The process of planning an event in Nairobi, the vibrant capital of Kenya, can prove to be an exhilarating journey indeed, selecting the appropriate event venue in Nairobi will prove to be amongst the most important decisions that you will have to make
Whether you require something modern in Westlands or classy in Karen, Nairobi does offer some great choices. But you have to select the venue that will suit your purposes best.
Selection of the right venue for your event can affect a great number of aspects related to your event planning process, including your expenses, logistics, atmosphere and so on. Inadequate choice of the venue might result in extra costs and many other inconveniences.
Luckily enough, selection of an adequate event venue in Nairobi can be easy and hassle-free if you follow these seven useful steps.
1. Pinpoint Your Event Type and Budget Early
Even before you get into searching for “venues near me,” there are some essential parameters to define at the very beginning. Omitting this stage would mean wasting hours looking at venues that do not work for you anyway.
Define Your Event’s Style
From the first seconds, the type of your event sets clear limitations and helps to define venues that work well for you. Do you plan to hold a week-long corporate event which requires different rooms, as well as advanced AV? A vibrant product launch which needs a spacious, modern place? Or an intimate wedding that calls for romance and seclusion?
What might be perfect for a glamorous gala would look cold and impersonal for a workshop.
Control Your Budget
There is one more parameter that is always your final limit – your budget. When figuring out how much money you could invest into your venue, it is essential not to focus solely on the cost of the base rental.
The venues in Nairobi might have different pricing policies. You have to remember about extra charges and fees, which usually include:
Service Charges and Tips: Is this covered by the quoted rate or not?
VAT: Make sure you know whether the quoted price is inclusive or exclusive of 16% VAT.
Security Deposit: What is expected initially, and what terms and conditions are there for the refund of the deposit?
Fees for Extra Hours: What will happen in case of overtime for your event?
Having a clear financial plan from the very beginning guarantees that you will have money left to choose venues you can afford without any problems.
2. Prioritize Location and Accessibility in Nairobi
Nairobi is an active, sprawling city with notorious traffic. The choice of your event venue will greatly influence the success of your event and the mood of your guests before the event.
Nairobi Traffic
Think about the origins of your main guests. If you have an event in the morning for the corporate world and your guests come from different suburbs, while your venue is at the CBD or Upperhill, you can have great central locations but terrible traffic issues.
If you choose venues outside the city such as Karen, Gigiri, and Lang’ata, you will have lovely venues, but must think about the travel time.
Transport Links and Parking
Consider the mode of transport that your guests will use. In case most of them will be using public transport, then location near important Matatu routes or availability of easy pickup service via the apps such as Uber or Bolt is essential.
In case most of them will come by personal means, then you need parking spaces in ample quantities. This is because many facilities located in areas such as Westlands or Kilimani might lack enough parking space.
3. Evaluate Venue Capacity and Layout
Venue size and layout have an influence on the flow of your event and your guests’ comfort.
The Goldilocks Rule
You require a place that is not too large, nor too small but is “just right.” A too small venue will leave your guests uncomfortable, limiting their movements, especially if catering is planned. On the other hand, a very large event venue will absorb your guests’ list making the attendance appear low and dampening the atmosphere.
Always ask the venues about the maximum number of guests they can accommodate according to different layouts, and always go for a place that your number of expected guests should fill adequately without breaking any fire regulations.
Flow and Seating Arrangements
The architecture of the place matters as well. Will the venue provide you with the appropriate layout to create your event flow? Think about bottlenecks like entrances, reception and registration area, and the queue to the buffet station.
Make sure that the event venue offers the necessary layout for your seating arrangements. These can be:
Banquet: circular tables for special occasions like galas or weddings.
Theatre: seating rows facing the stage and better for lecturers.
Cocktail: tall tables with fewer chairs for networking.
4. Scrutinize Amenities and In-House Services
The services provided by the venue internally can affect the number of vendors you need to hire externally, which can make a big difference in budgeting and planning.
Tech & Power (Essential in Nairobi)
In case of corporate events, having reliable Wi-Fi with sufficient bandwidth is essential. You should inquire about the bandwidth available in the case of corporate events.
As important as Wi-Fi in Nairobi, is the power provision at the venue. You need to find out if the venue has a generator for emergencies in order to run the event seamlessly without any power problems. The quality of the AV equipment should be assessed as well, as you might need to hire external teams if they are poor.
Catering
Does the event venue provide a mandatory in-house catering team or can they accept external caterers (“dry hire”)?
Having in-house catering makes things easy, make sure that their menu meets your requirements and that they are able to serve according to all restrictions. If the venue allows bringing in-house vendors, you should find out if they will provide a vendor list or if they give you complete freedom.
5. Assess the Ambiance and Decor Potential
Either way, the already existing aesthetic of the venue will help you avoid decorating expenses or incur huge expenses to make the venue appealing.
Matching Your Theme
Check out the natural architecture and style of the venue. Does it match your theme? Venues located in the vicinity of Karura Forest or Karen may require minimal decoration efforts when it comes to hosting a rustic or botanical theme wedding.
A sterile hotel ballroom, on the other hand, may require lots of work in terms of draping, lighting, and flower decorations to bring some life into the venue.
Lighting is Crucial
Lighting creates an atmosphere. When it comes to day time events, opt for venues with many windows and natural light sources, since it will keep the guests alert. At night time events, check the venues’ lighting options. Are they dimmable? Is there up-lighting available? Lighting can turn the venue into a great space.
6. Always Do a Physical Site Visit
Never plan an event in any venue only based on the pictures that you see in the websites or even virtual tours. Pictures can always be altered or enhanced to appear better and bigger than what is actually in reality.
See Beyond the Pictures
Take the time to look at everything when visiting the venue. See the condition of the carpeting, check if the restrooms are clean (this is actually a great way to gauge how well the venue is managed), and see the general state of the facility.
Listen to how the room sounds. Is there any echo problem? Is there noticeable noise from adjacent rooms, traffic or the surrounding area? Observe the efficiency of the on-site personnel during your site visit as they will be the people who will work with you on the day of your event.
Asking the Right Questions
Site visits are good opportunities for you to ask some logistics questions like:
What are the specific times when the setup and tear down should be done?
Is there noise control in place (significant for residential areas)?
7. Partner with Experts for a Seamless Experience
Picking out a location for the event in Nairobi is not going to be easy; besides plenty of time, it will take good negotiation skills and good market knowledge. In case you have to deal with event planning while running a company or doing your job at the same time, the entire procedure becomes exhausting.
This is where a cooperation with a professional event managing company can make all the difference.
Why Should You Cooperate With Lumi Events for Your Nairobi Event?
Lumi Events is where we assist our clients in simplifying the process of event venue selection right from the shortlist to the actual reservation of the venue. Based on your type of event, number of guests, preferred location, budget, and other logistics involved, we will be able to recommend venues that are truly appropriate for your event.
Our local experience and knowledge will enable us to compare event venue packages and help us to negotiate with your venues. Whether you are organizing a corporate event, conference, wedding, product launch or private event, our objective is to assist you in finding venues that provide the experience you want.
Conclusion
The selection of an event venue that suits your needs should not be difficult in Nairobi. You just have to start by defining your event and budget, consider its location and accessibility, check its capacity and facilities, assess its atmosphere and make sure to conduct a proper inspection of the place for making the right choice.
If you prefer to delegate the task of venue selection and comparison to an expert team of professionals, then contact Lumi Events now and let us assist you in finding the best event venue for you.
Don’t want the hassle of searching for a venue? Let our experts do the job for you. Get in touch with us today at Lumi Events.
