, keep the audience safe and fit in with your event program. Follow all the steps carefully and make further visits after booking the place to be certain that your plans are in place. Remember to always refer to your previous programs to check that the venue is suitable.
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