Conference Venue Packages: What Should Be Included in the Price?
Conference venue quotes are not always as straightforward as they first appear. One venue might quote a day delegate rate that includes the meeting room, refreshments, lunch and basic AV, while another may provide a lower room hire figure and charge separately for almost everything else.
That can make two apparently similar quotes surprisingly difficult to compare.
At Function Fixers, we look beyond the headline price when comparing conference venues. What matters is what the event will actually cost once everything you need has been included.
What is a day delegate rate?
A day delegate rate, usually shown as a DDR, is a price per person for a daytime meeting or conference package.
It is particularly common at hotels, conference centres and dedicated meeting venues. Rather than paying separately for the room, refreshments and lunch, these are bundled together into a price per delegate.
Exactly what is included varies from venue to venue, but a typical DDR might include the main meeting room, tea and coffee during the day, lunch, Wi-Fi and some basic AV equipment.
This can make budgeting much easier, particularly when delegate numbers are reasonably firm.
However, never assume that two venues quoting a DDR are providing exactly the same package.
What should a conference venue package include?
For a straightforward daytime conference, we would normally expect a package to cover the main meeting room for the agreed hours, refreshments, lunch and Wi-Fi.
Many venues will also include basic equipment such as a screen or projector, flipchart and stationery, although this is becoming less standard as conference technology becomes more sophisticated.
The important thing is to establish exactly what is included before comparing prices.
If one venue is quoting £65 per delegate including the equipment you need and another is quoting £55 but requires several additional AV and room hire charges, the £55 option may not be cheaper at all.
Is room hire included?
Usually it is when you are booking a DDR package, but not always.
Some venues have minimum delegate numbers or minimum spends before room hire is included. Others may charge additional hire for larger rooms, breakout spaces or evening use.
Room hire is also more common where catering isn’t required or where you’re hiring an unusual, historic or blank canvas venue rather than a hotel or conference centre.
This is why we don’t automatically compare a room-hire venue with a DDR venue based on their headline figures. The pricing structures are fundamentally different.
What catering should you expect?
Most full-day conference packages include arrival tea and coffee, a mid-morning refreshment break, lunch and an afternoon break.
What you receive at those breaks can vary considerably.
At one venue it might simply be tea, coffee and biscuits. Somewhere else the package could include pastries on arrival, snacks during the day and a more substantial hot or buffet lunch.
If you’re comparing venues, look at the quality and quantity of the catering as well as the number of refreshment breaks.
It’s also worth checking how dietary requirements are handled. Vegetarian, vegan and common allergen requirements will normally be accommodated, but more specialist requests can sometimes involve additional charges.
Is AV included in a conference package?
This is one of the areas where we’d always check the detail.
A venue describing AV as “included” may mean nothing more than a screen and a basic connection for a laptop. That could be perfectly adequate for a small meeting, but nowhere near sufficient for a conference with several hundred delegates.
Microphones, PA systems, staging, lecterns, confidence monitors, multiple screens, lighting, technicians, recording, livestreaming and hybrid conference facilities can all be additional costs.
For larger conferences, AV and production can represent a substantial part of the overall budget.
We would therefore establish the production requirements early in the venue search rather than find the right venue first and discover later that the AV costs take the event over budget.
What about breakout rooms?
Don’t assume breakout rooms are included with the main conference space.
A venue may offer an attractive DDR for the plenary room but charge separately for every additional meeting room.
If your programme requires delegates to divide into several simultaneous sessions, those additional spaces can have a significant effect on the final price.
We also look at the practicalities. Six breakout rooms aren’t particularly useful if they’re spread across different floors or take delegates several minutes to reach.
Wi-Fi should be checked too
Most conference venues now include Wi-Fi, but for a large or technology-heavy event, simply being told that Wi-Fi is available isn’t enough.
If hundreds of delegates will be connecting at the same time, or the conference relies on online presentations, event apps, streaming or audience participation technology, it’s worth discussing the expected usage with the venue.
Dedicated or enhanced connectivity may cost extra.
Staffing and security
Standard venue staffing may be included in the package, but additional requirements aren’t always covered.
Registration staff, cloakroom attendants, security, technicians, additional waiting staff and extended event hours can all result in extra charges.
Security can be particularly relevant for high-profile events, large conferences or venues with their own access requirements.
If you need early access for production or registration, check whether that is included too. A venue booked from 8am doesn’t necessarily mean your production team can arrive at 5am without an additional charge.
Furniture, staging and room layouts
Standard conference furniture is normally included at hotels and dedicated conference venues, but this shouldn’t be taken for granted at dry hire and blank canvas spaces.
It’s worth checking what the venue owns and what would need to be hired.
Changing the room layout during the day can also incur additional staffing costs. If a conference is followed by a dinner, awards ceremony or evening reception in the same space, ask how the turnaround will work and whether there is a charge for it.
Don’t forget VAT and service charges
One of the simplest ways for apparently similar quotes to become very different is VAT.
Check whether prices are quoted inclusive or exclusive of VAT and make sure you’re comparing them on the same basis.
Some venues may also apply service charges to certain elements of the event. These should be identified before you make a decision, rather than appearing as an unwelcome surprise on the final invoice.
What happens if delegate numbers change?
This is particularly important when you’re booking well in advance.
A venue may initially quote for 300 delegates, but what happens if you eventually have 250?
Ask when final numbers need to be confirmed, whether there is a minimum spend and what happens if numbers fall below the contracted minimum.
The cheapest package at the enquiry stage isn’t necessarily the best option if the contract leaves you with very little flexibility.
Are accommodation costs included?
For residential conferences, accommodation is normally quoted separately from the daytime conference package, although some venues offer residential delegate rates.
If delegates are staying overnight, compare more than the bedroom rate. Breakfast, Wi-Fi, parking, early check-in, luggage storage and any evening catering can all affect the overall cost.
It’s also worth checking whether all the bedrooms are actually at the conference venue. Some larger events require an allocation across several nearby hotels.
The extras that are easily overlooked
Some costs only become apparent once the event planning becomes more detailed.
These might include additional power for production, rigging, loading and unloading, parking, deliveries, storage, cloakrooms, signage, cleaning, furniture hire, waste removal, extended venue hours and charges for external suppliers.
Not every event will need these, but for a large or complicated conference they can materially change the final budget.
This is particularly important when comparing a conventional conference venue with a blank canvas space. The blank canvas may have an attractive hire fee, but you’ll need to establish what has to be brought in before deciding whether it represents good value.
Compare the total cost, not the headline price
Suppose one venue quotes a DDR of £75 and another quotes £62. It is tempting to assume that the second venue is the obvious choice.
But if the £75 package includes the main room, three breakout rooms, good-quality catering and the basic AV you need, while the £62 package requires additional room hire, equipment and staffing, the position could quickly reverse.
We always recommend getting the venues onto as close to a like-for-like basis as possible before making a decision.
Price matters, but so does what you’re getting for it.
Questions to ask before accepting a conference venue quote
Before you confirm a venue, make sure you understand what is included in the quoted price and what could be charged separately.
In particular, check the main room hire, breakout rooms, catering, AV, Wi-Fi, furniture, staffing, access times, VAT and any service charges. For larger events, ask about production access, security, power, loading and any charges associated with external suppliers.
You should also understand the venue’s cancellation terms, payment schedule and what happens if your delegate numbers change.
A clear quote at the beginning makes it much easier to keep control of the budget as the conference develops.
How Function Fixers can help
Comparing conference venue packages can take considerably longer than simply comparing the price per person.
When we source venues for a client, we can look at what’s included, identify additional costs and help compare suitable options on a more meaningful basis. We can also negotiate with venues and ask the questions that are easy to overlook when you’re dealing with several proposals at once.
Our venue finding service is completely free to use. Tell us your date, location, delegate numbers, budget and what you have in mind, and we’ll find suitable conference venues for you.
Carrie Larwood’s Venue Finder Insight
Never choose a conference venue on the DDR alone. I always want to know what is actually included and what we’re going to have to add later. A slightly higher delegate rate can sometimes be much better value if the breakout rooms, AV and other essentials are already covered. The figure that matters is what the conference will actually cost, not the first number on the quote.