Jessica Murphy

Senior Director of Client Services | Opus Agency

10 Keys to the Perfect Site Visit

OPUS AGENCY 2

Your venue may be the most important factor in the success of your event. The right venue influences audience acquisition, brand image, attendee experience, virtually every logistical decision, and, of course, your team’s ability to execute a perfect event. Getting a handle on strategic and logistical objectives is no small feat—but neither is scouting a venue. How do you assess the feasibility of a site on a short timeline?

OPUS AGENCY 3

GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW:

Preparation is KeyAt least half of the work involved in any site scout is done before your shoes even touch the ground onsite.

OPUS AGENCY 4

PREPARATION IS KEY

Loop in your venue counterparts as early as possible.THE VENUE LIAISON will be an invaluable source of information and resources before, during, and after your site visit.

The team will need their input on the CADs, floorplans, and access and allocation charts

that will prove invaluable. Furthermore, it will be necessary to coordinate access to the

venue staff and required resources, ensuring a productive visit.

1

OPUS AGENCY 5

PREPARATION IS KEY

Set goals for the site visit.DETERMINE A LIST of boxes you’d like to check before everyone heads back to the home office.

As with anything else, clear objectives will help you accomplish more during your time onsite.

Make sure these goals are shared in advance with the venue to allow them to prepare on

their end. You’re only as efficient as the least-prepared member of the team.2

OPUS AGENCY 6

PREPARATION IS KEY

The whole planning team is rarely in the same place at the same time—don’t waste this golden opportunity! PLANNING AND EXECUTING large-scale events usually involves a team spread across state or international borders.

While remote coordination is the industry standard, everyone

will be more productive when the entire team is in the same

place. Don’t waste a minute of this precious time!

3“Venue visits are a productivity dream for your #events

team. @OpusAgency #eBook has perfect #SiteVisit tips: bit.ly/SiteVisitTop10”

OPUS AGENCY 7

PLAN THE WORK, WORK THE PLAN:

What to Do When You Get ThereYou’ve prepped and planned to the gills—time to make it happen!

OPUS AGENCY 8

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE

Try your best to run out of questions to ask.THERE ARE SO MANY FACTORS at play with a major event, it shouldn’t be hard to come up with an impossibly long list of variables and unknowns.

Leave no stone unturned; this is your opportunity to tackle issues that can only be

dealt with onsite.

4What kind of questions should you be asking? Cover all the major bases:

accessibility, surrounding areas, the hotel’s overall condition, available

amenities, guestroom counts and features, meeting spaces, food and

beverage logistics, audio/visual capabilities, technical specs. This

is just the broad strokes. Don’t be afraid to drill deeper!

OPUS AGENCY 9

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE

Document everything! SERIOUSLY. EVERYTHING. Don’t rely on your memory; your brain will be too overloaded with details to be able to recall all the finer points later on.

Take notes, record conversations, take pictures and email them to yourself with details in

the subject line—whatever works best for you. As you’re collecting information and getting

questions answered, be sure to tick off your objectives as you achieve them.

5“#Events #SiteVisit 101: document everything!

Email pics w/ info in the subject line. More tips in this @OpusAgency #eBook: bit.ly/SiteVisitTop10”

OPUS AGENCY 10

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET THERE

You’re only human! YOU, your fellow team members, the people from the venue, the staffers you’re meeting: no matter how much you might wish otherwise, you’re not event-planning robots.

Devote some time to catch up on email, refuel with food, and let the overflow of

information sink into everybody’s minds. Everyone will accomplish more (and like

each other more) if they don’t feel like they’re running a marathon—which

helps make up for any time lost to breaks.

6Don’t be afraid to earmark some time (and budget) for team building while

you’re onsite. The time and money spent will pay dividends through

stronger working relationships.

OPUS AGENCY 11

BE THE ATTENDEE:

Put Yourself in Their ShoesImagining yourself as an attendee at your event will shine a light on unseen issues and benefits.

OPUS AGENCY 12

BE THE ATTENDEE

Engage stealth mode. IF POSSIBLE, try to experience the site outside the bubble created by your venue liaisons.

Use this opportunity to get a real sense of a guest’s first impressions. Try to access

conference areas and seminar rooms—did anyone challenge you? Make requests

of housekeeping and the desk staff—are they helpful, did they offer special

amenities, what’s their response time like? As nice as the VIP treatment

is, you’re looking for the VTP (Very Typical Person) experience.

7“#SiteVisit tip: stealth mode. Escape the #EventPlanner

bubble to get a real feel for your #venue. @OpusAgency #eBook bit.ly/SiteVisitTop10”

OPUS AGENCY 13

BE THE ATTENDEE

Bring a big appetite. WHILE YOU’RE ONSITE, make an effort to eat at as many different hotel or venue outlets as possible.

It’ll give you a good sense of what attendees can expect while they’re onsite. Is the food

amazing? The quality and atmosphere will have a direct effect on how likely your

attendees will be to partake in the meals you’re providing.8

Don’t stop at the restaurant experience. Do your best to attend a tasting with

the hotel’s chef and the catering team. Tasting sessions always result in

changes that make the food experience better for everyone involved.

OPUS AGENCY 14

BE THE ATTENDEE

Test everything. THERE ARE A MILLION aspects of any venue that add up to an attendee’s experience.

Try to get a feel for as many as possible. Are spaces clean? If you’re unaccompanied,

how does uniformed staff treat you? Get into a meeting room. Are you comfortable?

Is the room too hot or cold? Are the seats comfy? How soundproof are the walls?

An effective event management team will use every opportunity available to

determine whether your attendees will have a pleasant experience.

9

OPUS AGENCY 15

AVOID THE PITFALLS:

Watch Out for These Common MistakesIf you depend on lists like most event marketers, it’s easy to get caught up in the drive to check all your boxes. Here are a few boxes to keep checkmark-free.

OPUS AGENCY 16

AVOID THE PITFALLS

We’ve given you plenty to do. Here are a few major DON’TS:

Don’t make unreasonable demands. The events industry is a tight-knit community;

your reputation is key.

Don’t sacrifice quality for cost. There are better ways to make your budget work than

a bargain basement option. Remember: you get what you pay for.

Don’t misrepresent yourself, or your team. Painting an accurate picture of your

needs and objectives for the venue is of utmost importance to an event’s success.

Don’t jump at the first offer. If you’re going to be discussing costs, show up ready

to do some negotiating.

Don’t be intimidated. Be confident in yourself and your team. You’ve come

this far—don’t let anyone get in the way of your best interests.

10“#SiteVisit no-nos: Don’t make wild demands,

sacrifice quality to save $, or take the 1st offer. — @OpusAgency”

OPUS AGENCY 17

OPUS AGENCY is a brand events and marketing agency. We create and manage hundreds of

events and campaigns every year, all over the world, including things like strategic executive-level

summits, immersive brand experiences, and conferences with 30,000 attendees. We have amazing

people who share strong values, and a specific methodology that ties everything we do to

customer success. We call it TeamCS™.

Interested in putting Jessica’s knowledge to work for your brand? Contact Kristin Waters

to learn about partnering with Opus Agency.

Jessica Murphy is a Senior Director of Client Services at Opus Agency. After hundreds of

successful events, including large-scale conferences for more than 30,000 attendees, Jessica is

an expert at making her clients’ grand strategic visions a reality. She manages the millions of

tiny details that bring an event to life, and she does it efficiently.

At her core, her strength comes from her ability to understand her clients’ business needs,

comprehend how they impact the big picture, and translate them to the details that

make an event successful. Jessica has proven herself a strong leader within

Opus, and her clients continually praise her passion, high integrity, and

keen attention to detail—all of which allows her to serve as a true

extension of their internal teams.

Jessica Murphy | 971.223.1124 | jmurphy@opusteam.com