During our search for a wedding venue for my daughter, we came across a website for a beautiful, outdoor facility near her home that seemed to have everything we were looking for. We were ready to schedule a visit when we started looking at the fine print and found that there were no permanent restroom facilities anywhere on the grounds! Since we were both of the opinion that ‘port-a-let’ and ‘wedding’ should never be uttered in the same sentence, we determined that this was a site visit we could cross off the list.
Planning a successful event means making sure you’ve covered your bases on everything necessary to keep those in attendance comfortable and safe. Here are a few logistics to think through:
RESTROOM FACILITIES
If you are holding an outdoor festival or event that does not have easy access to adequate toilet facilities, you will need to rent portable restrooms. If you’ve been to an event recently where portable facilities were used, you may have noticed that there are lots of options these days in the world of porta-potties! ADA compliant units, high-rise VIP units, hand-sanitizing or hand-wash stations, and infant care stations are all options now available to keep your guests comfortable, which means they will stay at your event longer. Make sure you have a line item in your budget for these facilities – high-end units typically come with a high-end price tag!
The number of units you should reserve depends primarily on the size of the crowd you expect. The rental company will be able to help you calculate the number you will need. It’s better to have too many units than not enough, so that your guests won’t have to wait in long lines. Increase the number of units if you are serving beverages, especially alcohol. For multi-day events, you will have to consider the placement of the units – make sure they are in an area where they can be easily serviced each day.
ELECTRICITY
Assess your electricity needs for lighting, cooking, audio-visual, air conditioning, etc. If access is limited, or if the local regulations restrict the use of extension cords, make sure your vendors and other participants are aware of the limitation before they arrive so they can plan accordingly.
If you are outside and must resort to the use of generators, it’s important to realize that they can make an extraordinary amount of noise. Sitting a generator next to a performance stage or entertainment area is probably not a good plan; at the very least, start it up ahead of time so you know the noise level you will be dealing with.
SOUND
There’s nothing worse than sitting in the back of a large banquet room or entertainment area and not being able to hear anything because the sound system is inadequate. Part of your planning must include a test of the sound system well in advance – stand in the back of your event area and make sure that the speakers, entertainers, etc. will be able to be heard by everyone in attendance.
TRASH
You should be able to stand anywhere around your venue and see a trash receptacle. If you have too few, you’ll spend a lot of time collecting trash from every surface, including the ground. If your event will generate a lot of trash, you will need to schedule the appropriate number of volunteers or make sure the venue has personnel available to empty trash cans at regular intervals. Ask your venue or trash removal company about recycling options.
Want to start at page 1 of this book blog? Click here
Photo credit – Rumpke