When an Assistant organises an event or a large external meeting, the venue they choose will likely be among the most expensive things on their event budget. So with that in mind, we asked William Thomson from Gallus Events to share his 15 tips on how to negotiate the best deal at a venue at our recent Virtual Summit.
William has organised over 700 events, and over the years he has had a few especially cost-conscious clients, so these tips come from the coal face of tough negotiations. We have a quick snippet from the Virtual Summit to get you started.
How to negotiate the best deal for your favourite venue
Here are William’s 15 tips for negotiating the best price for your ideal venue.
- If you are using a venue a few times throughout the year, negotiate a special tailored rate.
- If you secure a reasonable rate (as above) ask for it to be backdated.
- Book the venue for a few years if you are sure that the event will continue to run and won’t change very much.
- Even if you have found the ideal venue, think long and hard before you sign a contract.
- Find the ‘soft’ things to negotiate.
- Can you make anything easier for the venue in exchange for reduction?
- Making sure the day delegate rate works for you.
- Learn more about the venue’s DDR
- Don’t pay too little
- Really consider if using a venue booking agency is the best approach.
- Don’t go for the squeezed middle.
- Book offseason.
- Just book what you need.
- Most venues will allow you to book for an hour or a half day.
- And my big final tip! Get the venue on-side as much as you can.
William’s full session is available on the Virtual Summit #5 and the Master Your Key Skills online course. You can watch both these online courses for just £50.
