Logistics:Venue Checklist

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Ideally, the meeting space offers both a large room where the group can meet as a whole, as well as "break-out" spaces, where smaller sets of participants can have discussions and collaborate.

In particular, an optimal venue for a participatory event has:

  • Capacity to seat all participants in a circle, oval or square arrangement of chairs in the main meeting area
    • A simple question to ask the venue is "how many chairs fit side-by-side on the long and shorter sides of the main room?"
    • An ideal main meeting room can support a circle, oval or square for twice the number of anticipated participants. This insures that multiple breakout conversations can be held simultaneously in the main meeting space.
  • Permission for organizers and participants to move chairs around during the event
    • Easily movable chairs: lightweight and not inter-connected.
  • Ideally 1 breakout space/room per 10-12 participants
    • Are the breakout rooms easy to get to from the plenary space (on the same floor, in the same building)?
  • Empty/open walls, ideally with permission to use post-it notes on the walls.
  • No fixed-in-place furniture; collaborative events go better when participants face each other without any furniture between them
  • No columns in the main meeting area that block views across the room
  • Wireless internet. See Wireless Best Practices
  • Multiple cordless microphones
  • Easels and flip-charts at non-usurious rates. Some types of whiteboards are also good.
  • Natural light is always a plus
  • Gender-flexible rest rooms: do they have gender-neutral/gender-inclusive/single occupant restrooms?
  • Accessibility: are all meeting spaces fully accessible, in particular for mobility- and vision-impaired participants?

The following are not needed:

  • Projectors, screens or any other "presentation" technology
  • A stage of speaker platform
  • Any setup or arrangement for "panels"

Things to obtain for venue comparison include:

  • A floor plan that shows what space we have to work with, ideally with
  • A link to images of the event space
  • Information about building security: do folks have to sign in to enter, is it easy to go outside for a smoke or fresh air, are there other protocol issues?
  • Any other venue guidelines, policies or constraints to be aware of
  • Confirm hours of access, and verify that you can be inside at least 1 hour (ideally 2 hours) before event start time and stay up to 1 hour after event closing time

Other considerations include:

  • Catering:
    • Can you bring in your own food/catering, or are you obligated to use the facility's caterers?
    • Is there a fee for using non-approved caterers?
  • Cost:
    • What is the base cost for the venue?
      • If you're lucky, you can find a free or cheap facility, but beware, as you often get what you pay for.
      • In most US/EU cities, 10-20 USD or EUR/person/day is a good price for rental, and we've gone as high as $40 USD or EUR/person/day.
    • Are there any fees for internet access?
    • Are there any other potential costs we should be modeling or anticipating?
    • Are any discounts provided to nonprofit/NGO organizations?
    • What forms of payment are accepted?
  • Can supplies be shipped to the venue in advance?
    • If so, is there any charge for storage or handling?


  • Policies on cancellation and reschedule: if you have to move your event dates or cancel outright, what happens with venue, including deposits, any penalities, and other responsibilities
  • Insurance requirements: What does the venue require in terms of insurance coverage, can they provide it, and what does it cost?


  • Public transit: how reachable is the venue
  • Parking: Is there parking for anyone who drives, and if so, what is the per-vehicle cost?
  • Bike parking/storage: is there space for bicycles to be parked and locked?


  • Does the space have a “good vibe”? Does it feel like a warm and inviting space to meet?
    • Any potential triggers with the type of space (religious, political, governmental affiliation)?
    • Depending on the season, how does heating or air conditioning work? Can we easily adjust during the meeting?
  • Ask about any potential usage conflicts within the space. If other people/orgs will be using space and overhearing proceedings, make sure to explore potential noise and resource conflicts (e.g. limited bathrooms or a slow internet connection for the facility)
  • Noise issues: Another one we have learned the hard way to ask even though the venue is not highly like to know the answer this far in advance: "Is there any construction or other noisy activities (tree trimming, etc.) scheduled for the event days?" This would mainly be useful to find out if a new big building is going up nearby. This has wrecked events in the past.
  • Are there security cameras in the space? If so, where and how is the data stored? How long is it kept, etc.?