This is a guest post from Rosie Guest of VenueScanner.

We asked our community of event organisers for the most common pitfalls encountered when researching and booking venues. This is what they came up.

1. Getting a shortlist – don’t jump the gun!

It’s hard to resist. There’s an event that needs organising. First stop? A venue discovery and comparison website. You want to start searching and shortlisting. Before you do, be sure to think through what you’re actually looking for. There are 1000s of venues out there. Get the basics right:

(i) Where do you want it? Be as specific as possible. Our members tell us that the “London” search brings back too many results. So, think through where you’d really like to be. Where are people travelling from and is the venue easy to reach for your most important guests? Also, consider non-obvious locations. Yes, central London is tempting, but also expensive. Move from zone 1 to zone 2 and you’ll cut your costs by 25%.

(ii) How many people? Sounds obvious, doesn’t it. Be realistic. Most weddings and birthdays end up smaller than originally hoped (yes, budget kicks in). Most meetings and conferences end up larger than originally hoped (those team members who you left off the list). A small margin of error in the number of guests brings back very different results on a venue comparison website.

(iii) What’s the layout? There’s no point in coming up with a list of 200 seater venues in theatre style if what you’re looking for is cabaret style. So, clear things up with the boss (or mother-in-law) first.

(iv) How much are you going to spend?  Get a gauge on this, even if not a precise number. You may find you need to do a bit of venue research before you can get to an answer.

OK, so let’s get real, there will be instances where you don’t know all the answers to those questions, but the key is to start shortlisting in the right way. Here’s how…

2. Don’t press the random button

There are 1000s of venues out there. The most sophisticated venues will appear on all of the venue comparison websites. Those are also the most expensive… and a bit ‘samey’.

Discover the undiscovered. Don’t sit on the fence and don’t try to please everyone. We’ve seen weddings take place in a school, conferences in airplane hangars and product launches in a dance studio. So, don’t restrict your venues, maximise your venue pipeline and be sure to compare on all the important detail.

If using a discovery website, use their search filters to double down on all those details you worked through above: location, capacity, layout, budget. If you don’t do that, you’re essentially hitting the random button. And if you weren’t able to answer all of those questions above, use the filters to your advantage. For example, if you’re not sure whether your workshop should have a boardroom or cabaret layout, select both options and you’ll keep the theatre style venues out of your view. The key to shortlisting is to eliminate the noise, you don’t want to spend precious hours thumbing through irrelevant venues.

Most of these sites have a ‘save’ or ‘favourite’ option, where you can actually create your shortlist, rather than resorting to post-it notes or excel lists. One event organiser says: “I always go through and add venues to my favourites. But then, once I’m done, I’ll compare all those on my shortlist for a second time, throw out the ones I don’t like enough, so that I end up with a realistic shortlist of max 10 venues.”

That’s smart thinking. We recommend always enquiring with a minimum 5 venues. Remember that a good proportion of venues will be unavailable on your chosen date, or won’t allow fire breathing topless waiters…  so keep the options open. Having another 5 or 10 back-ups on your favourites list is a great idea.

3. Ask the right questions, not necessarily every question

You’ve done some really great work. You’ve got a shortlist that you and the boss are happy with. Most venue search and booking platforms now allow you to send an enquiry to those venues directly from the platform (if they don’t, the website you’re on is likely an agency).

Give the venue the right amount of information about your event. They will want to understand the capacity, the layout, date and timings. And be sure to share as much as you’re willing to about the event. Don’t necessarily give away everything. Pose as a private individual rather than a corporate and you may get a more reasonable quote. But it is worth describing everything you want at the event (number of tea/coffee refills, audio visual equipment, food and beverages, timing of those topless fire breathing waiters) so that you can get a genuine and realistic quote.

Think about what questions you have about the venue and be sure to list them up front. This will show the venue host that you’re genuinely interested and they’ll feel flattered that you asked and more willing to give the detail you need. Is there space for a drinks reception after the main presentation? Can I bring external catering? Am I able to decorate the room myself?

4. Don’t ignore the venue, even if it’s not the front runner

Ok, so the venues have started sending responses back to you. They’ve (hopefully) answered all of your questions and now you’ve got a better idea on price.

First up, if a venue was unavailable on your chosen date, you’ve got two options. Suggest some alternative dates if yours is flexible or send the enquiry to one of your back-ups from the shortlist.

Secondly, take the time to read and respond to every venue. Even if one in particular comes back to you with the perfect price and understands your needs, be sure to reply to the other venues so that you keep them engaged and interested as a back-up.

Thirdly, negotiate! Think back to when you were a kid (or maybe last week) when your parents threw the classic “you don’t ask… you don’t get” line at you. Cheers mum. But actually, what’s the harm in asking? Whether they are a regular venue or supplier, or you haven’t worked with them before, always try to negotiate the price. It’s all about the sell. Present them with an idea of what they would gain from this booking. Client exposure, marketing, press, repeat business, whatever you can think of. Most people are always open to a discussion. Remember that the venue needs you as much as you need them. So feel free to send as many messages back and forth until you’re happy with everything.

5. Venue sorted? Don’t leave anything to chance

Ensure that when you think it’s  confirmed, it absolutely is. Before you pay, ask for a detailed breakdown of everything. And ask the venue host to message you with their own T&Cs so you can check for any additional hidden costs (are you going to have to pay if your event goes an extra 15 mins, are there additional costs for out of office hours, are there corkage costs, do you need health & safety sign off on external caterers)?

And if you need to at any point, be sure to circle back on the all the finer details with the venue, particularly on all things “equipment”. If you need to, pay the venue a visit to check the wifi, the generator, the backup generator, plug sockets, and understand how the event will flow throughout the venue on the day. Don’t forget to test everything before the event itself and make sure all is working. If something’s not as expected, you’ll still have time to find a creative solution, with the help of the venue host.