What venue owners wish you would ask

We put one question to forty of our venue partners: what do you wish customers asked before booking, that they almost never do?

"When do we actually get the hall?"

Load-in time is the single biggest source of day-of conflict. Most venues hand over three hours before the slot. Decorators routinely need six.

"How many functions are you running that day?"

Venues with multiple halls often run two or three. That is fine — but it decides parking, lobby congestion and how much of the manager's attention you get.

"Who is my contact on the day?"

The person who sold you the venue is frequently not the person who runs your event. Get a name and a number.

"What is the power backup rated for?"

"We have a generator" is not the answer. The answer is whether it carries the air conditioning as well as the lights.

"What went wrong at the last function here?"

Owners told us the ones who ask this are the easiest to work with, because they are planning for reality.