Venue Hire in Auckland CBD for Small Groups
In this blog you’ll get ideas about:
- Where to find venues for hire for small conferences in Auckland’s CBD.
- How much it costs to hire a venue for a meeting, conference or event.
There are so many different types of venues in Auckland CBD for small conferences, meetings and events that it can sometimes be overwhelming and take up hours of your time just to find the right one.
Venyou has been working in corporate events for over 10 years and we’re happy to share with you how to find what you’re looking for without tearing your hair out in the process!
First tip is, be clear about what you’re looking for before you start. Often people will make an enquiry but won’t have thought through the purpose of the event, the style of the event or how much money they have to spend. You can save yourself hours of time and just as importantly, save hours of wasted time for the venues too, just by being clear about what you need. This might mean going to the boss and asking for more details. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking for clarity even if your boss is extremely busy (as they always are!) because in the long run you want to provide them with useful and relevant options not just a long list of random venues.
So, before you start, make sure that you have:
- Approximate numbers who’ll be attending.
- The purpose of the event – it is a meeting, presentation, planning day, brainstorm session, conference.
- Will you need AV equipment, like a projector and screen?
- Will you need a good WIFI connection? And will other people be dialling into the event or joining by video call.
- What style of event are you thinking about? Is it casual or formal? Do you need a boardroom table, will it be theatre style or cabaret style? If you don’t already know, cabaret style is normally round of square tables with 6-8 people around each one, all facing the front of the room and with nobody with their backs to the presenter.
- What’s your budget? This is so important and every good venue will ask you about it. They’re not looking to rip you off and charge you the maximum amount of money they can. Far from it. They’re just interested in quickly understanding if they can help you with the budget that you’ve got. If they can’t, it’s quicker, for you and them, if they can let you know it’s not going to work.
- What type of catering do you anticipate you’ll need? The standard meeting options are things like coffee and teas on arrival. Morning tea with one or more food items per person. Lunch – this could be a working lunch or something more substantial like a hot meal or buffet. Then there’s afternoon tea to think about if you’re planning on having a full day meeting.
Now that you’re prepared, what are your options for small meeting venues in Auckland CBD?
Standard meeting rooms
Sometimes all you need is a simple, high quality, professional meeting space, no frills. If this is what you’re after then there are a number of great venues in Auckland CBD that offer just that. You could try Karstens or Cliftons on Queen Street. They are really good at what they do and can help you with spaces for meetings, small conferences, presentations and training days. They are clean, spacious, fit for purpose and have all your standard AV requirements available in house. This can make a big difference to the overall cost because as soon as you’re booking a venue with external AV companies providing the equipment, in general, it’s going to cost you more.
Meeting rooms at hotels
This has changed a lot since 2020. Many of the big hotels who also have conference facilities have become isolation hotels for people entering New Zealand. It means they’re not available to take meeting bookings and even if they are, it’s understandable that a lot of people will want to steer clear of them to minimise any risk to the health of their participants. But there are some great hotels that are still available and not in use as isolation hotels. They’re great venues for adding some style to your meetings and conferences and even better, they can offer accommodation if you happen to have participants coming to stay in Auckland overnight. Our pick of the best hotel venues for small meetings and conferences are:
Parkside Hotel – formerly Amora Hotel on Greys Ave. This venue is under new management and has a range of small meeting rooms plus the additional benefit of a lovey courtyard overlooking the park if you want to spend some time outside between sessions.
The Heritage Hotel – on Hobson Street is a great option too. It has lots of meeting spaces, a rooftop pool and terrace, if you want to take in the vista of Auckland City and the harbour and is a certified vegan restaurant offering a fabulous range of catering and meals for all special dietary requirements.
Other meeting rooms
AUT Events is another collection of venues well worth considering if you want something right in the heart of the CBD (they also have other buildings across the city). They have a number of different buildings and meeting rooms for all types of events and when you meet there you’ll get the extra buzz of being in a university setting with all of the students milling around during term time.
The viaduct harbour is an easy stroll from the CBD and offers some great, different meeting spaces too.
Two of our favourites are:
Flagship – A completely green and sustainable venue at Silo Park. It lends itself to brainstorms, planning sessions or presentations and there’s a great atmosphere from the unique design of the buildings.
Orams – Overlooking the marina is fantastic if you want water views and located on Beaumont Street. It’s very popular so it’s best to book early if you want to secure this venue.
For ideas on small meeting venues in Auckland central, check out our small meeting venues in Auckland central blog.
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Del
Director
Venyou - Finding venues for you
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