Most people choose a venue for its location, its look and its price per head. When the production is then priced against it, the number surprises everybody. The venue did not become more expensive. It simply had constraints that nobody asked about.
These are the questions to ask before you sign, not after.
Power: how much, and from where
Lighting, LED, sound and catering all draw power, but the amount is only half the question. You also need to know where the outlets are and whether you can reach them. A ballroom may have plenty of power at the back of house and nothing near the stage, which means long cable runs, floor matting and extra labour.
Ask what power is available, where it terminates (the exact point where you can connect), and whether there is a cost to use it. For an outdoor venue, assume you are bringing a generator until somebody proves otherwise. A generator needs a position, fuel and a sound-safe distance from the audience, meaning far enough away that its noise does not disturb them.
Ceiling height, and what you are allowed to hang from it
Ceiling height decides how big a screen can be and how high it can sit, and if people at the back cannot see over the heads in front, the screen is too low. A low ceiling leaves two fixes: a wider, shorter screen, or a raised stage that eats into the headroom (the clear height between stage and ceiling).
The second question is whether you can rig from the ceiling at all. Rigging means hanging lights, speakers or screens from the roof, and many venues either do not permit it or permit it only through their own approved rigger. The alternative is ground support towers, which stand on the floor and hold the equipment up but take floor space you planned to use for seating.
Load-in: the door, the route and the lift
Everything you build must pass through the smallest opening on its way in. A goods lift with a low ceiling can rule out a whole staging system. A loading bay two floors below, with a long push to the room, adds crew hours to every load.
Ask for the dimensions of the loading door and the lift, then walk the full route from truck to room, because distance matters as much as the doorways.
When you can get in, and when you must be out
A build that could finish in a day becomes an overnight job if the room is only free from 10pm. Access windows, the times you are allowed into the room, drive crew costs more reliably than equipment does. Ask what event is in the room before you and after you, and whether you are paying for the day before.
Floor: loading, protection and what you may fix to it
Heavy structures need a floor strong enough to hold them, and carpet, marble and grass each need a different kind of protection. Some venues charge for damage to surfaces you never touched if the condition was not documented beforehand. Ask whether you may fix anything to the floor, and photograph the room when you arrive.
House AV: what is included, and what you may replace
House AV is the sound, lighting and screen system that belongs to the venue. Some venues include it, some make you use it, and some allow external suppliers but charge a fee for the privilege. This one answer can move your budget significantly in either direction, so get it in writing before you compare venues on price per head.
What noise limits and curfews does the venue have?
Outdoor and mixed-use venues often have a sound limit, as well as a time after which amplified sound must stop. If the high point of your event is a band at 11pm, this question decides whether the event works at all. Ask for the limit as a number and the curfew as a time, and do not accept reassurance instead.
What the venue already owns
Venues often own tables, chairs, linen, staging blocks, lecterns and screens. Anything you can use is something you do not need to rent, while anything that exists but looks bad is something you may need to cover. Ask for a full inventory and, where it matters, ask to see the items instead of trusting the description.
Storage, crew space and parking
Empty cases need a place to go, the crew need somewhere to be that is not the event, and trucks need a place to sit. These are unglamorous questions, but when the answer is no, they quietly add to the cost.
Who is responsible for approvals
Depending on the venue and the nature of the event, there may be approvals to obtain, and venues differ in how much of this they handle. Establish early who is responsible for what, and confirm the current requirements and timings with the venue and the relevant authority. Do not assume last year's answer is still correct.
Take this list to the site visit
A site visit spent only admiring the room is a wasted visit. Bring this list, photograph the load-in route and the power positions, and get the answers in writing. A venue that answers these questions well is usually a venue that is easy to work in.
We cover these questions as part of our corporate event management work, and they feed directly into what event production will cost you. Once the venue is settled, our guide on how to brief an event production company covers the next conversation. If you are still choosing between kinds of venue, read our guide to corporate event venues in Dubai by event type.
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