One of the hardest things to do when planning a Lakeland public relations event is choosing the right venue that is within budget and is in a geographically accessible location for everyone involved.
Everything will start with the venue—how the whole thing will look, how many people will be able to attend, and how much you will have to spend on food, decorations, styling, etc.
Plan ahead
You need to ask your client how much they are willing to spend on the whole event and as a PR specialist, your job really is to hire an event planner who can deliver the output you need. Most PR teams have at least one dedicated person in their group who’s great at planning these events.
Make a plan according to your client’s budget and needs and wants. Start eliminating the things that are impossible with the given budget and then list down the priorities—from the event to the caterer down to the very last decoration.
Having a plan will set you off to a great start in shortlisting only venues that will fall within the price range provided to you.
Collect information
You don’t always have to spend so much time driving around town to see the venues yourself. Most of these venues you already know what looks like. Simply pick up the phone and start calling the managers of these venues to ask for the price list and maybe cut a deal.
Who knows if they need something your Lakeland public relations clients have? Maybe there can even be some kind of an x-deal in there so your clients can get what they want, right? Once the information about the venues has been collected, you are now ready to make a shortlist.
Make a shortlist
There’s no use spending so much time thinking about the best venue you saw if you cannot afford it. Cut down the list and eliminate venues you are sure your clients will not approve (even if it’s the best one).
Your shortlist will then be your guide on checking for other important factors in Lakeland public relations event planning such as the location, the capacity, and the availability of caterers, though we assume that your shortlisted venues are judged based on both budget and location.
Mind the weather
Finally, before even agreeing to hire a venue, you need to make sure of the weather of the day of the event. This is especially important if you are thinking about holding the event outdoors.
If there is no assurance of the kind of weather you will have in the area, better have a backup plan ready such as tents or moving the event indoors.
