How to Compare Event Venue Quotes Properly
You have shortlisted several event venues and the quotes have arrived. One looks considerably cheaper than the others, so surely that’s the obvious choice?
Not necessarily.
The best way to compare event venue quotes is to compare the total cost of delivering the same event at each venue, rather than simply comparing room hire or day delegate rates. Check exactly what each quote includes from catering and AV to staffing, Wi-Fi, furniture and VAT, and identify any additional costs before making your decision.
Venue proposals are rarely presented in exactly the same way, which can make a genuine like-for-like comparison surprisingly difficult.
Here is what to look for.
1. Start with the total cost
The headline price is useful, but it shouldn’t determine your decision.
One venue might quote:
Room hire: £5,000
Another might quote:
Room hire: £7,500
At first glance, the first venue looks £2,500 cheaper.
But Venue A might then charge separately for AV, furniture, staffing, Wi-Fi and cloakroom facilities, while Venue B includes some or all of these within its hire fee.
The figure you really need is:
What will it cost to hold our complete event here?
Build your comparison around that figure rather than the initial venue hire charge.
2. Make sure each venue is quoting for the same brief
Before comparing prices, check that every venue has understood your requirements correctly.
Confirm that each quote is based on the same:
- Event date
- Number of guests or delegates
- Timings
- Room layout
- Main event space
- Breakout rooms
- Catering
- AV requirements
- Set-up and breakdown time
- Accommodation, if required
A £10,000 quote for an event finishing at 5pm cannot be directly compared with a £10,000 quote that includes an evening reception until 9pm.
If the briefs aren’t identical, neither are the prices.
3. Check whether the quote is room hire or a delegate rate
Corporate venues commonly quote either a fixed room hire fee or a day delegate rate (DDR).
A DDR typically provides a per-person package including the meeting room, refreshments, lunch and some basic equipment.
For example:
£75 DDR × 100 delegates = £7,500
However, don’t assume every DDR includes the same things.
One venue may include unlimited tea and coffee, lunch, Wi-Fi, screen, projector and flipcharts. Another may include only two refreshment breaks, lunch and basic room hire.
Ask each venue for a complete list of what its delegate package includes.
For conferences with larger numbers, it is also worth comparing a DDR against separate room hire and catering costs. Depending on the venue and event, one pricing structure may offer considerably better value.
4. Compare catering carefully
Catering is one of the areas where apparently similar quotes can become very different.
Check:
- Arrival tea and coffee
- Number of refreshment breaks
- Lunch
- Drinks packages
- Reception catering
- Dinner
- Canapés
- Dietary requirements
- Service staff
- Corkage
- Minimum catering spend
Also establish whether the catering price is per person or based on a minimum number of guests.
For evening events, ask whether there is a minimum food and beverage spend. If there is, make sure it is realistic for your guest numbers.
5. Find out exactly what AV is included
AV can significantly change the final cost of a conference, meeting, awards ceremony or product launch.
A venue saying that it has “AV included” doesn’t necessarily mean that everything you require is included.
Check whether the quote covers:
- Screen
- Projector
- PA system
- Microphones
- Lectern
- Stage
- Lighting
- Video conferencing
- Hybrid event technology
- Technician
- Recording or streaming
- Additional power requirements
Some venues have exclusive or preferred AV suppliers. If you intend to bring in your own production company, establish whether this is permitted and whether additional charges apply.
Venue Finder Insight: AV is one of the easiest areas for an initial venue quote to become significantly more expensive. Give venues as much production information as possible at the enquiry stage rather than waiting until after the venue has been selected.
6. Look at staffing charges
Some venues include standard staffing within their hire fee. Others charge separately.
Depending on your event, additional costs might include:
- Event managers
- Security
- Reception staff
- Cloakroom attendants
- Waiting staff
- Bar staff
- Cleaning
- Technical staff
Pay particular attention to evening and weekend events, when minimum staffing levels or overtime charges may apply.
Ask what staffing is compulsory rather than optional.
7. Check access and hire times
This is particularly important for events requiring significant production or decoration.
Your event might start at 6pm, but your production company could need access from 9am.
Does the hire fee include that?
Ask about:
Set-up access – when can your team and suppliers enter?
Event hours – exactly when does your contracted hire period begin and finish?
Breakdown – does everything need to be removed immediately after the event?
Overtime – what happens if your event runs late?
A venue with a higher hire fee but generous access times may ultimately be better value than a cheaper venue charging for additional hours.
8. Check Wi-Fi rather than assuming it is free
Most venues provide Wi-Fi, but the level of service varies.
For a small meeting, standard complimentary Wi-Fi may be perfectly adequate.
For a conference involving hundreds of delegates, live streaming, demonstrations or interactive technology, you may require a dedicated connection or increased bandwidth.
Ask whether this incurs an additional charge.
9. Look for the less obvious extras
This is where a seemingly inexpensive quote can start to grow.
Depending on the venue, additional charges can include:
- Furniture hire
- Linen
- Dance floor
- Stage
- Lectern
- Registration furniture
- Cloakroom
- Cleaning
- Security
- Power
- Waste removal
- Signage
- Loading
- Parking
- Deliveries and storage
- Supplier fees
You won’t necessarily encounter all of these, but identifying them before signing a contract makes budgeting much easier.
10. Check whether VAT is included
A simple point, but an important one.
Some proposals show prices including VAT while others quote prices excluding VAT.
On a substantial event budget, this makes a significant difference.
When creating your comparison, either enter all prices excluding VAT or all prices including VAT.
Don’t mix the two.
11. Consider accommodation costs
For residential conferences, meetings and training events, don’t look only at the bedroom rate.
Compare:
- Room rate
- Breakfast
- VAT
- Wi-Fi
- Cancellation terms
- Cut-off dates
- Minimum bedroom commitment
- Complimentary rooms
- Upgrades
- Early check-in or late check-out
If you are committing to a substantial number of bedrooms, there may also be scope to negotiate the rate or additional benefits.
12. Read the cancellation and reduction terms
Price isn’t the only financial consideration.
Two venues could quote exactly the same amount but offer very different contract terms.
Pay particular attention to:
- Deposit requirements
- Payment schedule
- Cancellation charges
- Reduction in delegate numbers
- Bedroom attrition
- Final numbers deadline
- Date-change terms
If your delegate numbers aren’t yet certain, flexibility may be worth considerably more than a small saving on the initial quote.
13. Compare what’s included as well as what it costs
Once you have established the true costs, create a simple comparison.
| Venue A | Venue B | Venue C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room hire / DDR | £ | £ | £ |
| Catering | £ | £ | £ |
| AV | £ | £ | £ |
| Staffing | £ | £ | £ |
| Furniture/equipment | £ | £ | £ |
| Wi-Fi | £ | £ | £ |
| Additional charges | £ | £ | £ |
| Total event cost | £ | £ | £ |
Then add the non-financial considerations:
Location | Transport | Capacity | Layout | Accessibility | Facilities | Flexibility | Contract terms
This gives you a much clearer picture than simply comparing three headline prices.
14. Don’t automatically choose the cheapest venue
Value for money and lowest price aren’t the same thing.
Imagine three venues quote:
Venue A: £14,500
Venue B: £15,250
Venue C: £16,000
If Venue A requires £3,000 of additional AV and Venue C includes everything you need, Venue C could actually be the least expensive option.
There are also practical considerations.
A venue that is easier for delegates to reach, has better breakout rooms, requires less external production and offers more flexible terms may justify a slightly higher price.
The question isn’t simply:
Which venue is cheapest?
It is:
Which venue gives us the best overall solution for our budget?
15. Negotiate once you have the complete picture
Once you’ve compared the proposals properly, you are in a much stronger position to negotiate.
That doesn’t necessarily mean asking every venue to reduce its room hire.
You might negotiate:
- Lower room hire
- Reduced DDR
- Complimentary refreshments
- Additional AV
- Extra set-up time
- Complimentary bedrooms
- Room upgrades
- Reduced minimum spend
- Additional breakout space
Sometimes securing £1,000 worth of useful inclusions is more valuable than obtaining a £500 reduction in room hire.
A venue quote comparison checklist
Before deciding, check that you know:
- The total venue cost
- Exactly what the hire fee or DDR includes
- Catering costs
- AV and production costs
- Staffing charges
- Wi-Fi charges
- Set-up and breakdown costs
- Any compulsory supplier charges
- Minimum spends
- Accommodation costs
- VAT
- Deposit and payment schedule
- Cancellation terms
- Terms for reducing numbers
- Any other compulsory charges
If any of these aren’t clear, ask the venue before signing.
How can a venue finding agency help compare quotes?
Comparing venue proposals is something experienced venue finders do every day.
At Function Fixers, we don’t simply find venues with availability. We can help clients understand what each proposal actually includes, where additional costs may arise and whether the rates being quoted represent good value.
Because we deal with venues regularly, we can also negotiate rates and inclusions on our clients’ behalf.
Our venue finding service is completely free to clients.
Tell us about your conference, meeting, training event, product launch, awards ceremony or corporate event and we’ll search suitable venues, check availability and provide a handpicked shortlist that matches your brief and budget.
Already have venue quotes and finding them difficult to compare? Or haven’t started your search yet? Send us your event brief and let Function Fixers help you find the right venue at the right overall cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be included in an event venue quote?
A venue quote should clearly explain the hire charge or delegate rate and what it includes. Depending on the event, it should also identify catering, AV, staffing, Wi-Fi, furniture, access times, minimum spends and VAT. Ask about anything that isn’t clearly stated.
What is a day delegate rate?
A day delegate rate, usually abbreviated to DDR, is a per-person price commonly used for conferences, meetings and training events. It typically includes room hire, refreshments, lunch and basic meeting equipment, although inclusions vary between venues.
Why do venue quotes vary so much?
Venues use different pricing structures and include different services within their headline rates. Location, date, demand, venue type, catering, AV and access requirements can also affect the price.
Can you negotiate event venue prices?
Often, yes. How much flexibility there is depends on the venue, date, demand and value of the booking. If the headline price cannot be reduced, there may still be scope to negotiate additional services or inclusions.
Is the cheapest venue quote usually the best value?
No. Compare the total cost of delivering the event rather than the initial room hire or delegate rate. A more expensive quote may include services that would cost considerably more as extras elsewhere.
Should I compare venue quotes including or excluding VAT?
Either is fine for comparison purposes, provided you are consistent. Compare every venue either including VAT or excluding VAT so you are comparing like with like.