A few years ago I ran a two-day strategy retreat at a venue that had come highly recommended. It looked right. The website was good. The person I spoke to on the phone was helpful. What they hadn't mentioned — and I hadn't asked about — was that the main session room shared a wall with the venue's commercial kitchen, and that the kitchen ran lunch prep from 10am. By 10:15 on the first morning, we had the sound of industrial dishwashers competing with a conversation about organisational trust. It didn't ruin the programme. But I spent the next hour redesigning the afternoon on the fly, which is not what you want to be doing when you should be present with the group.
I went home and wrote down everything I wished I'd asked. Over the next few programmes I refined it. This is what I now use — twelve questions, in the order I ask them, with a note on why each one matters.
Romain's venue checklist
12 points
01 What is the session room's ceiling height — exactly?
dealbreaker
Don't accept "spacious" or "high ceilings." Ask for the measurement. Below 2.8 metres and I don't proceed. The room needs to breathe so the people in it can too.
02 What are the walls shared with, and what happens next door during working hours?
dealbreaker
Kitchens, loading areas, other event rooms. Ask what is on every side of the session space — including above and below if the building has multiple floors. I ask this one second, now.
03 Will we have exclusive use, or are other guests staying?
Shared venues aren't disqualifying, but I need to know. Shared gardens, shared dining rooms, and other groups in the building all change the social texture of a retreat. Sometimes that's fine. Sometimes it isn't. I need to make that call consciously.
04 How far are the sleeping rooms from the session space?
More than two minutes' walk is a problem for programme flow — people drift, come back late, get distracted. But zero distance is also a problem: you want physical separation between where people sleep and where they work. Thirty to sixty seconds is about right.
05 Can I rearrange the furniture, and is there somewhere to put it?
Some venues have fixed seating or precious furniture they'd rather you didn't move. I work in circles. I need to be able to clear the room and configure it the way the programme requires. Ask directly, and ask whether there's a storage area for chairs and tables that aren't needed.
06 What does the outdoor space look like, and can it be used for sessions?
I'm not asking whether it's beautiful. I'm asking whether there's a flat, reasonably quiet area outside where a small group could work for forty-five minutes. Shade matters. So does surface — gravel is less useful than grass or paving. If the answer is "there's a car park," that's useful information.
07 What is the catering setup, and how much flexibility is there?
Fixed mealtimes, fixed menus, and formal dining rooms all create rigidity that works against the rhythm of a retreat. I want to know whether breaks can be moved, whether I can ask for food to be out at 7am, and whether the kitchen can accommodate dietary requirements without making it a production.
08 What is the wifi situation, and is there a backup?
I'm not asking because I want people on their laptops. I'm asking because if one participant needs connectivity for an emergency and the wifi goes down, that becomes a disruption. Know the answer before you arrive. Ask what happens when it drops, which it will.
09 Who is the on-site contact during the programme, and how do I reach them?
Not the person I booked with — the person who will actually be there. I want a name, a mobile number, and confirmation that they'll be reachable during sessions. Venues that can't give me this make me nervous for good reason.
10 What is the cancellation and modification policy in plain language?
Group sizes change. Dates sometimes shift. I ask this not because I expect to cancel but because the answer tells me how the venue handles problems. A venue with a rigid, punitive policy is one that has decided its interests come first. That usually shows up in other ways too.
11 Has a similar programme run here before, and can I speak to that person?
Not a general review. A specific referral: someone who ran a comparable group in this space for a comparable purpose. If the venue can't provide one, I ask why. Sometimes the answer is reasonable. Sometimes it tells me something.
12 Can I visit — or do a live video walkthrough — before I confirm?
Photos are taken on good days by people who want the venue to look good. I want to see the room with normal light, normal furniture, doors and windows in their usual position. Fifteen minutes on a call with someone walking me through the space in real time is worth more than an hour on the website.A venue that gets defensive when you ask specific questions is telling you something. A good one answers them without hesitating.
Two of these I treat as dealbreakers — ceiling height and adjacent noise — because I've learned that you can't work around them once you're on site. The rest are judgment calls that depend on the programme and the group. But they're all worth asking, because the answers tell you more than the website ever will.
One last thing I'd add: notice how the venue responds to these questions. A place that answers clearly and specifically, that says "I'll check and come back to you" when it doesn't know, is telling you something useful about what it's like to work with them. A venue that gets vague or slightly defensive when you ask about noise or flexibility is also telling you something. Both kinds of information matter before you sign anything.
The checklist takes me about twenty minutes to run through. I've never regretted spending the time. I have, a few times, regretted not spending it.
