renting venues in vancouver

[guido]

anybody ever rented a venue to throw a small party, like maybe 100-300 people? im trying to get some idea of what it would cost and what locations are available

[Phrenetic]

community centers go for 500 dollars a night, usually come full equipped with sound systems.

if you plan on having liquor then i say a best western would be a good choice, they all ave 1-2 halls to rent out for weddings and such, and on top of that they will handle most of the liquor licenses for you.

just obey the fire code

[guido]

hahaha why bad karma? Silverwinged you weren't invited anyway so gtfo.

what kind of soundsystem would you expect from a community center? i live in richmond so i think they're a little less well-equipped here, but i'd be willing to throw it in van if it was cost effective. i was gonna rent the sound and lighting from masterplan but if the CC has good shit that would be ideal

[Phrenetic]

you live in Richmond too eh?

apparently tommset(or Thomson) community center has something comparable to the second-room at riverside events. something at a community center can be pushed to 1am max.

be prepared to pay quite a bit. but if you want a banging event you can improvise (warehouse, a rich kids mansion, something on Popkum).

rent sound and lighting an improvise, message me if you need any help

[NinjaBoy]

If your simply hosting a regular event, community centers are the best and easiest way to do it. Depending on the night, size and duration of the event you can expect to pay $500-$1500.

Sound systems at these places are often hit and miss. If this is simply a wedding, company party etc, the sound system will be fine. But since most places use older sound equipment, anything like a rave or concert would be out of the question for these systems. If you plan on doing that your options are as follows:

Rent the equipment from a company like masterplan. They come, set it up and take it back. It's very expensive.

Rent the equipment from a place like tom lee or L&M. A much better option. For filling a 100-300 person venue you'll be looking at $100. Also, you can rent lighting for very cheap. You do have to set it up, but it's very easy if you understand even slightly how PA's work. Something like two 800watt self powered speakers, and a bass bin would suffice.

Renting venues for a Rave is a different beast all together. I've paid as little as $400, and up to $1200. But I would only throw parties if the venue was cheap. Sadly this takes a lot of work. Raves tend to fuck up venues pretty bad (to the idiots who drew all over the wall at one of the ones I through, thanks for fucking my damage deposit, you're cool). Also because they are illegal for the most part (there are a few technicalities you can use to your advantage) a lot of places don't want to bother with this. If your hunting for a venue ask other promoters or dance studios (they can legally go all night).

If you have any other questions feel free to ask, I've done a few raves, and used to be involved a little with weddings and corporate parties.

[wishbone]

karma for spending time on giving knowledge.

[guido]

god damn, thanks for the info it totally helps. i basically did want to throw a sort of mini-rave, and the plan is to do it for my bday which isn't till february. i just wanted to get as much info now as i could so there wont be any surprises.

ninja, have you dealt with liquor licenses before?

[NinjaBoy]

Sort of once. The other guy got it and took care of it. I know in most places it's possible to get a temp licence for the night. It's a pain in the ass. And if you are throwing an all night event, you wouldn't be able to get one.

Although if you rent out a wedding hall, they are liscenced. But you wouldn't be able to go all night.

[guido]

Also because they are illegal for the most part (there are a few technicalities you can use to your advantage) a lot of places don't want to bother with this.

just wondering if you can specify on the technicalities. if you are asking to host a party that goes till 4 or 5, will they automatically assume rave?

[NinjaBoy]

Originally Posted by guido

just wondering if you can specify on the technicalities. if you are asking to host a party that goes till 4 or 5, will they automatically assume rave?

Yeah, that ain't going to fly.

I honestly don't know enough about temp liquor licenses to make a valid comment. But you will still be subject to the same hours a bar has to hold.

Honestly I only ever used the dance hall trick. Most times I threw something it was illegal, so I wasn't too worried about it. I've heard there is a trick you can do with birthday invitations to go all night, but I haven't used it. Hopefully someone else can fill in the details.

It's a lot easier to not worry about the technicalities and just throw one. If you can find a venue, and are smart enough not to draw attention to it, you'll be fine.

[dj_soo]

the invitations trick is to sell "guest list spots" instead of physical tickets, or sell invitations as tickets. Then, if you get hassled, you can claim that it's a private party and show the guest list or invitations as proof. You have to be on point tho and make sure you have someone watching for the cops to hide all cash transactions if they decide to do a walk-through. So long as you're not charging money or disturbing the neighbours, you can usually get away with it.

[Carrie]

yes, I've been to those 'invitation only' parties..

I don't know how it all works, but I've been to parties that don't sell liquor .. the sell tickets which are exchanged for liqour.

[wishbone]

Originally Posted by Carrie

yes, I've been to those 'invitation only' parties..

I don't know how it all works, but I've been to parties that don't sell liquor .. the sell tickets which are exchanged for liqour.

I've always wondered if there was a reason for that beyond "not selling actual liquor".

edit:
not actually selling liquor. lol misplaced modifier.

[guido]

would that ticket's for liquor thing actually fly with the cops? ive seen that done at some after hours clubs in richmond, but i dont see the cops really accepting that technicality.

im not too concerned about liquor anyway, i just want it to go late. i've been going thru venues online, and it seems pretty damn hard to find something suitable on the internet, as far as allowing it to go past 2 or 3. i'm starting to ask around now, and i assume its just a matter of finding somebody in the know

as far as tickets as invitations, thats a dope little loophole, im definitely gonna use that

[NinjaBoy]

Looking online isn't the best way.

Hit the streets. Look for places that would have a large space in the back. I would recommend some places, but I haven't done anything for a couple years, so I'm sure they aren't usable anymore.

[Carrie]

there are a lot of venues that were used back in the day of weekly raves...

korean culteral (hastings)
polish community centre (fraser)
polish combatants hall (kingsway)
the royale (kingsway)
croatian (victoria)
spanish culteral (new west across from muggs)

I'm not sure if any of them allow all nights anymore, but it's worth a call

[lildonkey]

I'm pretty sure spanish cultural centre has turned into a church now.

[DefJef]

If you're thinking more on the small side, you could probably use the tiki lounge in the Waldorf hotel. I think their capacity for that room is around 110....Itll cost you $450 for a deposit, which youll get back as long as the bar hits their quota... I think it was $1800 when I used that room, which is really easy to hit if your freinds and patrons arent bums.