Your venue may be the most important factor in the success of your event. Getting the full picture on your venue is integral to the strategic and logistical planning requirements of your program. How do you assess the feasibility of a site on a short timeline?

1. Jessica Murphy
Senior Director of Client Services | Opus Agency
10 Keys to the
Perfect Site Visit

2. OPUS AGENCY 2
Your venue may be the
most important factor in
the success of your event.
The right venue influences audience acquisition, brand image, attendee
experience, virtually every logistical decision, and, of course, your
team’s ability to execute a perfect event. Getting a handle on strategic
and logistical objectives is no small feat—but neither is scouting a
venue. How do you assess the feasibility of a site on a short timeline?

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GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW:
Preparation is Key
At least half of the work involved in any site scout
is done before your shoes even touch the ground onsite.

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PREPARATION IS KEY
Loop in your venue
counterparts as early
as possible.
THE VENUE LIAISON will be an invaluable source of information
and resources before, during, and after your site visit.
The team will need their input on the CADs, floorplans, and access and allocation charts
that will prove invaluable. Furthermore, it will be necessary to coordinate access to the
venue staff and required resources, ensuring a productive visit.
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PREPARATION IS KEY
Set goals for the site visit.
DETERMINE A LIST of boxes you’d like to check before
everyone heads back to the home office.
As with anything else, clear objectives will help you accomplish more during your time onsite.
Make sure these goals are shared in advance with the venue to allow them to prepare on
their end. You’re only as efficient as the least-prepared member of the team.
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PREPARATION IS KEY
The whole planning team is
rarely in the same place at the
same time—don’t waste
this golden opportunity!
PLANNING AND EXECUTING large-scale events
usually involves a team spread across state
or international borders.
While remote coordination is the industry standard, everyone
will be more productive when the entire team is in the same
place. Don’t waste a minute of this precious time!
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“Venue visits are a productivity dream for your #events
team. @OpusAgency #eBook has perfect #SiteVisit
tips: bit.ly/SiteVisitTop10”

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PLAN THE WORK, WORK THE PLAN:
What to Do When You Get There
You’ve prepped and planned to the gills—time to make it happen!

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WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE
Try your best to run out
of questions to ask.
THERE ARE SO MANY FACTORS at play with a major event,
it shouldn’t be hard to come up with an impossibly long
list of variables and unknowns.
Leave no stone unturned; this is your opportunity to tackle issues that can only be
dealt with onsite.
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What kind of questions should you be asking? Cover all the major bases:
accessibility, surrounding areas, the hotel’s overall condition, available
amenities, guestroom counts and features, meeting spaces, food and
beverage logistics, audio/visual capabilities, technical specs. This
is just the broad strokes. Don’t be afraid to drill deeper!

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WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE
Document everything!
SERIOUSLY. EVERYTHING. Don’t rely on your memory; your
brain will be too overloaded with details to be able to recall
all the finer points later on.
Take notes, record conversations, take pictures and email them to yourself with details in
the subject line—whatever works best for you. As you’re collecting information and getting
questions answered, be sure to tick off your objectives as you achieve them.
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“#Events #SiteVisit 101: document everything!
Email pics w/ info in the subject line. More tips in
this @OpusAgency #eBook: bit.ly/SiteVisitTop10”

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WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE
You’re only human!
YOU, your fellow team members, the people from the venue,
the staffers you’re meeting: no matter how much you might
wish otherwise, you’re not event-planning robots.
Devote some time to catch up on email, refuel with food, and let the overflow of
information sink into everybody’s minds. Everyone will accomplish more (and like
each other more) if they don’t feel like they’re running a marathon—which
helps make up for any time lost to breaks.
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Don’t be afraid to earmark some time (and budget) for team building while
you’re onsite. The time and money spent will pay dividends through
stronger working relationships.

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BE THE ATTENDEE:
Put Yourself in Their Shoes
Imagining yourself as an attendee at your event will shine
a light on unseen issues and benefits.

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BE THE ATTENDEE
Engage stealth mode.
IF POSSIBLE, try to experience the site outside the
bubble created by your venue liaisons.
Use this opportunity to get a real sense of a guest’s first impressions. Try to access
conference areas and seminar rooms—did anyone challenge you? Make requests
of housekeeping and the desk staff—are they helpful, did they offer special
amenities, what’s their response time like? As nice as the VIP treatment
is, you’re looking for the VTP (Very Typical Person) experience.
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“#SiteVisit tip: stealth mode. Escape the #EventPlanner
bubble to get a real feel for your #venue.
@OpusAgency #eBook bit.ly/SiteVisitTop10”

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BE THE ATTENDEE
Bring a big appetite.
WHILE YOU’RE ONSITE, make an effort to eat at as
many different hotel or venue outlets as possible.
It’ll give you a good sense of what attendees can expect while they’re onsite. Is the food
amazing? The quality and atmosphere will have a direct effect on how likely your
attendees will be to partake in the meals you’re providing.
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Don’t stop at the restaurant experience. Do your best to attend a tasting with
the hotel’s chef and the catering team. Tasting sessions always result in
changes that make the food experience better for everyone involved.

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BE THE ATTENDEE
Test everything.
THERE ARE A MILLION aspects of any venue that
add up to an attendee’s experience.
Try to get a feel for as many as possible. Are spaces clean? If you’re unaccompanied,
how does uniformed staff treat you? Get into a meeting room. Are you comfortable?
Is the room too hot or cold? Are the seats comfy? How soundproof are the walls?
An effective event management team will use every opportunity available to
determine whether your attendees will have a pleasant experience.
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AVOID THE PITFALLS:
Watch Out for These
Common Mistakes
If you depend on lists like most event marketers, it’s easy
to get caught up in the drive to check all your boxes.
Here are a few boxes to keep checkmark-free.

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AVOID THE PITFALLS
We’ve given you plenty to do.
Here are a few major DON’TS:
Don’t make unreasonable demands. The events industry is a tight-knit community;
your reputation is key.
Don’t sacrifice quality for cost. There are better ways to make your budget work than
a bargain basement option. Remember: you get what you pay for.
Don’t misrepresent yourself, or your team. Painting an accurate picture of your
needs and objectives for the venue is of utmost importance to an event’s success.
Don’t jump at the first offer. If you’re going to be discussing costs, show up ready
to do some negotiating.
Don’t be intimidated. Be confident in yourself and your team. You’ve come
this far—don’t let anyone get in the way of your best interests.
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“#SiteVisit no-nos: Don’t make wild demands,
sacrifice quality to save $, or take the 1st
offer. — @OpusAgency”

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OPUS AGENCYis a brand events and marketing agency. We create and manage hundreds of
events and campaigns every year, all over the world, including things like strategic executive-level
summits, immersive brand experiences, and conferences with 30,000 attendees. We have amazing
people who share strong values, and a specific methodology that ties everything we do to
customer success. We call it TeamCS™.
Interested in putting Jessica’s knowledge to work for your brand? Contact Kristin Waters
to learn about partnering with Opus Agency.
Jessica Murphy is a Senior Director of Client Services at Opus Agency. After hundreds of
successful events, including large-scale conferences for more than 30,000 attendees, Jessica is
an expert at making her clients’ grand strategic visions a reality. She manages the millions of
tiny details that bring an event to life, and she does it efficiently.
At her core, her strength comes from her ability to understand her clients’ business needs,
comprehend how they impact the big picture, and translate them to the details that
make an event successful. Jessica has proven herself a strong leader within
Opus, and her clients continually praise her passion, high integrity, and
keen attention to detail—all of which allows her to serve as a true
extension of their internal teams.
Jessica Murphy | 971.223.1124 | jmurphy@opusteam.com