How to choose a venue for your matchmaking event

Choosing the venue looks like a matter of taste and is, in fact, a decision about the design of the event. The room defines how many tables fit, how many tables define how many participants, and how many participants define how many rounds the event supports. Getting this wrong contaminates everything that comes after.

What the room decides

Start with the space, not with the number of guests.

The organizer decides the experience: longer conversations with fewer people, or quick contact with many companies. You also decide whether the table is larger or smaller, how long each person speaks and whether the event is open or focused on one sector.

The room decides how much of that fits. Each table takes up more floor space than it seems, with the chairs pushed back and room for a person to stand, and you still have to add the aisle, the registration desk, the coffee area and the operator's space. The usable area defines how many tables go in, and the number of rounds comes after that, as a consequence of the design.

If the space cannot hold the expected audience, the answer is not to squeeze the tables in: it is to reduce the number of participants or find another room. A cramped room seizes up the table change, and a slow table change eats the time of the following rounds.

The risk is announcing the format before checking the room. Whoever promises more conversations in the invitation than the room can sustain finds out on the day, with people sitting down again with someone they already talked to. In the demo, the software shows what your room can hold, with your own numbers.

What to check on the visit, with the room empty

Go to the venue before signing. Take this list.

• Acoustics. Several tables talking at the same time produce a lot of noise. If the ceiling is high and there is no treatment, people will shout and leave hoarse. Ask whether there is carpet or curtains.
• The audible signal. Test whether an alert is heard in the furthest corner. It is the alert that commands the table change. If it does not reach the back of the room, the event loses its rhythm.
• A projection point. Is there a white wall or a screen visible from every table? The instruction for the moment has to be visible, not only said.
• Power sockets. Where is the operator's socket? How many metres of extension will you need to bring?
• Columns. A column in the middle of the room is the most expensive defect, because it blocks the view of the screen from some of the tables.
• Toilets and circulation. A queue for the toilet in the break delays the next round. Count the cubicles.
• Parking and access. If parking is difficult, some of the audience arrives late, and lateness dismantles the schedule.

The types of space, with the real pros and cons

Universities and entrepreneurship schools. Tables and chairs already exist, the cost tends to be low or zero in exchange for a partnership, and the academic audience adds something. The downside: an inflexible calendar and internal rules that only appear the night before. Ask in writing for the time the room is released.

Catering venues and function rooms. A ready-made setup, sound installed, a kitchen on site. It is the most comfortable format. The downside is the cost and the tendency for the space to be too large for small groups, which leaves the room looking empty.

Chambers of commerce and trade associations. Alongside the space, they bring the membership list, which is half the recruitment work. See business matchmaking at a chamber of commerce.

Coworking spaces and virtual offices. They suit groups of 20 to 40 people well and gain from the footfall generated. The detail is in business matchmaking for coworking spaces.

Restaurants at a quiet hour. Low cost and a gain for the partner, who takes the food and drink. The downside is the fixed layout: the table size is already decided, and that changes the design of the whole event. See monetize your space with business matchmaking.

Venue mistakes that only appear on the day

• Signing without seeing the room set up. A floor plan deceives. Ask for a partial setup or go to an event in the same space.
• Ignoring the fixed layout. If the venue's tables are small and fixed, the table size of your event is already decided, and that changes how many rounds the event supports.
• Contracting with no clause on timing. Overrunning tends to cost dearly and you only find out the amount when you overrun.
• Forgetting the registration area. A queue at the door delays the whole start.
• Not confirming the day before. Go to the venue a day ahead. Last-minute changes happen and you want to know about them before the participants do.

How to test the design before signing

Before closing the contract, test the design with the number of tables the room supports. In Rodada de Sucesso, you enter participants, tables and seats and the planner shows the best measured configuration, with alternatives alongside. With the number of tables the room supports, you see immediately how many rounds that design delivers and how many people each participant is going to meet.

It is also worth using the simulation to compare scenarios side by side: one room with more, smaller tables, another with fewer, larger ones. Both take the same audience, but they deliver different experiences, and you decide with a number instead of intuition.

When the venue causes a problem on the day

Always have two things ready: the table map printed and a plan for reducing the tables. If half the room could not be used, you reduce the number of tables, recalculate the distribution and carry on. A table with one person alone is the worst possible scenario, and it is exactly what the recalculation avoids.

The right venue is not the prettiest. It is the one where the table change happens in under two minutes, the alert is heard at the back of the room and nobody has to shout to be understood. Complete the preparation with the matchmaking event checklist and with the ideal environment for a matchmaking event.