Do venues charge to be on a preferred vendor list?

Some do, through a listing fee or a commission on the event. Many recommend vendors informally based on trust. Ask the venue how their list works before assuming either way.

What if a venue already has an in-house AV provider?

Many hotels and convention centers have an exclusive or in-house provider. You can still be hired by the client in many cases, sometimes with a fee. Learn the rules, respect them and look for the venues without an exclusive partner first.

How to become a preferred vendor at venues

Venue recommendations are one of the best sources of work a production or rental company can have. Here’s how to earn a place on the list and stay there.

Devon Race

October 27, 20262 min read

General session stage at a corporate franchise convention

To become a preferred vendor at a venue, make the venue’s job easier: know the building, follow its rules, make its event managers look good in front of their clients and stay easy to work with when something changes. Venues recommend the vendors they trust not to cause problems. Being cheap or well equipped matters far less.

When a venue sales manager or event coordinator hands a client your name, that client arrives already trusting you. It’s one of the most valuable referral sources in this business, and most companies leave it to chance.

Learn what the venue actually cares about

Venues care about their reputation, their floors and walls, their schedule and their client. They worry about vendors who show up late for load-in, block docks, damage the room, ignore the rigging rules or leave a mess for the next event.

Before you ask to be recommended, learn the building. Dock times, power, rigging points, union or house rules, freight elevators, where the client usually sets the stage. A vendor who already knows the room is a vendor who won’t cause a problem.

Do one event there perfectly

Most preferred-vendor relationships start with one show. Treat every event at a target venue as an audition. Introduce yourself to the venue’s event manager, send your plan and certificate of insurance early, load in on time and leave the room the way you found it.

After the event, follow up with the venue as well as the client. Thank them, ask what you could do better, and ask how vendors get recommended there.

Give the venue something to hand out

Venue staff recommend vendors they can describe in a sentence. Make that easy. A short page on your website about the venue, with photos of events you’ve produced there, the setups that work in each room and how to request a quote. A one-page PDF their team can attach to an email. A direct contact who answers.

When a venue can send a client a link that shows you already know their room, you become the obvious recommendation.

Stay on the list

Keep showing up well: every event there is still an audition
Check in with the venue between events, not only when you want work
Tell them about new capabilities that solve problems they have
Send work back their way when a client asks you for a venue
Ask for reviews and tag the venue when you share the event

Common questions

Do venues charge to be on a preferred vendor list?: Some do, through a listing fee or a commission on the event. Many recommend vendors informally based on trust. Ask the venue how their list works before assuming either way.
What if a venue already has an in-house AV provider?: Many hotels and convention centers have an exclusive or in-house provider. You can still be hired by the client in many cases, sometimes with a fee. Learn the rules, respect them and look for the venues without an exclusive partner first.