Finding the Perfect Venue for Your Event
A dreamy wedding reception on a sandy shore bathed in the glorious moonlight, an intimate birthday party on a rooftop with a panoramic city view, and a corporate meeting in a stylish art gallery with all the brilliant artworks to inspire attendees and spark creativity—do any of these look like your dream event?
No matter what theme or style you’re going for, Giggster offers numerous event spaces suitable for any occasion and budget. From modern studios and offices to historic villas, elegant banquet halls, and mid-century homes, Giggster ensures you’ll find a memorable space to bring your vision to life. You don’t even have to spend a fortune to reserve a good party venue, as there are tons of affordable options for budget-conscious event planners.
Where you host your next gathering can impact guests’ experiences and enjoyment, so don’t settle for less. Explore Giggster’s listings and discover the best event space where you’ll make fun memories with your guests.
Event Venues Curated by Giggster
Whether your goal is to network, entertain, promote a product, or celebrate an important milestone, or maybe you just need an excuse to gather with friends and family, you’ll need a place that can comfortably accommodate everyone and has the right atmosphere. Luckily, Giggster features countless party venues, and we’ve highlighted some of them in this guide.
- Escape the city crowd and relax in a bohemian jungle oasis with a pool in Los Angeles. Book a house built in the 30s, so you’ll still find a vintage bathroom and an original archway to add charm to the place.
- You’ll feel like a VIP in a luxury mid-century estate with multiple bedrooms and several other amenities for production works and hosting events like a family reunion, a holiday party, a baby shower, and more.
- For small groups in need of an intimate location, a quaint restaurant or café will always be a favorite.
- If you don’t know where to start, simplify your venue search on the Giggster app. Book a Lincoln Park mansion, a modern dance studio, or a home with a lawn area that you can transform into a multipurpose party space.
Plan an Amazing Event Starting at Just $20 USD/hour
Exceptional Variety & Quality: With Giggster’s 10000 bespoke event venues, you know you’re one step closer to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From traditional meeting venues like conference rooms and offices to urban lofts, art galleries, and historic buildings, you’re sure to find a place for your occasion or event concept.
Hassle-Free Booking: You can look up everything on Giggster’s easy-to-use platform, such as the venue type, pricing, amenities, features, and limitations. For as low as $20 USD/hour, you can reserve the place you want and be able to communicate with the host.
24-Hour Free Cancellation Policy: You can cancel your booking within 24 hours of your booking confirmation for free as long as you booked at least 48 hours before. This way, you can be flexible with your plans and not worry about financial consequences.
Platform Protections: Allow us to take care of the risks so you can focus on the fun when you rent a space like Diverse Character Multi Use Studio. With Giggster’s optional protection packages, you can rest easy knowing you have the coverage you need.
The Best Type of Venue for Your Event
With 10000 unique venues for your graduation party, anniversary, wedding, or meeting, the perfect setting for your next event is just a few taps away on the Giggster app. We've got a few venue ideas that may inspire you when it's time to plan for your occasion.
Industrial Spaces – Edgy and Urban. Converted warehouses, old factories, breweries, unused train stations, and lofts—you may not realize the potential of these unique spaces. But add lighting, furniture, and decor, and you'll witness a miracle. What once was an outdated and shabby-looking space becomes an extraordinary venue that suits any style, be it raw and edgy or stylish and elegant.
Elegant Homes and Mansions – Fairytale-like Celebrations. Your guests will feel like kings and queens when they attend your party in a luxurious home or grand mansion. For corporate events that want to impress investors and delegates, book a massive mansion in Lincoln Park, Chicago, or a villa in Topanga with mountain views and a spacious area where everyone can mingle while young guests run around.
Live Music Venues – A Night of Dancing and Entertainment. Experience the city's party scene and nightlife in live music venues. From bars and pubs to music halls, jazz clubs, and theaters, you have multiple options, so pick your poison. They've got the vibes, food, drinks, music, and entertainment—what else could you ask for?
Cafes and Restaurants – Heartwarming and Intimate. If you just want to chill and meet with your closest friends and family in a cozy, and laid-back setting, you can't go wrong with a lovely cafe or restaurant. You only need minimal decor and, sometimes, restaurants have in-house entertainment, so you have one less thing to worry about.
Outdoor Spaces – Party in Nature. Maybe you want a change of scenery for this year's birthday party or family reunion. Rent a place with a spacious backyard or lawn area, a porch, a garden, or a rooftop terrace with views of the city, ocean, or mountains. If you like a rural feel, celebrate in a cottage home with the tranquil nature as your backdrop.
Top Features to Look for in an Event Venue
When you plan an event, you should have an idea of what your non-negotiables are and items you can go without. Here are a few things you can add to your list of must-haves:
Can you bring your own food or caterer? You won't want your guests to leave the event with an empty stomach, so always plan for food. But the question is, are you allowed to bring your own food or hire an outside vendor? Some venues would insist on using their on-site catering service, so check this before you pay for the rental fee.
Does the ambiance match your event? Before you set the wheels in motion for the upcoming conference, fundraising, or gala, think about whether the venue's atmosphere aligns with your concept or theme. You can style it the way you like to create the setting you desire; still, it's a good idea to pick a place that already has the vibe and look you want, so you don't have to spend much on decor or lighting.
What facilities does it offer? And most importantly, does it have the amenities and services you need? With Giggster, you don't have to wonder whether a venue has your needed facilities because it has the essential details to help you make an informed choice. Plus, you can contact the host directly to ask questions or schedule a visit.
How to Plan an Event
Event planning isn't a walk in the park, even if you've done it many times in the past. Seasoned event planners or not, this guide can help you put together a successful festivity from start to finish.
Have a Goal – For starters, ask yourself what you want attendees to get out of your event. Do you want them to know about a new product, obtain funds for a project, meet like-minded people, or simply party like there’s no tomorrow? Once you set your goals and objectives, it’s easy to see the path you should take as you plan the event.
Set a Budget – It’s so easy to get carried away and spend a lot more than you planned. But unless you want to take the risk of going into debt or dealing with financial setbacks after the gathering, you should create a budget and stick to it.
Create Your Team – No matter how organized you are and how many events you’ve put together in the past, you can’t do everything on your own. You might need an event planner, manager, security personnel, caterer, and photographer, but it depends on what type of event it is and the scale.
Find a Good Location – Is the city center the best spot for your party or would you rather host it in a rural farm or a countryside home? Any place works, but make sure it’s easy to reach via car or public transport and accessible for guests with mobility issues.
Organize the Program and Activities – You can’t expect guests to arrive and do their own things. You must have a schedule of activities from the moment they get to the venue and sign up until they leave to remain organized. That's why you must have a vision of your event from start to finish, so you and the attendees know what to expect.
Event Expenses to Plan For
No-cost events like free shows and concerts exist, but planning one can cost a lot of money. You must anticipate and budget for various expenses to avoid costly surprises.
- What's the venue rental fee?
You have to spend on venue rental, and often, any add-ons like security, cleaning, or in-house catering, have separate fees. Thankfully, Giggster has numerous affordable options you can book for as little as $20 USD/hour.
You might be able to recruit your willing friends and family to help with decor or take care of the music and entertainment. But for things like lighting design, catering, and professional photography, it's best to leave them in the hands of experts, and hiring them will add to your expenses.
- Allocate funds for event supplies.
Even small birthday parties will need supplies like tables, linens, and chairs, and these items aren't cheap. You can recycle or repurpose what you already have at home but for large-scale events like conferences, festivals, conventions, and concerts, you'll need to gather more items or even hire a supplier.
Plan Your Event with Giggster
The right venue for your next party is within your reach. Check out Giggster's listings to discover famous and unconventional event spaces, from hotels and resorts to intimate studios, rustic cabins, golf courses, and more.
Everything you need to know about throwing a company event
After COVID-19 caused drastic changes in business operations worldwide, face-to-face corporate events rebounded in 2022. All American Speakers Bureau, an industry leader in booking event talent, saw an increase in in-person requests from 46% of all bookings in January 2022 to 73% by March 2022. While corporate events can vary greatly in size, scope, and audience, they all require planning and budgeting to be successful.
Some corporate events target customers and stakeholders to announce operational changes or new initiatives. Others focus on employees to provide training, team-building, or reward staff for their hard work. Events can also include a combination of the two, bringing clients and staff together to celebrate special occasions.
Pulling company events off without a hitch is no easy feat, especially in the business world where there may be hundreds, if not thousands, of attendees the company wishes to forge new relationships with or strengthen existing bonds. Between finding the perfect venue and booking the best food and drink vendors and entertainment, there are many considerations to make for company events and parties.
Giggster compiled a list of corporate event-planning tips using information from industry experts and news. Read on to learn about five essential considerations for planning successful company events, both small and large.
Planning, goal-setting, and budgeting
The first step in planning a successful corporate event is to clearly define the basic parameters: What are the overarching objectives of the event? When and where, generally speaking, does it need to be held—or is there flexibility on the timing? How many, and what type of, attendees are expected?
With the basics outlined and the stage set for planning, staying organized can help the months of planning transform into a well-executed event. To keep organized, be sure to generate a list of everything that needs to be done for the event using spreadsheets or other tools like event management apps and software programs. This will help delegate responsibilities and track planning progress. In addition to basic tasks like securing a venue, finding a caterer, and booking entertainment, larger events must consider things like marketing, hiring event staff, arranging hotels and transportation, and coordinating pre- and post-event activities for attendees.
Establish an overall event budget up front to break down costs across these planning areas. To set a budget, it is helpful to list all event components in order of priority, then research past event costs and gather quotes from local vendors. If the event will generate revenue or include sponsorship opportunities, this income should also be factored into the overall budget.
Venues
Although it may be tempting to quickly book that popular new venue everyone has been raving about, it is important to ensure the location is a good fit for the specific event. Before selecting a venue, clarify the overarching vision or objectives for the event and establish a budget. These factors will guide the selection of the most appropriate venue.
Event venues book quickly and far in advance, so this is one of the first items that should be checked off an event planner's to-do list. In addition to the venue's aesthetics, it is important to consider factors like location, accessibility, capacity, and safety.
The venue is the most expensive corporate event cost on average. If cost is a concern, look for venues with availability outside peak days and times, as the rental fee is likely lower. Also, many venues have nonrefundable deposits, so booking is a financial commitment, and canceling could be costly.
Vendors, transport, and accommodation
There are many factors to consider when looking for vendors to cater a corporate event. Some venues may require in-house food and beverage services, which should be considered when booking the venue. Event planners must decide whether meals will be served seated or buffet-style, if alcohol will be served, and if snacks will be provided throughout the day. Identifying any attendee dietary restrictions or food allergies is also important so alternate menus can be offered.
Planners must also arrange overnight accommodations and transportation for larger events where attendees travel in from other locations or staff are taken away on a retreat. In fact, nearly one-fifth of gross hotel bookings in 2019 were from meetings and conferences, according to a 2020 report conducted by Deloitte Insights.
Hotels may offer corporate room blocks or buyouts as they do for weddings, so this is a good option for cost savings. Transportation considerations may range from charter buses or shuttles to ferry attendees to and from the event, all the way up to airfare to bring distant travelers into town.
Entertainment and decor
To set the right mood and tone for a corporate event, the entertainment and decor should align with the event's objectives. Planning an event with unique, interactive experiences is also more likely to keep attendees engaged and leave a positive lasting impression.
Entertainment options depend on the type of corporate event. Still, they can range from guest speakers who are topical experts to live bands or comedians that will break up more monotonous parts of the agenda. Hiring a DJ is another less expensive option than live music but still provides an energetic atmosphere.
Decor can liven up an event while also visually reinforcing a cohesive theme. Options include hiring printers to design banners and signage or florists to create fresh table arrangements. Along with decorating the venue, hosting giveaways throughout the event or offering swag at the end can be a thoughtful touch. When selecting swag, consider environmentally friendly options that are ethically sourced and high-quality; this way, attendees are more likely to keep and use the items rather than throw them away after the event.
Challenges to anticipate
Planning a corporate event is a complex job, and challenges are unavoidable. Perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind is not going over budget. Rather than spending every penny of your allotted amount, leave wiggle room in case last-minute expenses arise or vendor costs increase from the original quote.
Instead of worrying about whether your company's event will have a successful turnout, remember to spend adequate time and resources promoting the event. Smaller events may only require personalized invitations, but for larger events, it is important to spread the word. Use social media or a more formal marketing plan to generate interest.
Though you can't totally predict bad weather, late vendors, or other mishaps, you can certainly be ready when they happen by ensuring your event is well-staffed to step in. Event staffing requires proactive planning. Also, an understaffed event can create frustration and low satisfaction among attendees. Be sure to err on the side of caution when hiring—it is better to end up with too many staff working an event than too few.
It is also important that staff working the event clearly understand their job responsibilities and expectations so attendees have the best customer service experience possible. Any parts of the event that can be practiced, scripted, and run through beforehand should be to ensure things go smoothly.
