A venue tour is usually shorter than you expect and covers more than you can hold in your head. By the second or third one the rooms merge, and the thing you were told about load-in belongs to a hall you have already ruled out.
The fix is unglamorous: take the questions with you, and write the answers down per venue while you are standing in the room.
Before you go
Have three things ready, because everything else depends on them: your date (or two or three candidate dates), a realistic guest number, and the shape of the event in one sentence. A tour with those is a conversation. A tour without them is a walk around a room.
The room itself
- Can I see the floor plan for my headcount, with the dance floor and food service drawn in?
- What layouts does this room take, and how long does it take to change between them?
- Where do guests go during a turnaround?
- Where does the entrance happen, and what does the room look like from the doorway?
- What is fixed in the room, and what can move?
The day around the day
- Is anything else booked in the building on my date?
- When can vendors load in, through which door, and when must they be out?
- Is there any access the day before for setup or rehearsal?
- What time does music stop, and what time does the building close?
- What happens if we overrun?
Food and drink
- Who cooks — you, a required list, or my own caterer?
- Will you cook our cuisine, or is there a house menu?
- How are halal, vegetarian, vegan, Jain and allergy requirements handled and tracked?
- What service styles are available, and what does each do to my timings?
- What are the drinks arrangements and how are they charged?
Technical
- What AV is arranged by you and what am I expected to bring?
- Is there load-in access for staging and equipment?
- Where does a DJ or band set up, and where is the power?
- What are the lighting options in the room as it is now?
Money and paperwork
- What is included in the quote and what is billed separately?
- How is the date secured, and what is the payment schedule?
- What is the cancellation and postponement position?
- How late can guest numbers change, and what does that affect?
People
- Who is my point of contact from now until the day?
- Is that person in the building during the event?
- Who do I call if something goes wrong on the night?
That last group matters more than it looks. A single coordinator from the first message through the day removes the failure mode where three people each assumed somebody else had confirmed the timings. It is the question people forget to ask and later wish they had.
While you are in the room
Look up, and look at the corners. Photograph the room from the doorway, from the far end and from where the top table would sit — those three frames are what you will actually compare later. Check where the natural light is if any part of your day is in daylight. Notice where you would put people who need to sit down.
Afterwards
Write the answers up the same day, one page per venue. Not impressions — answers. Impressions are what you will remember anyway; the answers are what you will otherwise lose.
If Emerald is on your list, ask us to arrange a look around. Come with the questions above, and bring your planner if you have one — you can also see how the hall reads laid out in the gallery.
