WHAT IS A VENUE?
- The place where something happens
- Anywhere you can hold an event
HOW TO FIND A VENUE?
- What location pops in your mind when you think about your event?
- Resources
- Cvent.com
- SmartMeetings.com
- Word of mouth, recommendations
- Email us for our extensive list of Tulsa Venues Ideas and their capacities
Venues Checklist
HOW TO DECIDE WHAT VENUE IS RIGHT FOR YOU
- Look at the costs of a venue
- Capacity
- What is the purpose of the event?
- Budget
- Purpose
- Availability
- Weigh everything
Story about an outdoor event in a free open field where it ended up costing more than it would have at the Convention Center
WHAT ARE SOME DIFFERENT KINDS OF VENUES?
- Convention Centers and Dedicated Event Venues
- Places you pay to have exclusive use of their space
- More expensive but you get what you pay for
- Hotels
- There are lots of different types of hotels so be sure the hotel tells the story of your client
- Casinos
- Casinos are less expensive because they reduce their rates to get people into the casino
- Restaurants and Bars
- Some restaurants will shut down for a buy out event or they may have an event room
- Warehouses
- Very much a blank slate
- May require a lot of work to make it
- Car Dealerships
- Can easily move out cars to create a large venue for an event and the dealers like it because it gets customers in their space
- Home Builder Associations
- Homes
- Joe loves homes because they make an event feel personal
- Influential people’s homes can draw people to an event
- May have to be considerate of the neighbors
- Consider giving gifts to nearby neighbors
- Backyards
- Country Clubs!
- Museums
- Good because they are guest centered already
- Must be considerate of the art that is on the walls already
- Schools
- Churches
- Streets
- Outdoors/ Open Fields
- Zoos
UNUSUAL VENUES
- Ships – aircraft carrier in San Diego
- Tents
- Anywhere!
- Inside the Expo Center – this had multiple issues – anchoring, air flow, sprinklers
- In a field
- In a parking garage
- In a parking lot
- Parking Lots or Garages
- Theaters – Black Box or on stage
- Concert Halls – Historic Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa is fantastic!
- Rodeo Arena –
- Ditchwitch
- Amazing venue type
- Fort Smith Stockyards
- Hospital Hallway –
- For an MRI Blessing we set up pipe and drape and some bistro tables and chairs for a quick event in a back hall of a hospital
- Office Space – Story of Progressive Insurance where we came in and surprised all the employees
WHAT ARE OUR FAVORITE VENUES?
Places that tell the Client’s story best
- Convention Center and Event Venues
- Hotels
The common factors of these venues are:
- Places you pay to have exclusive use of their space
- Experienced
- Everything under one roof
- They are guest centered
- The infrastructure is already in place
WHY WOULDN’T YOU CHOOSE SOME VENUES?
Reputation is extremely important in a venue
If a level of service does not match your needs
Capacity is important
Casinos and other places that will advertise to your guests in exchange for a lower rate
Story about transforming the Plaza at the convention center for the lunches for Senegence
Convention Center Plaza
FREE USUALLY ISN’T FREE
Think about what all you are paying for
Story of Polo out in a field or even a free arena – we had to pay to bring in
- Restrooms
- Shelter, tents
- Water
- Electricity
- Security
- Trash
- Parking or Valet