How to Find the Perfect Venue for a Birthday Party

 Did you know that September is the busiest birthday month in the year? Mid-September hosts the top three most common birthdays, likely as a result of New Year's celebrations.

No matter what month it is, knowing how to find a venue for a birthday party is a challenge you'll find every year. How can you find a way to make the most of an event space for your birthday fun?

Whether you're planning for yourself or organizing for a friend, knowing how to tackle your local event venue is crucial. Read on for a brief guide on how to find the perfect birthday venue.

Know the Group Size

The starting factor you should look at before anything else isn't budget or location, but group size. But why?

Group size is the most make-or-break factor in a party. Knowing the size of your group will help you narrow down your search only to venues that can hold as many people as you're bringing.

Handling a larger group size can feel more challenging, but the truest challenge is when your size is unclear. If you've sent out two hundred invites but only twenty have responded, you need to wait a moment and clear your roster up before you book.

The main reason for this is that you can end up with a venue much larger than you need. Not only is this wasteful and impactful on the end result, it also will end up exponentially more expensive.

Consider only searching for a venue once you have an exact number of how many people will attend. However, you can also counter this by being flexible with your venue.

A good example would be an outdoor park venue. You can often book or reserve outdoor tables or pavilions. These areas will have more room for a flexible number of guests, or a party of individuals that comes and goes.

Consider the Location's Convenience

One of the ways you can make sure as many people as possible are coming is by finding a location that's convenient for everyone. Mostly, this involves finding a space that won't force your attendees into bad commutes or travel.

For example, assume everyone lives near each other. Would you want to pick a spot that forces everyone to drive two hours? Doing so can knock many people who don't want to make such a drive out of the running during planning.

Think of this situation as a destination wedding. Setting your birthday celebration in a different state might make the event more charming, but it'll whittle out your attendees.

Before you plan, consider reaching out to your attendees and seeing who is willing to drive to a far-off event venue. The farther the travel, the more heads up you should give.

You also should consider time and location. If it's downtown during rush hour, this can dramatically alter the travel habits of your attendees. Think of all the factors you're putting on your friends and always give them the courtesy of clear communication.

Know the Appropriate Audience

An important step in your birthday fun planning is to know the full audience. What are the people attending going to want to do? More importantly, what's appropriate for them to do?

If you're planning a friend's 21st birthday, you may intend to engage with alcohol. Inviting people who haven't hit the legal age of drinking can then mess with the vibes of the whole party. Similarly, inviting out friends who may need to bring children can cross demographics.

There's more than age to consider, though. What are the dietary restrictions of your friends? Your birthday celebration will grind to a halt if you bring vegans to a steak house.

These factors are all heavily dependent on your friends and loved ones, as well as anyone else you'd want to bring to the party. Consider the situation you're putting your attendees in before you invite them. You should also make sure an event space doesn't have age restrictions.

Look Into the Venue's Services

You've got your invite list and you've begun looking into venue locations. Now, it's time to start whittling down the venues by what they offer.

Many venues may offer the same thing in essence, but may have differences in how they offer them. Two restaurants both offer "food," but do they offer the food you want?

Another service to look into is what sorts of alcohol a venue may offer. Also look into the rooms they give you, how many staff members will serve your party, and more.

What services you need are a personal choice for your birthday celebration, so it's difficult for us to narrow down the most important ones for you. Consider highlighting:

• Staff training and safety
• Any planned events
• Amenities like live music
• Bottle or food services
• Party accommodation

As you plan your party, you'll naturally think of what sorts of services you need. Pick what venue most fits your desires.

Set a Budget

One of the ways you can begin to narrow down your search for venues is the old-fashioned way: which venue can you afford?

Budgets aren't as flexible in event planning as they may be in some other fields. Most venues offering an event space will have a strict price they're set on for you to rent the space.

Think of the VIP room in your favorite restaurant, for example. While some restaurants may offer this area ahead of time for reservations, other restaurants may require it to be booked. You should communicate with your event venue to see which is the case.

Above all else, make sure you're communicating early and often with the venue of your choosing. Handle any price changes and consider having the area paid in full before the event starts. Few things are more disastrous than having an event space ruin your birthday fun because the space wasn't paid for.

A good way to find your venue is to cut your list of hopeful venues down to three to five options within your budget. Weigh which is offering the most features for their price. Some important features to focus are:

• Enough room for your whole party
• An affordable, reasonable price
• Offered services
• Food and beverage menu, if applicable
• Hours of operation

The best option isn't always the priciest, but the cheapest option isn't always best. Do your best to decide by the venue and not the price, but don't let the price get out of hand.

What Can You Bring?

When you plan a birthday celebration, part of the fun is decorating the event space. However, not every venue will allow you to do so.

Many venues will let you bring things like streamers, banners, and flags that celebrate whoever's birthday it is. You may want simple "happy birthday" streamers over the table, or you may have ordered a custom banner with your friend's face. Imagine putting in all that work just to find out the venue doesn't allow you to bring decorations!

Some venues may also not allow you to bring food, such as a birthday cake. On the other hand, some will allow you to bring such things but will charge you a fee for them. Communicate with the venue about what you can or can't bring.

Understand the Venue's Rules

Part of knowing what you can or can't bring also falls into understanding the venue's rules. These are varied and will depend fully on the venue.

In most cases, you can use common sense to grasp the expectations most venues will have. Booking the event space at your local museum? You can safely assume they aren't going to allow loud music, an alcohol-heavy party, or risque behavior.

Most rules you need to know include minor details. These include things like:

• What hours will the event venue be yours?
• How many people are you allowed to bring?
• Can you bring food, decorations, supplies, or more?
• What are the consequences of canceling?
• Are there any fees that you should expect?

While this may sound overwhelming, you don't need to investigate or interview a staff manager to find out. Most venues will have these rules displayed on their website.

Consider Accessibility

Finally, you should consider accessibility for your attendees. Do you have attendees coming to your birthday celebration who may have their birthday fun impeded by inconsiderate venue design?

If you have friends with mobility issues, things like ramps, stairs, and proper parking are crucial. What event could you hold that will bring as many people as possible?

That isn't to say you should redesign the birthday celebration for one or two people. But remember that everyone attending is someone interested in celebrating the life of someone they care for. The least you can do is keep their comfort in mind.

Finding the Best Venue for a Birthday Party

Finding a venue for a birthday party means highlighting budget, convenience, services, party capacity, and more. Planning early will make sure you can throw a birthday party with few inconveniences.

At The Mockingbird Room, we offer a venue perfect as a birthday party venue that highlights beauty and inclusivity. Our Mockingbird and Bluebonnet rooms can accommodate dozens of guests with a beautiful view of our greens. Contact us today to plan the perfect Texas birthday with The Mockingbird Room.