Valets, You can never have too many

Today I went to our health club only to find zero parking and the valet line backed up by 15 cars.  The front desk clerks were out helping park vehicles (clearly not who you want driving for liability reasons, but they were pitching in).  After stalking a woman blissfully wandering to her car after yoga I was able to snag a spot.  She had no idea their was a parking lot war going on.  Why was it so busy? The club allowed a VC firm to hold a 150 person luncheon during their busiest hours. 

In this case, the club provides complimentary valet service and the event planner probably assumed this was a plus, a cost savings.  Even when your venue normally provides the valet service, it's fair to ask how many valets will be on staff the day of your event and how many cars they typically park/hour.  If you are adding 15 cars - not a big deal, take the free service.  But if you're hosting a large group it's smart to spend a few extra dollars to increase the number of valet attendants.

Venues like country clubs and hotels can pull their part-time valets to work for a few hours and you would simply pay their hourly rate, expect $15/hour/person.  If you're hosting an event at a venue that does not provide valet service there are many companies who can be hired for the day.  Based on the parking situation and expected flow of guests, the valet company will recommend how many attendants to hire/guest.  If an event is described as beginning "promptly at 12pm" the flow will be very different than a cocktail party leading into a dinner and you'll want to staff accordingly.

When you're not sure the venue has adequate staff in place, spring for extra help and consider it insurance.  For a few hundred dollars you ensure a positive first impression.