The Art of the Site Visit

On Monday, I took a client to visit some potential event venues for her upcoming corporate event.  I'll post reviews of some of the sites next, but before I do....

There is an art to a successful Site Visit, so are my top 10 tips:

1. Before you go, you've obviously called and made an appointment, but make sure you get the name of the person you will be meeting and a number to reach them in case you are running late.  
2. The day before your scheduled visit, call and confirm the appointment.  Event industry people in general are very busy and they could easily have forgotten or double booked you, I always call and confirm the day before.
3. When you get there, evaluate the parking situation.  Will your guests have to park the way you did?  Was it inconvenient?  Was it confusing to find?  Make notes on this because you may want to be sure to include a map in your invite if it is.  Is there a valet parking option?  
4. Cleanliness and Maintenance:  Make sure to look at the condition of the walls, carpeting, etc.  Is anything dirty or stained?  If so, ask if they can have it cleaned.  Are all of the stairs and elevators in working order?  Always check the bathroom, is it outdated?  Dirty?  Is it nearby the event location?  Ask to see the kitchen, is it clean?  Big enough to handle the size of your party? 
5. Facilities Check:  Are there any visual obstructions?  Can the room be divided if it's too big? Are the lights on a dimmer?  Are there any noise issues like planes overhead, nearby construction?  How will the flow work?  Where will servers come in and out of the event space from?  Where would they station food?
6. If it's a non-traditional site, ask about rentals, do they provide or should you bring your own?  Can you bring your own liquor?  
7. If you are having an audio/visual component to your event, look for outlets and make notes on their locations.  Ask about their electrical circuits, are all of the outlets on one circuit? 
8. Will you need anything additional from them?  Ask if they have easels, table signs, and anything else you might need.
9. Ask about any restrictions they have, like noise restrictions, time constraints (do you have to be out by a certain time?) Do they require you to use any of their vendors exclusively?  
10. Take pictures.  Use your phone and take pictures of what you discussed, i.e. stains they said they would clean.  Take a picture of your favorite thing about the venue and your least favorite thing, you'll forget if not.