Venues
Photo from the Lewis Holiday Party at Seattle Convention Center 2019
Wow, we are busy on the ‘venue hunt’ with our clients these days!
Choosing a venue is one of the first decisions that you make when you’re planning an event. It can also be one of the most important! Which venue allows you to tell the story that you want to tell with your event?
You’ll want to think about location/neighborhood, transit access and/or parking, onsite furniture and ‘what’s included’, a/v concerns, the list of preferred caterers, the aesthetics and the “vibe” of the space, ownership and what community you are aligning with by being there … and so much more … but we suggest starting off with capacity. Begin by looking at venues that are going to be the right size for your event! Nowadays we recommend “sizing up” from the standard venue capacity so that your guests feel comfortable and can choose how close they’d like to be to others. In a previous blog post, we also look at some venues that make it easy to get more fresh air into your party - an important and very real way to decrease contagion and make your event safer!
In our 23+ years in the greater Seattle area, we’ve got a LOT of applied knowledge of our local venues! This list is not exhaustive, but we wanted to share some great spaces to help you on your search.
Really Big! 350+ guests
Benaroya Hall
Cornish Playhouse
Fairmont Olympic
Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center
Fremont Studios
Hangar 30, Magnuson Park
Hyatt Regency Bellevue
Hyatt Olive 8 Seattle
Hyatt Regency Seattle
Marriott Pioneer Square
Marriott Waterfront
Meydenbauer Center
Renton Pavilion*
Sanctuary, Lotte Hotel
Seattle Design Center
Sheraton Grand Seattle
Seattle Convention Center (formerly Washington State Convention Center)
Westin Seattle
Big! 250+ guests
Bellevue Arts Museum
Block 41
Burke Museum
Century Ballroom
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Four Seasons
MOHAI
MoPOP
Renaissance Hotel Seattle
Seattle Art Museum & Seattle Asian Art Museum* & Olympic Sculpture Park
W Seattle
Smaller!
415 Westlake
Axis
Canvas
Cathedral*
Centilia Cultural Center*
Duwamish Longhouse*
Hall at Fauntleroy
Kasama Space*
Metropolist
Northwest African American Museum (currently not hosting events)*
The 101
UW Center for Urban Horticulture
Washington Hall*
Wing Luke Museum*
Within SoDo
Wonder of Women Gallery*
KEY
* Owned by, Operated by or Aligned with BIPOC Communities
If this list is overwhelming, we totally understand! Drop us a line if you’d like to chat about your event and possibilities for the best place to hold it. First chat is always free!
