When you have a booking that starts at 9am, do you expect the event organizers to arrive at 9am or before? I recently had a guest that booked a meeting space, starting at 8am. All 40 attendees were waiting outside by 7:45, at which time they started banging on my door with their fists! I send reminders before events to say “Do not arrive before xx to set up, for your event start time and guests’ arrival at yy,” but this was a last minute booking so I didn’t send that note. I’m just wondering if it’s standard in the events industry to expect people to arrive early? Thanks.
Thanks for responding and for the empathy. I guess I needed to vent! But I also really appreciate your suggestion to add a house rule about it. going to do that now!
In our experience, the off-site events (corporate, meetings, workshops, etc) have more people arriving early than other types of events. I had one meeting where 2 guys arrived 2 hours early (looking like they just stepped off the set of The Sopranos). I told them they could grab some coffee at the end of the block, and they grudgingly left. Came back a few minutes later and said, “We’ll just wait here.”
In that case, whatever. Here are a few thoughts:
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The meeting attendees often come early to account for traffic, find the location, find a parking spot, get settled. Point this out to the organizers as they may not be aware if they are new to this.
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Organizers often feel they can set up in 15 minutes, when that is rarely the case. Point out to them that people will arrive early, and they need to decide if they want people coming in while they are still setting up, or if they want to be dialed in before opening the doors to attendees. They need to book time to arrive, get a feel for the space, load in, connect to a project, put out materials, etc.
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They should account for at least 30 minutes of early arrivals, but that is a good time to greet them, offer coffee/water/juice/pastries, encourage them to meet others attendees.
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Tell the booker to communicate clearly that the venue will not open until _____ o’clock.
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Ask the booker, “If some of your people arrive earlier than X:XX, would you like us to let them in and add that time to your booking?”
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For all events, I state it something like this: “I will meet you at the venue at 8:00am to unlock the space for you and walk you through the amenities. Please let you guests, friends, assistants, and vendors know there will not be early access to the space, and any deliveries before that time (if possible) need to be coordinated in advance in writing.”
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My space is not my home, so I try as much as possible to have the space clean and ready, and then leave, returning 10 minutes before their start time.
All the best! - Brad
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Before I even accept the booking, I always ask for the renter to confirm that their requested booking time includes set up and breakdown. It’s tedious to have to ask so many questions to confirm things but in the end it makes the event a lot easier for me.
The day before or morning of the event I always send this message:
Hi _____,
I just wanted to touch base with you on your upcoming event at
(venue’s address)
Please note that:
-Doors will unlock at _____ for you to begin set up.
-You and your guests and vendors are expected to vacate by _____. Per Peerspace’s policy, overtime will be billed in half-hour increments at a rate of 1.5 times our stated hourly rate.
Let me know if you have any questions, I’m here to help. See you soon!
I keep a .doc on my desktop of message templates that I just copy and paste, and add in any comments I need to depending on the event.
Hope this helps!
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This happens to me ALL THE @$%& TIME.
My favorite is when people say they want their booking to go from, say… 9:00am to 5:00pm and then look at me and ask how early they can access the space. The look of confusion on their faces when I say 9:00am is fun to watch.
Beyond that, the actual answer is “it depends…”.
For most events (weddings, birthdays, etc) the start time is the start time. I rarely budge on it though I will allow people to drop things off earlier in the day if it’s convenient for me. However, they cannot start setting up, unpacking, prepping, etc. until the start time on the agreement.
For photo/film productions, which is my main business, I’m flexible. The reason for this is that these are the people that are going to book repeatedly and/or tell their friends in the business about me. I want them to feel accommodated and good about being here. I usually get to the space an hour before a booking to tidy up and make sure the space is good to go. The production assistants almost always show up 15-20 mins early and I’ll let them in while I clean.
ONE SUPER HELPFUL THING TO HAVE is a sign in/out sheet. I have the first person sign in and the last sign out. Both are required to indicate the time. The security cameras in the space can give me a time stamp if I want to be stiff about timing, but having someone’s signature on a piece of paper almost always mitigates this. I also have the basic studio rules on this paper so that there’s no question someone received them.
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Good idea with the sign in/out sheeet! I have a laminated info sheet with my info, venue rules, etc. on it and was thinking to have them sign this to make sure they read it.
These are all such good ideas. Thank you, Mimi, Brad, and Geoffrey!
tldr for future readers:
- Before booking, confirm that booker has accounted for set up time and planned their start time with attendees accordingly.
- Ask in advance if attendees should be allowed in early at overtime rates.
- “Doors will be unlocked for you at __.” No early arrivals; deliveries earlier only by appointment.
- Day before/of reminder with door time and consequences of early arrivals.
- sign in/out sheet for first arrival and last departure to indicate times of arrival/departure
- house rule on Peerspace listing about early arrivals and late departures
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Hi Mimi! Would you be willing to share your list of templates we should have prepared for renters? It would be invaluable as I feel like every event there’s something I wish I had thought of before hand. Thank you
I have one message that I send out after someone has come by for a tour. During the tour I make note of any questions or requests and I recap this later in a message.
This one I send out when they are ready to book:
Setup and break down is included in booking hours. Doors will unlock when your reservation starts; and you are expected to vacate completely by the end of your reservation time.
The space must be vacated (including vendors and guests), and all items brought into the space must be removed by the end time of your booking reservation. Per Peerspace’s policy, overtime will be billed in half-hour increments at a rate of 1.5 times our stated hourly rate.
Guests must notify the venue coordinator of any food, beverage, and equipment deliveries.
Excessive or unnecessary noises that are a menace to the welfare and prosperity of the residents and businesses surrounding our venue are prohibited. Weapons, illegal drugs and activities are prohibited. Smoking is prohibited except in designated areas. No loitering. Renter is responsible for ensuring all guests vacate the property by the end of the reservation. No glitter, confetti or confetti balloons.
Guests are expected to leave the space in the same condition as they found it in. Guests must respect the space and we ask/appreciate that guests tidy up after themselves. No nails, screws, staples or penetrating items should be used on our walls. Any tape or gummed backing materials must be properly removed. Damages (walls, floors, furniture, etc) will be billed to the credit card on file with Peerspace.
To confirm agreement of these terms and conditions and to finalize your booking, please reply to this message with your full name and phone number.
And then this one I send a day or two before the event:
Hi _____,
I just wanted to touch base with you on your upcoming event at
(venue’s address)
Please note that:
-Doors will unlock at _____ for you to begin set up.
-You and your guests and vendors are expected to vacate by _____. Per Peerspace’s policy, overtime will be billed in half-hour increments at a rate of 1.5 times our stated hourly rate.
Let me know if you have any questions, I’m here to help. See you soon!
I have a few other ones specific to our venue and features (photo booth, parking, etc.).
Hope this helps!
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Thank you so much Mimi!
Hi all, I have a question how the rest of you handle a guest who wants to come in 30min, or an hour early, but does not want to pay extra? This happens somewhat regularly. Cheers ~ Rocky
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If I have someone booked they are unable to walk into the studio but can wait outside. If they come 30 mins early I would advise there is a 30 min fee that would be added since I only give 15 mins grace period only once. Either when they come in or out. Good luck
Hey Rocky. People book and then ask how early they can arrive to load in and set up. My response is something like:
“The way Peerspace works is that you book the entire time you want access to the space. We will meet you to unlock the space at your start time, and we should be able to lock up at your end time. Please share this with your family, friends, vendors, and guests. Also note that early vendor deliveries may not be possible due to another booking, and if possible, must be arranged in advance in writing. There may be an additional charge, and the same goes for late item pickup.” I had my worst week with late pickups this week.
I try to have my space ready early, then leave so I don’t have to deal with anyone early. I then return 10-15 minutes ahead of their booking and can say, “Sure, come on in.”
On a related note, I had a crazy one yesterday. I had a big, highly produced 5-year-old bday party from 10am-5pm, with a fundraiser at 6pm. The second group kept asking how early they could arrive, and I said we have to prep the space and mop, floor has to dry. so 6. On the day, they pressed again, and I said I can add 5-6pm for you with the understanding that it will be chaotic, and we will be prepping the space as you load in and set up. They originally were trying to get a little extra time gratis, but ended up paying for the hour.
As expected, it was pretty crazy getting the first group out and the next group in. But they greatly appreciated (and needed) the time to set up, and it was a great event. Awesome actually. Come to think of it, they were scheduled to be out at 11pm, but I told them not to rush. Good people, and it was a fundraiser, so I did not charge them for another 45 min.
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Hi Brad,
Thanks for the feedback! Yes, we get similar problems with overlapping, but also quite a few people who want to come in early for gratis.
Now I just say that it is fine to come early, that I can just change the time on the booking in Peerspace, if they like. Sometimes I do not mind, as well, if it is a nonprofit.
I have not charged for dropping off something, if I will be there. There have been a few renters who want to stop by to decide on their layout for the party. This can get quite time consuming at times for they want to ask a lot of questions.
The last group was very frustrating in this way, so I need to let them know ahead of time about the length of time. One other issue is that some people will email me back and forth 20+ both before & after they book.
Even with these, the steady flow of rentals has been good, fortunately.
Hope all is well!
Rocky
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That’s a key point you touched on Rocky, and I have really been feeling it over the last few weeks. Many “site visits” are actually Consultations, with us answering questions and making recommendations based on our many experiences in the space. So a fee for our time and expertise seems warranted.
Likewise, when they later start setting up for their event, I can’t help but offer to adjust the lighting, throwing a light onto a selfie background, a cake table, a balloon display, a singer, etc. Working so hard has kept those 5-star reviews coming, but I’d like to start charging for some of that effort. And I just discovered some cool lights that I’m buying that will let me offer a lighting package, will make a separate post about that.
We make all customers sign a waiver prior to their session that is extremely detailed so they understand how we operate business. We don’t mind if people show up 5 mins early but that’s the earliest we will allow. We also require the clients to setup and breakdown all their equipment during the amount of time they booked. If they go over their booked time by 10 mins we charge an additional hour mandatory because that interferes with the next bookings. We have a 2 hour minimum, but will allow clients to book an additional hour(s) if the time slot is available. We never allow people to book anything less than a hour when they request extra time. 30 minutes is just a waste of time for us and throws our schedule off for the next customers.