The Ultimate Venue Guide: Choosing the Right Venue for Your Event
The Ultimate Venue Guide: Choosing the Right Venue for Your Event
If you need to host an event, choosing a venue is a crucial decision. Key considerations in making your decision should include:
- the type of event you are hosting (for example, a sporting, music, entertainment or business event)
- your budget (larger venues tend to cost more)
- how many people you expect to attend your event (as your venue needs to be able to comfortably host your expected number of attendees)
- the venue facilities that you need (for example, wheelchair access, as well as food and drink facilities)
- the ideal location for your event (including the availability of onsite parking and/or public transport facilities)
- the timing of your event (if you want to hold an event during peak venue demand times, you’ll have to book well ahead)
- whether your event could be impacted by the weather (if it would be, you should strongly consider a suitable indoor option if possible).
Let's look at each of these key venue considerations.
We’ll also provide you with information about a diverse range of popular Perth event venues, as well as a ‘venue requirements checklist’ that you can use to make your decision-making process easier.
How to find a venue for an event
Your first major consideration in choosing a venue should be the type of event you are hosting. There is no point choosing a venue that’s unsuitable for hosting your event, even if it has a great location and many other fantastic facilities.
For example, if you need to host a small indoor sporting event, large outdoor venues are unsuitable and vice versa.
Sports events
Perth has many indoor and outdoor venue options to cater for a huge range of both large and small sporting events. For example:
- HBF Arena in Joondalup is a multi-purpose sports venue with a state-of-the-art, indoor, 10-lane, 50-metre swimming pool that can be hired for swim meets and school carnivals. It also boasts a range of indoor courts that can be hired for futsal, soccer or netball events.
- HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont caters for a more diverse range of aquatic sports than HBF Arena. It has both indoor and outdoor 50-metre swimming and water polo pools, as well as an indoor diving pool.
- HBF Park near the Perth CBD is a rectangular outdoor sporting venue that’s suitable for sports like soccer, rugby league and rugby union. It has state-of-the-art lighting so it can host both day and night events, as well as seating capacity for crowds of up to 20,500.
- Optus Stadium in Burswood is WA’s largest and newest multi-purpose outdoor sporting venue. It has a seating capacity of up to 60,000 and it hosts major events such as AFL matches, Wallabies Tests and Big Bash cricket games each year.
- RAC Arena in the Perth CBD is a 15,000-seat indoor sporting arena that’s available for hire for sports like basketball and tennis.
- Perth Motorplex in Kwinana Beach is Perth’s specialist motor sport venue. Its track facilities cater for drag racing and speedway events, as well as burnout competitions, street machine car shows and monster truck events.
- Bendat Basketball Centre in Floreat is used for both professional and amateur events in a range of sports including basketball, netball, badminton and volleyball.
- Gold Netball Centre is WA’s premier netball venue. It has both indoor and outdoor courts that are available for hire. The netball courts also have multi-sport markings and can be used for other sports like badminton and volleyball.
- Champion Lakes Regatta Centre in Champion Lakes is available to hire for both professionals and amateur events in watersports such as rowing, kayaking, canoeing and dragon-boating, as well as for the swim leg of triathlon events.
- WA Athletics Stadium can accommodate track and field events from junior and school-level carnivals through to national and international competitions. Its facilities are available to hire for training as well as competitive events.
Music and entertainment events
Perth is a popular destination for performing artists and it boasts a range of music and entertainment venues. For example, HBF Park is available for concert hire for local, national and international musicians and performers. It has a seating capacity of up to 32,000, as evidenced by Ed Sheeran’s memorable 2015 concert there.
If you’re looking for an even larger seating capacity for your music and entertainment event than HBF Park can provide, Optus Stadium is the perfect solution. It can cater for up to 70,000 people for concert events.
If you’re looking for a smaller, indoor concert venue, the 15,000-capacity RAC Arena in the CBD is ideal. It has hosted international performers like Katy Perry and Fleetwood Mac over the years.
HBF Stadium is another indoor concert option for up to 5,000 people, having hosted international acts of the calibre of P!ink and Ed Sheeran.
Business and other community events
There are many venue options for business and community events in Perth. For example, Optus Stadium in Burswood is available to hire for events with up to 2,000 attendees, such as:
- business conferences, meetings, seminars, trade shows and expos
- balls, banquets, cocktail parties and gala dinners
- Christmas parties.
HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont has a range of function rooms that are suitable for both university and school graduation ceremonies, speech nights, valedictory dinners and balls. These rooms are also ideal for hosting business conferences and seminars.
HBF Park in Perth’s inner-city region has a range of function rooms that are ideal for business conferences and corporate events.
The Bendat Basketball Centre in Floreat has a function room that caters for up to 500 guests and includes an in-house projector. The Gold Netball Centre also has a function room that’s suitable for business meetings and presentations.
If you need a smaller function room, the WA Athletics Centre has a conference room that seats up to 90 people. It’s ideal for training courses, workshops and meetings.
Venue requirements checklist
No matter what type of event you’re hosting, your venue will need a range of generic and specialist facilities. Below is a handy checklist you can use for different types of events.
Sports events
- Seating capacity
- Availability of undercover seating
- Suitable change room facilities
- Accessible amenities for both able-bodied and disabled event attendees
- First aid rooms
- Referee/officials rooms
- Public transport facilities
- Onsite parking facilities
- Food and drink (including licensed bar) facilities
- Adequate toilet facilities
- Scoreboard facilities
- Adequate floodlighting (for outdoor night events)
- Storage facilities (for example, for sporting equipment)
- Security (for example, the availability of security guards at professional sporting events to search crowd members upon entry to ensure the safety of all event attendees)
- Media facilities (for professional sporting events)
- Corporate box facilities (for professional sporting events)
- Scoreboard and video screen facilities (for professional sporting events)
- Retail facilities (for example, for merchandise at professional sporting events)
Music and entertainment events
- Venue acoustics (these can make or break a concert event)
- Venue noise restrictions
- Seating capacity
- Availability of undercover seating
- Accessible amenities for disabled event attendees
- Availability of a stage
- First aid rooms
- Dressing/change rooms
- Public transport facilities
- Onsite parking facilities
- Food and drink (including licensed bar) facilities
- Adequate toilet facilities
- Adequate floodlighting (for outdoor night events)
- Security (for example, the availability of security guards to search crowd members upon entry to ensure the safety of all event attendees)
- Video screen facilities (for large outdoor concerts)
- Retail facilities (for example, for concert merchandise)
- Ease of venue access for setting up concert equipment
Business and other community events
- Seating capacity and floor plan layout (ideally the layout should be flexible)
- Availability of air-conditioned function rooms
- Audio-visual facilities (for example, multimedia projectors and whiteboards)
- Nearby accommodation and hospitality options (and if you have event attendees that will be attending from interstate or overseas, ideally your venue should be close to Perth airport)
- Accessible amenities for disabled event attendees
- Public transport facilities
- Onsite parking facilities
- Food and drink (including licensed bar and onsite catering) facilities
- Adequate toilet facilities
- Availability of a dedicated, onsite event facilitator to help ensure things runs smoothly
- Adequate power facilities
The bottom line
Choosing the right venue for your event is crucial. It can be the difference between having a successful event and a flop. It’s important to research your options to help you make the right decision. You should always:
- inspect a venue before you hire it to make sure it has everything you need.
- ensure that everything you need is included in the venue hire cost and that this cost falls within your event budget.
Once you have chosen your venue, it’s then important to plan your event as thoroughly as possible to ensure everything runs smoothly.
About us
VenuesWest has multiple venues across Perth that are available for event, function and conference room hire. Our venues can cater for a diverse range of large and small events. They are also where Perth’s best sport, music, entertainment, business and community experiences happen.
Check out our events page to see some of our upcoming events!
The Ultimate Venue Guide: Choosing the Right Venue for Your Event
If you need to host an event, choosing a venue is a crucial decision. Key considerations in making your decision should include:
- the type of event you are hosting (for example, a sporting, music, entertainment or business event)
- your budget (larger venues tend to cost more)
- how many people you expect to attend your event (as your venue needs to be able to comfortably host your expected number of attendees)
- the venue facilities that you need (for example, wheelchair access, as well as food and drink facilities)
- the ideal location for your event (including the availability of onsite parking and/or public transport facilities)
- the timing of your event (if you want to hold an event during peak venue demand times, you’ll have to book well ahead)
- whether your event could be impacted by the weather (if it would be, you should strongly consider a suitable indoor option if possible).
Let's look at each of these key venue considerations.
We’ll also provide you with information about a diverse range of popular Perth event venues, as well as a ‘venue requirements checklist’ that you can use to make your decision-making process easier.
How to find a venue for an event
Your first major consideration in choosing a venue should be the type of event you are hosting. There is no point choosing a venue that’s unsuitable for hosting your event, even if it has a great location and many other fantastic facilities.
For example, if you need to host a small indoor sporting event, large outdoor venues are unsuitable and vice versa.
Sports events
Perth has many indoor and outdoor venue options to cater for a huge range of both large and small sporting events. For example:
- HBF Arena in Joondalup is a multi-purpose sports venue with a state-of-the-art, indoor, 10-lane, 50-metre swimming pool that can be hired for swim meets and school carnivals. It also boasts a range of indoor courts that can be hired for futsal, soccer or netball events.
- HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont caters for a more diverse range of aquatic sports than HBF Arena. It has both indoor and outdoor 50-metre swimming and water polo pools, as well as an indoor diving pool.
- HBF Park near the Perth CBD is a rectangular outdoor sporting venue that’s suitable for sports like soccer, rugby league and rugby union. It has state-of-the-art lighting so it can host both day and night events, as well as seating capacity for crowds of up to 20,500.
- Optus Stadium in Burswood is WA’s largest and newest multi-purpose outdoor sporting venue. It has a seating capacity of up to 60,000 and it hosts major events such as AFL matches, Wallabies Tests and Big Bash cricket games each year.
- RAC Arena in the Perth CBD is a 15,000-seat indoor sporting arena that’s available for hire for sports like basketball and tennis.
- Perth Motorplex in Kwinana Beach is Perth’s specialist motor sport venue. Its track facilities cater for drag racing and speedway events, as well as burnout competitions, street machine car shows and monster truck events.
- Bendat Basketball Centre in Floreat is used for both professional and amateur events in a range of sports including basketball, netball, badminton and volleyball.
- Gold Netball Centre is WA’s premier netball venue. It has both indoor and outdoor courts that are available for hire. The netball courts also have multi-sport markings and can be used for other sports like badminton and volleyball.
- Champion Lakes Regatta Centre in Champion Lakes is available to hire for both professionals and amateur events in watersports such as rowing, kayaking, canoeing and dragon-boating, as well as for the swim leg of triathlon events.
- WA Athletics Stadium can accommodate track and field events from junior and school-level carnivals through to national and international competitions. Its facilities are available to hire for training as well as competitive events.
Music and entertainment events
Perth is a popular destination for performing artists and it boasts a range of music and entertainment venues. For example, HBF Park is available for concert hire for local, national and international musicians and performers. It has a seating capacity of up to 32,000, as evidenced by Ed Sheeran’s memorable 2015 concert there.
If you’re looking for an even larger seating capacity for your music and entertainment event than HBF Park can provide, Optus Stadium is the perfect solution. It can cater for up to 70,000 people for concert events.
If you’re looking for a smaller, indoor concert venue, the 15,000-capacity RAC Arena in the CBD is ideal. It has hosted international performers like Katy Perry and Fleetwood Mac over the years.
HBF Stadium is another indoor concert option for up to 5,000 people, having hosted international acts of the calibre of P!ink and Ed Sheeran.
Business and other community events
There are many venue options for business and community events in Perth. For example, Optus Stadium in Burswood is available to hire for events with up to 2,000 attendees, such as:
- business conferences, meetings, seminars, trade shows and expos
- balls, banquets, cocktail parties and gala dinners
- Christmas parties.
HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont has a range of function rooms that are suitable for both university and school graduation ceremonies, speech nights, valedictory dinners and balls. These rooms are also ideal for hosting business conferences and seminars.
HBF Park in Perth’s inner-city region has a range of function rooms that are ideal for business conferences and corporate events.
The Bendat Basketball Centre in Floreat has a function room that caters for up to 500 guests and includes an in-house projector. The Gold Netball Centre also has a function room that’s suitable for business meetings and presentations.
If you need a smaller function room, the WA Athletics Centre has a conference room that seats up to 90 people. It’s ideal for training courses, workshops and meetings.
Venue requirements checklist
No matter what type of event you’re hosting, your venue will need a range of generic and specialist facilities. Below is a handy checklist you can use for different types of events.
Sports events
- Seating capacity
- Availability of undercover seating
- Suitable change room facilities
- Accessible amenities for both able-bodied and disabled event attendees
- First aid rooms
- Referee/officials rooms
- Public transport facilities
- Onsite parking facilities
- Food and drink (including licensed bar) facilities
- Adequate toilet facilities
- Scoreboard facilities
- Adequate floodlighting (for outdoor night events)
- Storage facilities (for example, for sporting equipment)
- Security (for example, the availability of security guards at professional sporting events to search crowd members upon entry to ensure the safety of all event attendees)
- Media facilities (for professional sporting events)
- Corporate box facilities (for professional sporting events)
- Scoreboard and video screen facilities (for professional sporting events)
- Retail facilities (for example, for merchandise at professional sporting events)
Music and entertainment events
- Venue acoustics (these can make or break a concert event)
- Venue noise restrictions
- Seating capacity
- Availability of undercover seating
- Accessible amenities for disabled event attendees
- Availability of a stage
- First aid rooms
- Dressing/change rooms
- Public transport facilities
- Onsite parking facilities
- Food and drink (including licensed bar) facilities
- Adequate toilet facilities
- Adequate floodlighting (for outdoor night events)
- Security (for example, the availability of security guards to search crowd members upon entry to ensure the safety of all event attendees)
- Video screen facilities (for large outdoor concerts)
- Retail facilities (for example, for concert merchandise)
- Ease of venue access for setting up concert equipment
Business and other community events
- Seating capacity and floor plan layout (ideally the layout should be flexible)
- Availability of air-conditioned function rooms
- Audio-visual facilities (for example, multimedia projectors and whiteboards)
- Nearby accommodation and hospitality options (and if you have event attendees that will be attending from interstate or overseas, ideally your venue should be close to Perth airport)
- Accessible amenities for disabled event attendees
- Public transport facilities
- Onsite parking facilities
- Food and drink (including licensed bar and onsite catering) facilities
- Adequate toilet facilities
- Availability of a dedicated, onsite event facilitator to help ensure things runs smoothly
- Adequate power facilities
The bottom line
Choosing the right venue for your event is crucial. It can be the difference between having a successful event and a flop. It’s important to research your options to help you make the right decision. You should always:
- inspect a venue before you hire it to make sure it has everything you need.
- ensure that everything you need is included in the venue hire cost and that this cost falls within your event budget.
Once you have chosen your venue, it’s then important to plan your event as thoroughly as possible to ensure everything runs smoothly.
About us
VenuesWest has multiple venues across Perth that are available for event, function and conference room hire. Our venues can cater for a diverse range of large and small events. They are also where Perth’s best sport, music, entertainment, business and community experiences happen.
Check out our events page to see some of our upcoming events!
