Venue coordination after booking
Planning the organiser office on site
Your team needs a base during the event for documents, laptops, phone calls and quick decisions, and the venue has not yet said where it is.
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The short answer
An organiser office plan states which room your team uses, what it must contain, who may enter, how items are kept secure and when the room is handed back. It is a working base, not an extra meeting room, so decide early what must happen there.
Ask the venue in writing what the room includes, such as furniture, power and network access, and what you must bring or order.
Decide what the office is for
List the tasks: storing the registration box and name badges, charging devices, printing a last-minute sheet, holding speaker folders, quick private conversations with a senior guest, and a central place for the project lead to take calls.
Each task needs space, power or a lockable surface. Writing them down shows whether one room is enough.
What to settle
| Decision | Question | Who confirms |
|---|---|---|
| Room | Is a room included, where is it relative to registration and the main room, and for how long? | Venue, in writing |
| Contents | Tables, chairs, power points, network access, printer, a lockable cupboard. | Venue says what it provides, organiser orders the rest |
| Access | Who may enter, who holds keys or cards, how it is locked overnight if used across days. | Organiser, under the credential rules |
| Security of items | Where documents, devices and cash-handling items are kept, and who is responsible. | Organiser, with venue guidance |
| Staffing | Who is in the office at each time, and who covers breaks. | Project lead |
Keep it from becoming a storeroom
Offices fill up with boxes. Agree what goes into the storage plan and what stays in the office, and set a time to clear it before the final session.
Keep the speaker room and the office apart, since the green room is for speakers and the office is for your team.
Brief the venue and your team
- Share the plan at the operations meeting and ask the venue to confirm the room in writing.
- Give the team one sheet showing where the office is, who has the key and the rule on who may enter.
- Mark the door with a sign if the room is for staff only.
- Agree what happens if the room is needed back early.
Worked example · Fictional example
A one-day conference with a small organiser team
Fictional organisation and figures, written to show the level of detail that is useful.
A fictional professional association holds a one-day conference with five staff and volunteers. The venue offers a small meeting room next to registration. The secretariat asks the venue to confirm power, network access and a lockable cupboard in writing.
The team lists three uses: store badges and the registration box, charge laptops, and hold a short private meeting with a senior guest. The project lead holds the key card, one volunteer is named to cover lunch, and surplus boxes go to the storage room before the afternoon sessions.
Use this yourself
Organiser office plan sheet
Copy this into a shared document, send it to the venue and keep it with the team. Write Not confirmed against anything the venue has not agreed.
- Room name or location, and the venue's written confirmation:
- Hours available, including setup and pack-down:
- Uses planned for the room:
- Furniture, power, network access and printer needed:
- Lockable storage, and who holds the key:
- Who may enter, and how others are told it is staff only:
- Documents, devices and valuables kept here, and who is responsible:
- Staffing by time, with cover for breaks:
- Items that must go to storage, and the time they leave:
- Contact numbers displayed inside the room:
- Fallback if the room is not available:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A small team, one organiser room and a venue contact who confirms what it provides.
- Few documents and no valuables to protect.
- One person can keep the room tidy.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several teams, sponsors and suppliers all expect to use the base.
- The event spans several days and the room must be secure overnight.
- The project lead must be reachable all day and needs a quiet working place.
Need someone to set up and run the on-site base?
A conference project lead can agree the room with the venue, set out the contents and access rules, brief the team and run the office during the event. Security and venue rules remain as the venue sets them.
Questions organisers ask
Do we need an organiser office?
Most events with a registration desk and a team of more than a few people benefit from one. A very small event might only need a table and a lockable box.
What should we ask the venue about the room?
Ask in writing what the room includes, for how long, who can enter, and what you need to bring or order. Record the reply in your plan.
Who should have the key?
One named person, with a backup, recorded in the plan. The venue should know the contact in case access is needed.
Should valuables be kept in the office?
Decide who is responsible and where items are kept, and ask the venue about secure options. Avoid leaving valuables in an unlocked room.
Related resources
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