Arranged by cost of finding out late rather than by topic. The first six are the ones that can end a booking; the last ones only spoil an evening.
Questions worth asking on a viewing
North London Venue Guide Questions worth asking on a viewing
Take this on a viewing and ask the first six before you discuss anything else. Every one of them has ended somebody's booking at a later and more painful stage.
The six that can be fatal
May I see the premises licence and its conditions. Not the hours as remembered by staff. The document. It determines what is possible and everything else is downstream of it. See licensing.
What time must music stop, and separately what time must the building be empty. Two different times, both binding, frequently confused in conversation.
Is the room private, with its own toilets and its own entrance. In pub function rooms the answer is often no, and it changes the event completely.
Is there level access to the room and to an accessible toilet. If the answer is no, you either accept excluding guests or you look elsewhere. See accessibility.
What is the capacity, in which layout, and does it include suppliers and performers. See capacity and safety.
Does the building have planning permission for event use. Mainly for arches, units and converted spaces. See arches and studios.
Money
What exactly is included in the figure quoted, itemised.
Is it a hire fee, a minimum spend or a package, and what counts towards a minimum spend. See costs.
Is VAT included, and is service charge applied and to what.
What is the overrun rate and when does it start.
Is door supervision required for this event, who books it and who pays.
What is the deposit, is it a booking deposit or a damage deposit, and when is it returned.
What is the cancellation scale, by notice period, and what happens if the venue cannot perform.
Food and drink
Who caters, and if there is a list, may I see it. See catering and corkage.
May we bring our own drink, and if so what is the corkage and on what basis.
Who runs the bar and what happens to the takings.
What can the kitchen actually do: cook, reheat, or plate only.
When is the deadline for final numbers, and can it move.
The day itself
What time can we get in to set up, and can suppliers come earlier.
Where does a vehicle stop, and is that legal at that hour. See access and parking.
Who is on site on the night, and what is their mobile number.
Who clears down, who stacks, who takes the waste. See community halls if it is a hall, where the answer is usually you.
Is anything else booked in the building that day or the next morning.
Sound
What is the noise limiter set to, and have bands like ours played at that setting. See live music.
Is there a PA, and does an engineer come with it.
Where is the power at the stage end, and is it on its own circuit.
Is there any restriction on outdoor sound, and what time does outdoor space close. See noise and curfews.
Two that people never ask
Has this venue had a licence review, a complaint or an abatement notice recently, and did anything change. It tells you how cautious the venue will be on the night, which is more predictive than the printed hours.
What went wrong at the last event like ours, and what did you change. A venue with a real answer is a venue that pays attention. A venue that says nothing ever goes wrong has either not been asked before or is not listening.
After the viewing
Put the answers in an email to the venue and ask them to confirm. It takes ten minutes, it costs nothing, and it converts a conversation into something you can point at later. Almost every dispute described in this guide is a dispute about what somebody remembers being told.
Published