Venue hire
What to look for in a barn venue
Team Selgars · · 1 min read
Warmth, first and always
A cold barn ruins an event and there is no rescuing it on the day. Ask what the heating is, how long it takes to bring the space up, and whether it runs all evening. If the answer is patio heaters, plan for people to be cold.
Acoustics
Hard surfaces and a high roof make a barn loud. Sixty people talking can become genuinely difficult, and a speech from one end may not reach the other. Ask whether there is any soft furnishing, rugs, drapes, and whether they have a PA.
The floor and the doors
Concrete is practical and hard on people standing all evening. Check whether the main doors open properly in summer and seal properly in winter, because a barn is either an indoor or an outdoor space depending on that.
Power and water
How many sockets, and where? Is there three-phase if a caterer needs it? Where is the nearest tap and the nearest sink? These are dull and they determine whether a caterer will quote you a sensible price.