Events
An ocular is not a tour. It is the hour in which you find out what the event will cost to build, and whether the day can legally happen at the size you have promised. Go with a list, a tape measure and a camera. Leave with documents, not a good feeling.
Capacity is a calculation, not a claim
Every venue quotes a number. The National Building Code sets one. Section 1207 says “the occupant load permitted in any building or portion thereof shall be determined by dividing the floor area assigned to that use by the unit area allowed per occupant as determined by the Secretary”. So the question on an ocular is not how many people they can fit. It is what the occupant load of this room is, and where it is written down.
→ It should already be on the wall. Any room with an occupant load above 50, without fixed seats, used for “classroom, assembly, or similar purpose” must “have the capacity of the room posted in a conspicuous place near the main exit from the room”. If nothing is posted, ask why before you ask anything else.
→ The exits have to keep up with the headcount. “The total width of exits in meters shall not be less than the total occupant load served divided by 165”, and that width must be “divided approximately equally among the separate exits”. One grand entrance plus a fire door behind the buffet is not two exits.
→ Upper floors need two. “In all occupancies, floors above the first storey having an occupant load of more than 10 shall not have less than two exits.” Function rooms upstairs are the ones to check, and the ones most often sold on capacity alone.
Ask to see the fire safety inspection
The Fire Code, Republic Act 9514, requires that “a fire safety inspection shall be conducted by the Chief, BFP or his duly authorized representative as prerequisite to the grants of permits and/or licenses by local governments and other government agencies concerned” for the “use or occupancy of buildings, structures, facilities or their premises”. A venue trading legally has been through it. Ask for the current certificate and photograph it, along with the business permit.
Say out loud at the ocular if the show involves pyro, cold sparks, haze or anything fuelled. The same Code requires fire safety measures for the handling or use of “fireworks materials of any kind or form”, and the venue needs to tell you then, not three days out, whether it is allowed in that room.
The four things that decide the build
| Check | What you are actually measuring |
| Load-in | Truck access, the loading bay, the service lift’s door and interior, every corner between the lift and the room, and any step. The lift is what kills set designs |
| Power | How much is available, where the panels are, whether a generator is needed, and who pays for it |
| Rigging | Ceiling height, whether anything may be hung at all, the load each point takes, and who is allowed to hang it |
| Sightlines | Pillars, low beams, the throw distance for screens, and where the sun lands if there is glass |
Photograph all of it with something for scale in the frame. A doorway with a person standing in it is worth more three weeks later than a wide shot of an empty ballroom. Measure the lift, not the room.
Measure the lift, not the room
Every venue will tell you the ballroom is big. Almost none will volunteer that the only service lift is 1.9 metres tall, so the LED wall has to come up the fire stairs, by hand, at overtime rates.
The build is a workplace
Load-in is people working at height, moving heavy cases, against a clock. Republic Act 11058 puts the duty on “every employer, contractor or subcontractor, if any, and any person who manages, controls or supervises the work being undertaken” to “furnish the workers a place of employment free from hazardous conditions”, and requires that “all establishments, projects, sites and all other places where work is being undertaken shall have safety signage and devices to warn the workers and the public of the hazards in the workplace”. That reaches whoever is running the build, not only the venue. On the ocular, ask what the venue requires — who is allowed to go up, harness rules, whether one of their safety officers has to be present — and settle in the contract who provides it.
Five things to get in writing
→ The floor plan, with dimensions. Not a marketing layout. A drawing you can build against, with the pillars on it.
→ The fire safety inspection certificate. Current, and in your file before you sign.
→ The rigging loads. Points, weights, and whether the venue’s own crew must do the hanging.
→ The house rules. Curfew, noise limits, exclusive suppliers for catering, AV or power, and corkage.
→ What the rate actually covers. Aircon hours, overtime per hour, power, cleaning, and who pays for damage. Overtime is where venue quotes quietly double.
The questions people forget to ask
→ Are we the only event in the building that day? A second event sharing the loading bay changes your entire schedule.
→ When can we really start the build? Ask for the earliest load-in hour in writing. Load-in is the part of the plan everything else hangs off.
→ Who else has to approve this? Building administration, the association, and the city. Special event permits covers what the LGU will ask for.
→ What happens when it rains? Covered access from the drop-off to the room, and where guests queue if it does not exist.
→ Where do the crew and the talent go? Holding rooms, crew toilets, storage for empty cases. An event with nowhere to put the cases ends up putting them in the frame.
Before you sign
Match the room to the run of show, not to the photographs. If the programme needs a stage, screens, a buffet and 300 seated guests, draw all four onto the dimensioned plan before the deposit leaves. Anything that does not fit on paper will not fit on the day.
Where PUNX fits
PUNX runs corporate events and brand activations from Makati: 50-plus people, founded 2023, with P&G, San Miguel, Petron, GCash and Sun Life on the client list. Send us the shortlist and the floor plans, and we will tell you which room can take your build. It is the least you should expect from a best events agency in the Philippines.
FAQ
What is a venue ocular inspection?
A site visit made before you sign, to establish what the event will cost to build and whether the room can legally hold the headcount. You arrive with a checklist and a tape measure, and you leave with a dimensioned floor plan, the fire safety certificate, the house rules and the rate inclusions.
How do you check a venue’s real capacity?
The National Building Code sets occupant load by dividing the floor area assigned to that use by the unit area allowed per occupant. A room over 50 without fixed seats used for assembly must have its capacity posted near the main exit, total exit width must be at least the occupant load divided by 165, and floors above the first storey with an occupant load over 10 need at least two exits.
What documents should a venue give you before you sign?
A floor plan with dimensions, a current fire safety inspection certificate, the rigging point loads, the house rules including curfew and exclusive suppliers, and a rate that states aircon hours, the overtime rate and who pays for damage.
What should you measure on an ocular?
The service lift door and interior, every corner between the lift and the room, the doorways and the ceiling height. The lift usually decides whether a set design is possible at all, and it is the measurement people skip.
Related
Brand activation and events — what PUNX runs, and how
Load-in — the build period everything else hangs off
Special event permits — what the LGU will ask for
Venue shortlist in hand?
Send the floor plans and the dates. We will tell you which room can actually take your build, before the deposit does.
Start a project ↗