Practical & accessible
- Is it accessible? Consider parking, transport, ramps, lifts, accessible toilets, outside lighting?
- Check what facilities and equipment are available
- Check any health and safety issues
- Check housekeeping details (location of toilets, etc)
- Transport links?
- Who is responsible for setting up and clearing the room?
Getting in & out of the building
- Obtain details of out of office hours emergency contact
- Find out about alarms, codes, keys lights
- Heating? Where to adjust?
- Who is going to lock up at the end?
Kitchens & Refreshments
Does the venue have:
- Urn, kettle, fridge, mugs, teaspoons?
- Tea towels, washing up liquid, binbags, toilet paper?
For Performance
- Is the stage and backstage area accessible?
- Is there a backstage area for warming up and leaving coats?
- Safe to leave stuff backstage?
- Mics, sound system, technician?
- Stage lighting?
- Seating for audience – accessible? Comfortable?
- Seating for choir
- Does the venue have its own ticketing system?
- Fire regulations – how many people are allowed in the building at once?
- Whose Public Liability Insurance are you working under?
Acoustics
Avoid rooms with:
- thick carpets / curtains
- low ceilings
- hard flooring like slate or plastic laminate
Originally written by Ali Burns & Christine Kydd as part of the Choir Leaders’ Training Manual