Getting the outdoor cinema venue correct is among the most important factors contributing to the success of your event. We’ve screened films almost everywhere and listed the main points to think about when choosing your open air cinema event location.
Outdoor Cinema events are primarily of interest to local people. It’s therefore important that there is a good population close to the proposed area. These are your potential customers, make it as easy as you can for them and yourself.
Your venue should be with within walking distance of a good percentage of your customers. Outdoor Cinema events are an opportunity to relax and many people enjoy a drink and will want to leave their car at home. That said, parking also needs to be considered. In our experience, the number of cars rarely exceeds 20% of the audience, if the venue is also within walking distance.
If the venue has onsite toilet facilities and bathrooms included in the venue fee, this is going to save you money. If you have to bring in toilets, it can mean flushing a chunk of your profit down the pan. Get a venue with toilets for your open air event.
When you sign up for an event with us, we’ll give you our ‘Outdoor Cinema – Expert’ publication which shows you exactly how get your film start time calculated to perfection, every time.
If you already have your own venue then this is great news, we have suitable screens for areas such as your back garden or a local park. In all cases you’d choose the most sheltered and secluded area of the venue. Not only does a sheltered area protect you and the outdoor screen, it also adds to the atmosphere and togetherness, which is what open air cinema events are all about.
If your outdoor cinema venue is behind gates or in a divided or secure area then this makes the running of the event a lot easier. If there are lights available then that is great but ideally you’ll want control of them as light from street lights can impact the brightness of a screening, particularly it is a projection based outdoor cinema. For large events, it could mean less staff and less worry that you might be disturbed. That said, in our experience, even in the most public of places a well organised and conscientiously stewarded event will attract any issues from the general public. If you are running a large event you may feel that you may want to employ some dedicated SIA certificated security staff.
The ideal surface for install of an Airscreen is grass. They can be used on hard standings but anchoring the screen to secure points needs to be considered.
Noise levels should be considered. There are guidelines available from your local council detailing acceptable decibel levels. We can also provide sound via Silent Disco Headphones if this is required. It’s a great experience and plenty of fun. Perfect for sound sensitive situations.
A strategy for collecting litter should be planned. You’ll want to leave the area that you’ve used as you found it or preferably better.
Considering these factors when choosing outdoor cinema locations will help you well on the way to creating a successful open air cinema experience. Thoroughly planning your venue is a key recommendation of ours.