The Quinceañera is an important celebration in Latin culture and many details go into the planning and organizing of this special occasion. The Salem Convention Center has been the site of many of these wonderful events; so we wanted to share some tips to help make your Quinceañera everything you envisioned! Don't assume all of the best venues are booked early! Planning early is nice, but you can plan a very elegant event in a short amount of time. You will be surprised how many venues have cancellations and are more than happy to accommodate you. Before searching for the venue, have a list of questions to ask. You should decide on your venue by deciding how formal or informal do you want for your Quinceañera to be. Here are some more questions to ask when choosing your venue: 1) How many people will you invite and will your venue be able to accommodate this? 2) Is the venue in a safe and convenient location? 3) Are you planning to serve alcohol? Make sure it is allowed in the venue of choice and ask about extra fees (corkage fees, bartender, security, etc) 4) What about parking? Is there complimentary on-site parking or will your guests have to pay? 5) Does the venue have on-site catering facilities and services? 6) Can the venue provide dance floors and accommodate musical entertainment along with audio & visual services? 7) Find out specifically what services are included in the rental fee- does it include Tables/chairs/linens/etc? 8 ) What are the hours? How long will you have the space and will there be a fee if you exceed your time? 9) Does the venue offer overnight accommodations for your out of town guests? 10) How much is the deposit? Find help early on from event professionals and family. Planning an event like this is a big task for one person. You will endure much less stress if you delegate some of the tasks to someone you trust. Don't be shy to enlist the help of your family and friends! You can also use an event planner with experience planning a Quinceañera (ask around for recommendations). If you are using the Salem Convention Center, we have a professional event planning staff to help guide you through each of the details. Decide on your budget, and stick to it throughout the process. With such a large event, it is inevitable that an unexpected expense will come up. The sooner you can set your budget, the more you can plan for the expenses and the less stress you will have in the decision making. Here are some helpful Budget breakdown suggestions we found on www.eventective.com. 52% Caterer/ beverage/banquet hall rental fees 18% Photographer and/or videographer fees 5% Flowers 5% Quinceañera dress and accessories 3%-18% Music depending on whether it is a live band, a DJ or both 3% Invitations 5% -10% Miscellaneous Other questions to address early on: 1) Will there be a mass? If so, you will need to check with your local parish to coordinate on the date 2) Will there be the traditional Corte of Honor? If so, how large? 3) Will there be a sponsor (it is tradition is to have sponsors for the celebration) If so who, and how involved will they be? Our professional staff can help you with many of the details and help you plan a wonderful event to remember. Go to our page find out more about Fiesta de Quinceañera Packages at The Salem Convention Center. ¡Llámenos hoy y empiece a planear su Evento Social! 1-866-614-1900 o email.
