20 years ago London’s pubs and bars were slightly different to how they are now. Yes, they have always been places for celebrations abut not how we party today. London pubs haven’t always been party bars.
How are they different is only relative to the time. Talking of time, the time out guide to London’s top 50 bars is not as reliable as some of the most comments made, an important point refers to this opening statement. Nothing stays the same in London for too long and this applies more to London pubs and bars than anything else. London pubs and bars are so dynamic there is no definitive guide that is as accurate as your own research.
The choice of party venues are much more varied now.
All bars in London offer explosive party promises and to be fair most will live up to the price tag. Finding cheap function rooms and bar hire is something only Tom Crusie could do in a new release of Mission Impossible. My personal view of London and searching for a party venue is that you need to treat the task as a project.
Give it a name ‘project venue finder’
The best party venue will only be found through hard work relentless questioning and searching online until your finger tips ache. You need to pick up the phone, send emails and get out into the real world. The last point will be towards the end of your project and you’ll be a step closer to finding the perfect party venue. I’m not going to have time to drill down into the different types of party as there are so many, so lets just pick a few that would have the same demands – a bar for example.
In theory a bar with seats is all that is needed and the seating being enough for the number attending.
One party I attended many years ago was organised and setup in a very trendy bar in Kensington only for the birthday girl panicking everytime a guest arrived, until all the guest arrived. The fear of not everyone turning up is always a concern when organising an event so important as a birthday party.
Stag parties and Hen parties generally sort themselves out without too much organisation. The reason is mostly becuase of the high density of bars to choose from and the ease of which hopping in and out of bars can be, especially in London.
And you can be in practically any part of London for there to be a bar within a few foot steps of each other. Getting a group of friends and family to gather in one location takes effort, make no mistake about it. Finding the right pub or bar is the easy part I’m joking, your friends will turn up especially if there is a free drink or two waiting for them on arrival. So, how do you get a free drink with a venue hire? It’s simply down to negotiation. Most pubs and bars will definately be charging for the hire of the bar. You could for example promise the manager that everyone turning up to the party will drink the bar dry when in reality most are attending AA groups! If you got the venue hired for free on this basis the manager would be down on the event.
This is why hiring out a bar will be sold as a package depending on the number of people turning up and this is where you can get the drinks thrown in. So assume there will be a charge assocaited with the bar hire and from this point get drinks and food thrown in.
Step 1 – set your budget
Step 2 – know the exact number of people attending the party
Step 3 identify the most convenient location for all people attending the party
Step 4 start searching for the venues in that area
Step 5 complete the list of venues and ensure yu have all their contact details to the ready the next steps are about to begin!
The next steps in securing your party goes smoothly and within budget are relying on your ability to communicate with sales people – yes sales people are what bar managers are and make no mistake about this or you will end up with a possible party failure. being sold a party venue that isn’t what it’s made out to be can result in major disappointment. Many parties have ended in tears after the promises made turn sour. Choosing the right bar is your priority so stick to the project plan and you’ll succeed.
Step 8 write down exactly what you want from the venue, if your party is drinks focused and you like cocktails make sure you write this down as a question.
Does your pub / bar stock cocktail drinks and mixers can your bar staff mix cocktails.
Do this for all your questions including food requests.
The list you have will now be put to use as you now need to contact each bar in turn.
If you have emails, send out the same email to each pub / bar. If you only have telephone numbers call each one on the list. Visit their websites and look for offers that are exclusive or out of date! Out of date offers can be used to barter with. Did I say barter? Yes, you have to barter to get the best deal and make no mistake, nothing will be given away for free unless you ask for it.
Assuming you had a list of at least 20 pubs and bars to start with (you do seriously need this number to start with) narrow it down to 5 or 6 that you can go and visit in person. This is the final stage and this is where you get a true feel for the atmosphere the bar will have. It is even recommended that you go to the venues on a nights that are typical party nights, this will give you a true value judgement.
If you are working to the budget and you budget hasn’t changed and all the boxes are being ticked you are close to leaving a deposit and securing your party venue. Make sure before your deposit is made that you have a written agreement for what is being supplied and that no additional charges will be made. Searching for your party venue is not an easy task but planned carefully in plenty of time you can have some fun along the way.
London is very popular so it really is best to narrow the search down as quickly as possible to give you plenty of time for the fun things to do. Leaving the organisation of a party to the last minute will make it a stressful chore. If you have deep (cash filled) pockets and a desire to impress with no expense spared you could alway hire a party planner but this really is a luxury most of us can’t afford. Besides, the party planner will be reading this and not the person whose party it is.
Happy bar hunting and party planning.
For a comprehensive list of pubs and bars please view the pub rooms pub and bar section. There are 1000′s of websites that provide useful information on UK pubs but at a rate of over 50 a week either closing down or changing ownership details are often out of date, especially when there is a plethora of pub websites that were built using out of date data.
