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GREAT ADVICE ON CHOOSING YOUR IDEAL PARTY VENUE AND SOME INSIDER TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE IT
When arranging a party, chosing the right deejay and music is very important. However, you can do many other things that will greatly improve your chances of having a full dancefloor.
VENUE SIZE
Where possible and if your budget allows, go for the venue which best suits the number of guests you plan to invite. The worst idea is to pick a huge hall, if you only have 50 guests.
It is far better to pick smaller venue where you can create a cozy atmosphere, than have masses of spare space. Don't forget also that if you invite 100 people, probably only about 75-80 will attend. So don't worry too much when the person showing you the room talks about maximum attendance numbers.
DON'T HAVE TOO MANY ROOMS
Where possible select a venue where the the bar, the food, all the seating for your guests and the dancefloor are going to be in the same room.
If your venue is already booked and the bar is along the corridor, consider ordering an additional mobile bar for the reception area. Do not assume that guests will go to a sepatate bar, order their drinks and return 5 minutes later. Some will, but a good proportion will not. This is doubly important if your venue has a nice garden.
You already have the problem with smokers leaving the reception area for a cigarette - You can't do much about this. You can however, with a bit of pre-planning, usually do something about the bar.
DO I NEED A SEPARATE ROOM FOR DANCING ?
Absolutely not ! However, if your venue is already booked and the dancing area is supposed to be in a separate room ... Have a long hard look at the main room and if there is plenty of space, strongly consider having the dancing in there.
If there is insufficient space and you really must use the other room, do NOT make the mistake of removing all the chairs, thinking it will encourage guests to dance. It doesn't.
Your guests will stay where they are comfortable. Some won't come their comfort zone to dance at all, others will take a lot longer than they otherwise would.
You should always make sure that there is sufficient comfy seating and drinks tables adjacent to the dancefloor. People will use them and when they hear a song they like, it will be easy to get up and dance.
Be firm with the staff at your venue. They often set the seating up in a certain way and remove chairs out of habit. They are usually completely clueless that this sort of thing helps ruin people's parties.
IS THERE A SOUND LIMITER ?
A sound limiter is an electrical device which senses how much noise the guests and DJ are making and, if it goes over a certain decibel level, it will automatically cut the electric, leaving your hall in silence.
Unless you have actually been to an event at the hall in question and know for a fact that it is set at a reasonable level, you should strongly consider choosing another venue - Sound limiters can be a complete nightmare.
Do not for one second think that the person showing you the hall will honestly tell you how bad it can be. It's a bit like expecting a rottweiler owner to warn you that their dog will probably bite you.
Once the sound limiter has tripped, your dancers will immediately leave the floor and the relaxed cozy atmosphere will be ruined. When the electric comes on, your DJ will once again have to coax the guest from their seats or worst, out of the bar.
Some sound limiters will switch the electric on automatically after a set period. With some, the length of time before re-set doubles each time they go off. The third type requires you to stand on a chair or ladder and press a button on the machine - Another make requires a re-set key, probably held by a caretaker, who may have gone home or down the pub. The absolute worst type are those on some council premises, where you have to ring the Town Hall, hope there is somebody on duty and get them to re-set a computer.
Remember, it is your party. You have paid a lot of money for your venue and it is you, in tandem with your experienced, considerate, professional DJ who should be the person that decides the volume your music should be played. Not a machine !!!
LIGHTING
When viewing prospective venues, be sure to ask the person showing you around about the lighting. Avoid, at all costs, venues where your only choice is all the lights on or all the lights off. The ideal is a venue with dimable lighting that you can control.
If you have already booked a venue and the lighting is not to your liking, try the following ...
(1) Put tea-lights on every table - perfect for creating a cozy atmosphere - floating candles are another nice option.
(2) Consider removing some of the lightbulbs or neon lights in the hall.
(3) Try and get hold of some heat resistant coloured gels or sleeves which fit over neon lights.
(4) Bring some lighting from home, so you can turn off the harsh hall lights.
(5) If your budget will stretch to it, hire some dimmable coloured uplighters for the sides of the room. These can be set on full power for speeches and the buffet and dimmed or turned off for the dancing.
(6) Make 100% sure that you tell ask your DJ about his lightshow - Some of the amature guys turn up with little more than a box of flashing coloured spotlights.
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Of course, it goes without saying that you must check with your venue that it is ok to make these changes.
It is also a good idea to have sufficient, cosy, low level lighting from the start. If you suddenly plunge the hall into darkness, the first thing that will happen is that somebody (probably an elderly relative) will turn the lights back on and all your good work will be completely for nothing.
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