You have an idea for a gathering in mind, have a guestlist prepared and an idea of how you would like the event to ensue.
The only issue that stands in your way is the budget. Yes, that damn green issue that often stands in our way. From the Red Ferrari we dream of or the Penthouse at 432 Park Avenue. Money needs to be a consideration. However, paper should not be a roadblock between you and the event you have in mind. There are options!
Obvious choices for venues with limited budgets include parks, recreation centers and the YMCA. Yes, these often work but you might be limiting yourself. There are ways to host your event in a venue with a proper space designated for your guests, a kitchen and bar. Many venues charge room rental fees but not all. Yes, you will have to pay for what you eat and drink (which you would have to do anyway) but there will not be a fee on the space.
How can you accomplish this? A few ideas that come to mind include hosting on an off day/night (Monday’s work great) where your leverage for a negotiation is high given that the venue will likely not be booked on a Monday. Another idea is to negotiate a minimum food and drink guarantee. You know your crowd and you know what they’ll be spending. Obviously, this only works for a cash bar but if you’re hosting a bunch of boozers, you may be able to land a free space with a solid guarantee (especially on an off night). Finally, you can call us! We never charge our clients a fee and often, our clients do not pay for a room rental fee.
One of the first things we talk about with our clients is their budget. We pride ourselves on working within all budgets so don’t feel uncomfortable coming to us with a room rental fee of $0. We can work with that! In fact, the challenge allows us to get creative and often, help produce unique experiences that keep our clients referring others.
So, in closing, the moral of the story is — no budget is an OK budget. Don’t let that stop the show!