There are thousands of great conference venues out there with teams of staff who are more than capable of taking care of every little detail from catering and decor, to AV and lighting and everything in between. However, for some event managers out there this is just not enough. They want to have the highest level of control over their event and the potential for the most flexibility possible. This is where dry hire venues really come into their own.

What does Dry Hire mean?

When it comes to hiring conference centres of excellence 'dry hire' means that you hire the venue only and don't hire the associated services - so you just pay for the venue and not the other services which usually come as standard. This then allows the event management team to organise everything on their own terms and gives them the freedom to personalise and customise the venue and other items such as AV setups, decorations, food and drink options, staffing and so on.

It basically means you hire the venue as an empty shell - which can have its disadvantages as well as advantages. Advantages of Dry Hire Venues

- Greater creative control. The biggest benefit of dry hiring a venue is the amount of creative control the event planner gets. They can build the concept from the ground up, and customise their event from the ground up.

- Use your own team. When you dry hire a venue you can use your trusted in-house team rather than the person who the venue normally uses to sort out the daily tasks of running the place. This helps you to stay in total control of what happens at your event.

Disadvantages of Dry Hire Venues

- More responsibility. It can come as a bit of a shock to event managers when they realise how much they have to do when it comes to hiring a dry hire venue. It can even be a little overwhelming for event teams who are not very experienced especially as they may not realise that many of the tasks usually undertaken by venue staff are not considered by the client hiring the space.

- Co-ordination issues. Co-ordinating all of your suppliers and caterers can be a really hard job. Think about all of the other things you need to organise - organising jaw dropping sets, getting the running times right, and all of the other things you need to take charge of to make sure you blow your attendees minds. The last thing you are going to want to do is to contact caterers and other suppliers, compare quotes, finalise the menus and so on.

- More expensive. It can actually work out more expensive to dry hire a venue as the venue may well charge you for the lost revenue they will have for laying off their catering staff for the day. The other thing you have to consider is how strong your network is, as unless you have fantastic connections with suppliers, caterers, IT staff, security staff and so on then hiring these workers for the day can be quite expensive.

Top Tips for Dry Hiring

As you can see, dry hiring a venue can be a great way to host an event, as long as you are prepared to put in the extra work. Here is what you need to keep in mind:

- Get the details right. If you are opting for a dry hire venue then you need to make sure you have an extremely clear vision of what the event is going to look like and what it is going to entail. You will need to be a lot more thorough than with a managed event, as you will need to quickly establish what the venue is suitable for and what it can accommodate, and what issues you may potentially face.

- Be realistic. There will be a lot of different factors you need to take into account when it comes to decor - including cost, time and manpower. You will also need to take into account the venues capabilities as well to make sure that the end result flows and doesn't look tacked on and out of place.

- Don't underestimate the importance of catering. One of the most important parts of any event is the food and beverages you will be serving - especially when it comes to social media. You therefore need to make sure you are working with a reliable catering company who will provide you with refreshments that your delegates will rave over.

- Be honest with the venue. The venue will more likely than not want to know all of the details of your event before the big day. It is really important that you are honest with them and let them know exactly what they should expect. Schedule a meeting in with the venue manager and walk through the space together in order to unearth any potential issues.

- Get an equipment list. Once you have built a good relationship with the venue, you should make sure you get a list of exactly what is needed on the day. This is really important for your caterers, for example, as they will know need to know what they need to bring and what will be provided. You will also need to know what technology is available in house, and what you might need to source as well.

Here at Conferences UK we love conference venues of all shapes and sizes - from Cotswold conference centre to Nottingham conference centre. Whether you are looking to dry hire a venue for your next big event, or you want something managed by the venue itself, our experienced team will be able to source just the right thing. Give us a call today and see what we can find for you.

Author: Gladys Requina
13-Dec-2018