Venue Management

What is venue management? 

Venue management includes the planning, operations, resource allocation, and execution of event-related activities. The venue management process creates the conditions for the smooth planning and successful execution of an event. 

Venue management also covers facilities management, logistics, and audiovisual setup. To simplify operations, teams from event venues, universities, hotels, and other host services use venue management software. These software systems make collaboration easier, provide room and resource allocation capabilities, offer calendaring features, and expedites the billing and invoice process through built-in tools. 

Types of venues

Different types of venues have distinct management requirements, but venue management software helps simplify the process across the board. Some common types of venues that utilize venue management include the following. 

• Event centers: Staff employed at conference and convention centers use venue management to oversee spaces for conferences, seminars, and trade shows, producing well-planned events for attendees. Additionally, banquet hall staff rely on venue management to execute weddings and receptions.

• Sports venues: Venue management helps prepare small and large-scale sporting event spaces for sports games and other group workouts. 

• Entertainment services: Theater and arena staff turn to venue management to supervise spaces for live performances like concerts or comedy shows. In addition to seating and room setup, venue management makes sure there are enough concession staff, security, and other necessary resources to span the duration of the event. 

• Hotels and resorts: Hospitality venues manage hotel event spaces for weddings, business conferences, and ad hoc meetings.
• Universities: Campus staff manage lecture halls, auditoriums, and event spaces to plan and execute school events and functions.

Elements of the venue management process

Venue management encompasses various activities and workflows associated with taking care of an event venue. Venues customize their processes to meet their needs, but the protocol generally consists of some aspects of the items found here.

• Reservation and booking management: Venues employ venue managers and other events professionals to handle bookings and reservations at the location. Management also includes booking outside vendors and additional experts needed to deliver a successful event. 

• Facility maintenance: Venue management makes certain each venue is well-maintained and cleaned between events. Facility maintenance also covers managing repairs and renovations to resolve issues and improve venues for long-term operations. 

• Technology and equipment requests: During the event planning, event teams work with clients to discuss audio, video, lighting, and other technology needs. Event planners and venue staff then partner with internal teams or bring in external vendors to support these requests.

• Staffing: Venues and events can’t run smoothly without the necessary personnel to execute a successful event. Staffing in venue management includes hiring, training, and managing all venue team members, such as security, cleaning staff, technical support crews, and catering.
• Financial administration: Venue managers generally negotiate contracts, offer packaged pricing, and collaborate with clients to determine total costs for events. The venue staff may play an intermediary role between clients and accounting teams to facilitate payments.

Benefits of venue management 

Effective venue management benefits the venue and all stakeholders involved in the event process. Key benefits include the following.

• Optimized operations throughout the process: Most importantly, when executed well, venue management leads to flawless operations, contributing to a well-planned and executed event. Refining operations provides a better overall experience for venue staff, external vendors, and customers. 

• Positive customer experiences: A well-managed venue increases customer satisfaction and loyalty. After a successful event, customers may wish to return for future event needs or refer the venue to their networks, driving more business to the space. 

• Efficient utilization of resources: Without a thoughtful venue management process, resources, including staff, may be wasted, which unnecessarily increases costs and spending. Proper resource allocation contributes to scheduling efficiencies and cost-effectiveness for the venue. 

• Better brand positioning against competitors: Consistent, high-quality venue management fosters a positive brand image, which attracts organizers, funding, and publicity, all with the potential to generate more revenue.
• Higher employee satisfaction and engagement: Venues with clear roles and responsibilities for their team members and well-defined procedures are more likely to create a positive work environment than those without. A positive work environment increases job satisfaction, higher employee morale, and reduced turnover.

Challenges in venue management 

All venues possess unique challenges at various times, as venue management is an area of continuous improvement and change. Some common challenges in venue management are discussed here.

• Managing scheduling conflicts: If an event host requests a date that the venue has already booked, the venue manager may be unable to offer their client an available date. Scheduling conflicts result in lost business if venue managers can’t resolve them. 

• Technology issues and integrations: Technical glitches and failures during events make for an unpleasant and stressful experience for event hosts and displease their guests. Making sure technology is prepared and ready for use is a paramount step toward offering the best experience for attendees. 

• Communication gaps: Venue management poses challenges when it comes to effective communication among key stakeholder groups like event organizers, venue staff, external vendors, and attendees. Communication becomes particularly difficult when managing a large venue and dealing with many critical stakeholders across different areas. 
• Staffing issues: Venues may run into staffing issues during periods of turnover. Recruiting, training, and retaining staff takes time and can be more complex for certain positions, such as a technical crew member. 

Simplify the event management process with digital event creation to invite attendees and track registrations.