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What an event venue website needs: pages, words and photos

SiteSmith · · 5 min read

An event venue's website has to help someone picture their own event in your space, then get them to ask about a date. The core pages are short: home, a page for each event type you host, the spaces, a photo gallery, what is included and what is not, vendors, FAQs, and an inquiry form that asks for the date first. Many venue sites have lovely photos and leave out the practical facts people need before they will ask for a tour.

Who looks at a venue's site

Event venues serve several kinds of clients, and each has a different list:

  • Couples planning a wedding look at style, capacity, the ceremony and reception setup, and whether the date is free.
  • Families planning a birthday, anniversary, graduation, shower or memorial want a simple, welcoming space and clear rules.
  • Businesses booking a meeting, holiday party or training day want AV, parking, Wi-Fi and catering options.
  • Nonprofits and schools planning a fundraiser or gala often need a larger room and help with layouts.

You do not need a separate site for each. You do need the home page to make it clear which events you host, with a path into each.

The core pages

Home

A strong photo of the space set up for an event, the venue name, the town and one line about what you are: "A restored 1890s barn for weddings and celebrations up to 200 guests, twenty minutes from Asheville." Then two buttons: "Check a date" and "Book a tour".

Underneath, short blocks for the event types you host, a few photos, a line about what makes the place yours (the view, the history, the gardens), and how to reach you.

Event types

One page or section each for weddings, private parties, corporate events, and any other type you actively want. Explain how the space works for that kind of event: where the ceremony happens, how a meeting room is set, where kids can play at a family party.

The spaces

For each room or area, the capacity, layout options and a few photos. A venue with several spaces should give each its own section so people do not mix them up. How to show capacity and layouts in detail is in event venue websites: capacity, photos and tours.

Photos from real events, organized by space or event type. More on photos below.

What's included

A plain list of what comes with the rental (tables, chairs, linens, setup, a coordinator, parking) and what clients arrange themselves (catering, bar, decor, rentals beyond what you have). This page heads off many repeat questions.

Vendors

Your preferred or required caterers, bartenders, florists, DJs and rental companies, with a link to each. If clients may bring their own vendors, say so, and list any rules, such as insurance requirements or licensed bartenders.

FAQs

Answers to the questions you get every week: alcohol policy, end time and noise rules, decorations allowed, rain plan, deposits, cancellation, accessibility, overnight stay. Keep each answer to a few lines.

Contact and inquiry

A form, phone, email, address and a map.

Photos that book tours

Venue photos sell the date. A few principles:

  • Show the space set up for real events, not only empty. Empty rooms look smaller and colder than they are. Include a few empty shots too, for planners who want to imagine their own layout.
  • Show different setups: ceremony rows, round tables for dinner, cocktail style, classroom or theater for business events.
  • Show the details people ask about: the bridal suite, restrooms, the bar, the kitchen for caterers, the parking area, the accessible entrance.
  • Show different seasons and times of day if you are outdoors or have big windows.
  • Credit photographers and get permission, both from the photographer and from the couple or host if they appear.

Ask the photographers who shoot events at your venue whether you may use a few images in exchange for a credit and a link. Many are glad to.

Words that help people decide

Write the way you would talk on a tour. Describe the experience: "Guests arrive along a gravel lane lined with oaks; the ceremony is under the old maple, and dinner moves into the barn as the sun sets."

Then give the facts plainly. Couples and planners compare several venues and keep lists, so make the facts easy to copy: capacity, hours, included items, rules.

Avoid words every venue uses, like "stunning", "breathtaking" or "unforgettable". Let the photos say that.

What to leave out

  • An autoplay video with music. Many visitors are at work or on a phone.
  • A gallery with hundreds of photos and no organization.
  • Old packages or prices that no longer apply.
  • A PDF brochure as the only place prices or rules appear. Put the key facts on the page; offer the PDF as an extra. Including your price list as a PDF vs a web page explains why.

The inquiry path

People shopping for a venue usually have a date, or a few possible dates, and a guest count. Make that the start of the form:

  • Event date or possible dates
  • Event type
  • Estimated guest count
  • Name, email, phone
  • How they heard about you
  • A box for questions

Say what happens next: "We reply within one business day with availability and pricing for your date." If you offer tours, add a link to book one directly.

Put your phone number at the top of every page, as a tappable link. Venue inquiries often come from parents and grandparents who would rather talk than type.

What to do this week

  • Make sure your home page says what events you host, where, and for how many.
  • Write a "What's included" list and put it on its own page.
  • Add photos of the space at night and set up in at least two different layouts.
  • Put the event date as the first question on your inquiry form.

If your venue already has a site with good photos but it is slow, cluttered or hard to update, you can see it rebuilt first and decide after seeing it.

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