Producing an Event: Part five
by Ann "Roxann" Sabin

GENERAL FACILITY CONSIDERATIONS

No matter what the event, no matter what type of place you are looking for, there are some things in common with every facility search. A few things to look at are the location and schedule of the places you are considering, as well as their ground rules, and physical considerations such as available parking and basic amenities. Along with these, things like the time of year as well the type of event will play a main role in your choosing a facility in which to host your event.

When deciding which places to consider, keep in mind the following points. First of all, what is your geographic draw, in terms of participants or audience? If there is a natural center, take a look around at what is available there. While it may not be convenient for you, it may increase convenience enough for others to make it more inviting. On the flip side, if you know your event will draw a good crowd regardless of location, convenience to you might make it easier to have all the preparation go smoothly. The time of year an event is held also affects where you will look for a facility. A weekend workshop and performance in sunny San Diego, California will probably not be affected by adverse weather and road conditions any time of year, but an event in February in a small town in New England may only pull in local people, as the winter is much more harsh.

Once you have a list of places, call them and talk to the people in charge of scheduling. Have an outline of your event in front of you while you talk. Start by inquiring about the facility ground rules. If a major portion of your event, for example, is dependent on vending, and the facility will not allow retail sales, finding that out on a first phone call will save you a lot of time. Other examples of what you can ask over the phone are whether food can be served, what type of parking the place has, or anything specific to your event. Also, ask about other events going on at this site. Are you renting a church for Saturday? Ask yourself if you can have it set properly for Sunday services. Are you renting a performance hall? Find out the other events scheduled and consider how that will impact you. You may not be able to leave a set stage the night before, or you may have to set lighting right before a performance.

Now that you have narrowed your list to good potential sites, go visit them. What you are looking for now are the physical considerations. Is there enough space for what you want to do? Enough parking? Is the facility easily accessible from the parking? Look for what might cause a snag in the event flowing smoothly. For example, there may be enough space but if foot traffic isn’t going to flow easily, that can impact your event. Trust your instincts; they usually give a good read of a place. If when you first walked in, there seemed to be something wrong, see if you can figure out why. You can bet if your first impression put you off, some of your patrons will also be put off by the place without necessarily knowing why.

Your final selection may be controlled by the available dates of both your program and the facility in question. If you look hard enough, you are likely to find a perfect match. Once you make your choice, then of course contact the place and reserve it. Getting something in writing about the agreement will protect against misunderstanding later. In the case of a theater or performance hall, a deposit is usually required. This, for the most part, secures your reservation. Even then, though, don’t count on having a facility until you have some sort of written agreement. And be sure to reconfirm your reservation for using the space as the date of your event draws near; this both reassures you and reminds the facility of your agreement.

Read: Part One: Getting Started
Part Two: Keeping Track of Details
Part Three: Contracting a Performer
Part Four: The Budget