The Big Guide to Event Space Rentals

• Peerspace: your ultimate event space rental companion
• How to book the perfect event venue using Peerspace
• What types of events can Peerspace help me plan?
• Other event venue rental platforms
• Finding your venue is important, but it’s just under half the battle
• Rent out your own space using Peerspace

When it comes to event space rentals, choosing the right location is crucial for planning an unforgettable event. If you book a subpar location, it may be hard to save your event — not even with a great live band, a guest list packed with fun and friendly attendees, or incredible food and drinks. That’s why selecting the perfect event space should be at the top of your list of event planning tasks and priorities.

But, of course, if you’re reading this blog post, you probably already know this. Perhaps you’re well into your venue research, and you want to simplify the process of narrowing down the mind-numbing number of venue options available to you.

Well, that’s pretty much what we do here at Peerspace! Between our platform that offers you access to any type of event venue by the hour and our local hosts, who can assist with event-planning extras like catering and equipment, Peerspace makes it easy to throw incredible events. Its intuitive, easy-to-use search tool (which we will talk more about later in this post) also makes it easy to narrow down the exact right space for your event needs.

Ahead, we’ll share our collection of the best event space rental sites, along with a simple description of each service that can save you time and money—keeping you well within your planned event budget and ensuring whatever you’re planning goes off without a hitch.

Peerspace: your ultimate event space rental companion

Peerspace is the largest online marketplace for meeting, production, and event spaces, with literally tens of thousands of venues and other kinds of spaces available to rent by the hour. If it exists, almost any space or location you can imagine can probably be found on Peerspace!

Whether you’re looking for a raw, industrial warehouse for your wedding, a cool, creative space for your team offsite, a screening room for a film screening, or a funky bohemian loft for an upcoming photoshoot, Peerspace has you covered with tons of options to choose from. And in terms of locations, we have spaces available across hundreds of cities in North America, the UK, Europe, Australia, and beyond.

By harnessing the power of the sharing economy, Peerspace uncovers your city’s most incredible spaces. These hidden gem event venues are owned and operated by locals who rent out their spaces for others to use. This makes it easier than ever to find the perfect venue for all your event needs, all at a competitive hourly rental price. In fact, with the help of Peerspace, your venue rental cost could actually be lower than it’s ever been before!

How to book the perfect event venue using Peerspace

With so many venue options in cities globally, finding your ideal event space must be a challenge, right? Nope! With Peerspace, narrowing down venues until you find the perfect event space is actually super easy.

Here’s how to start:

Just click the link to start a search and filter your results by your preferred city and event type. You’ll immediately be able to scroll through thousands of listings to find a unique space that fits your event needs and preferences.

However, you might not want to scroll through hundreds (or even thousands!) of options. Frankly, you might be overwhelmed by the number of spaces you have to choose from, and we don’t blame you. If so, not to worry—there’s a simple solution! Using the intuitive yet detailed Peerspace search tool, you can narrow your search down according to numerous additional criteria.

These optional categories include:

• Rental price (you can limit your results to only show those for which the venue rental cost matches your budget)
• The number of guests you plan to invite to your event
• Your event date and time, so that you only see listings where the venue availability matches your planned event date/time
• Keywords mentioned in the listing’s description, which is written by the host of the space
• Interior spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, dining areas, and garages
• Outdoor spaces like gardens, lawns, patios, pools, and even beaches
• Space type, such as a mansion, an apartment, a dance studio, a restaurant, etc.
• Amenities, e.g., a fireplace, a library, a piano, exposed brick, a gazebo, etc.
• Style or aesthetic of the space, including options like “luxurious,” “rustic, “vintage,” and “industrial”
• Availability of instant booking—if you’re short on time and need to begin planning your event right away, check this box to make sure you only see listings that you can book instantly

With this array of filters at your fingertips, browsing search results for the perfect event venue goes from a daunting, time-consuming task to an enjoyable and streamlined experience.

What types of events can Peerspace help me plan?

So what kind of events do Peerspace venues attract?

Thousands of people across the globe use Peerspace daily to find event rental spaces for:

• Birthday parties
• Conferences and meetings
• Anniversary or vow renewal ceremonies
• Wedding ceremonies and receptions
• Art gallery openings and exhibits
• Brand and product launches
• Classes in everything from yoga and dance to cooking and baking
• And more!

Not only does Peerspace boast thousands of listings in hundreds of cities, with more venues added daily, but each space also has its own listing that offers high-quality images, genuine reviews from people who have used the spaces, upfront pricing, and even provides extra services to help your private events go off without a hitch. For these reasons—affordability, ease of use, reliability, and more—Peerspace has quickly become the place to go when looking for event rentals, as well as all other kinds of short-term (hourly) rentals.

Along with our venue search platform, we also have a dedicated events resources blog. It informs you on trending party ideas, event checklists, top regional venues, and so much more. All this combines to make Peerspace your one-stop shop for all things event planning!

Planning a holiday party for friends, colleagues, or potential clients? Then you need to see our holiday party planning tips to make it the best bash ever!

Other event venue rental platforms: EVENTup

EVENTup has venues in over 300 cities. Their listings are detailed and easy to digest. Because they’re an event venue-only website, the summaries and bullet points in each listing are essentially written by event planners for event planners.

They do a good job of providing a high number of good-quality photographs for all of their venues. So, all in all, you’ll feel very comfortable when you’re ready to book.

The platform also offers blog articles, planner resources, and venue resources, covering all spectrums of the even space sphere.

Splacer

Primarily located in NYC, LA, Miami, and San Francisco, Splacer has a peer-to-peer model similar to Peerspace’s. It connects property owners and event coordinators, as well as helps to forge relationships between them.

Keep in mind that Splacer is only available in a handful of cities in the U.S. Conversely, Peerspace is available in cities across the globe.

Seated

Seated has a slick-looking site that helps connect you with local restaurants for personal and corporate events. When you use Seated to book a space at a local restaurant, you earn rewards.

Seated has a concierge service that helps you plan your event, although this is a service for large-scale events with 12 or more guests for personal parties and 200 or more for corporate functions.

It’s worth noting that Seated only offers its services in New York City, Dallas, Atlanta, and Boston, currently. By contrast, Peerspace restaurants and hosts are available to you in hundreds of cities across the globe.

eVenues

eVenues aggregates properties and provides a simple search tool for event planners to search based on their event’s criteria. Additionally, it offers scouting and booking services to anyone who could use some extra VIP treatment.

Because eVenues’ specialists can help you find your space based on a form you submit, it might be more challenging for you to find that perfect spot. We recommend you start with Peerspace and use our simple search tool to find your ideal event space rental.

Spacebase

Spacebase has over 4,000 meeting spaces, all carefully maintained and monitored, so your satisfaction is guaranteed. They pride themselves on affordability. Though only in a handful of American cities, they have a sizable international presence.

Spacebase also helps you set up virtual workspaces, something extra appropriate these days. Their spaces come bundled with everything you need. For example, if you require catering for your event, it’s taken care of when you rent.

Social Tables

Social Tables’ real strength is its search engine, which lets you use sliders to adjust your parameters, such as the number of attendees or rooms needed, total square footage, etc. This is unlike other event space searches that use drop-down boxes for the same task. It’s a very subtle difference, but it’s advantageous.

Like Spacebase, Social Tables is also heralding in the virtual event space, making it easier for planners to create virtual events as needed.

Unique Venues

Unique Venues has venues all over the United States, including DC, Philly, Vegas, Denver, Louisville, and several smaller cities as well. Their venues are unique (hence the name), meaning you can rent a college football stadium or even a cruise ship for your event.

Remember that Peerspace also offers you access to unique venues but without the geographical barriers that Unique Venues poses.

Meetings.com

Meetings.com began as a site for meeting spaces, but they have since established relationships with over 50,000 hotels nationwide. Thus, they can help you find a suitable venue for just about any event you have in mind.

Also, because of those same relationships, they can make it easy to help your guests find nice hotel rooms in which to stay the night. Just need a hotel for a party or a conference? Then search Peerspace to ensure you find the perfect hotel partner.

Eventective

Eventective specializes in party, meeting, and wedding venues primarily, and only has spaces available in North America (rather than all around the world, as is the case for Peerspace).

Besides offering event spaces, Eventective also lets you add additional services like catering and photographers to maximize your event space booking.

Finding your venue is important, but it’s just under half the battle

Remember, when you’re planning a great event, you should plan for your venue to be about 40% of your total budget. And if it’s less than that, then that’s a pleasant and welcomed surprise.

The other 60% of your budget will need to go toward party essentials such as:

Entertainment

Do you need a DJ? How about a sound system? Lights? A stage? For renting equipment, check out: PRG Gear (especially if you need top-quality equipment) or Fat Llama (where you can rent almost anything peer-to-peer).

When you book a Peerspace venue, be sure to browse the venue’s listing thoroughly to see what the space offers. Many of our hosts either operate event businesses or have helped plan many private events for their guests. So it can be easy to find a venue that is not only perfect in terms of its style, location, and pricing, but may also provide extras like entertainment and event staffing options.

As a unique possible option for your event, check out this modern indoor/outdoor event house in Los Altos Hills, CA. It’s 3,000 square feet and just $120 per hour, yet the host also provides extras like a laser light show and a spark effect machine. These are sure to delight your guests, no matter your event!

Or if you’re looking to screen a film for your event, consider renting out this intimate black box theater with 36 plush red seats and a gorgeous red curtain in Hollywood, CA. To save time and money on your event, don’t go to the trouble of renting all the equipment required for it—simply rent a space that already comes with its own movie screen! In addition to the projector and full-sized screen, this listing also offers 1,100 square feet of space, a lobby and bar area that’s ideal for ticketing, a state-of-the-art sound booth for full-stage lighting, and furniture and props that are available for your use as needed.

Food and drinks

Catering is another significant cost to account for in your event budget. It’s one of those make-or-break decisions when planning an event.

And remember, if you use a service like Peerspace, your chosen venue’s host can help. You can even book a restaurant, cafe, bar, or lounge that helps you craft customizable food and drink menus.

For instance, check out this unique “farm-to-bar” cocktail cafe in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. It’s not only incredibly stylish and makes an ideal backdrop for a variety of functions, but the host will work with you to create a custom menu for your event.

Likewise, this hip community restaurant in Los Angeles’ Chinatown comes with additional add-on amenities like food and catering services as well as bar services (plus lots more to choose from), and is also super stylish and spacious with a comfortable ambiance and capacity for as many as 50 people—all for a rental price of just $125 per hour.

Think about all the time and money you save by having these extra services available to you on-site!

Photographer/videographer

If you’re planning a wedding, you’ll want to hire a photographer to make records of the occasion for posterity. (Not sure where to begin looking for your photographer? Check out our favorite wedding photographers in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, San Fran, Seattle, and DC.)

And if you’re planning an event for your business, you’ll want both a photographer and videographer, so you have plenty of media to promote your business after the event. Once again, this is something the local host may be able to arrange when you book a Peerspace venue.

If you’re looking for a gorgeous venue to host your event in Seattle, then this pristine photography studio is a wonderful example of what a Peerspace venue can offer. In addition to its 1,550 square feet of open, elegant space, the host also provides optional catering, A/V equipment, and production staffing services. Talk to them about hiring one of their very own photographers and videographers and ensure you capture every moment of your amazing event there!

Similarly, this professional photography studio in Detroit offers renters the option of hiring one of their in-house photographers. It also offers camera rentals and includes equipment like colored backdrops, dual strobe lighting, and two soft boxes. You’ll also receive the assistance of a professional photographer throughout your rental if you book the studio for more than two hours. 

Security, permits, insurance, or deposit

Are you throwing a big party or shindig with lots of VIPs? Then you may need to increase the amount you spend on security and perhaps consider short-term insurance for the event. Event liability insurance can protect you from property damage, vendor negligence, and cancellations due to weather.

Learn more about the supplemental insurance available to Peerspace hosts here.

Planning a special community event? Then you need to see these creative ideas that will help bring everyone together!

Rent out your own space using Peerspace

Did you realize that you can easily earn passive income by becoming a host and listing your own space on Peerspace? It’s true! While you may be searching Peerspace for event space rentals for an upcoming soiree, remember that a lot of these spaces are owned by everyday people who were in your shoes, saw an opportunity to make money from an unused (or partially unused) space, and successfully started their own event venue businesses. You definitely don’t have to be a business expert to start your side hustle through Peerspace!

Maybe you travel frequently or work from home and want to list your home as an event space from time to time. Or perhaps you own an office or warehouse space and have invested money into making it ideal for gatherings and productions. You might even have a vacation home or other space that you own, but don’t use most of the time—if it’s picturesque and comfortable, it’s probably a good fit for listing on Peerspace!

Whatever the case, consider becoming a host on Peerspace and listing your space for rental. If you’ve ever invited over friends and family or hosted an event at your space and your guests have swooned over its style, its spaciousness, its historic charm, the view from its windows/balcony/patio, or other distinctive features, then you’re probably sitting on a potential moneymaker!

Becoming a successful Peerspace host is as simple as:

• Listing your space on Peerspace free of charge, which requires you to choose an hourly price, upload high-resolution photos, and write a detailed description of the space
• Accepting bookings sent to you through the Peerspace platform, and messaging guests to guide them through the booking process and give them info on important details, such as how to find the venue and how to connect to the Wifi
• Getting paid via direct deposit right after each booking—there’s never any concern that guests won’t pay right away (or at all), because Peerspace charges guests before the booking

Plus, if you have any concerns, rest assured that there’s no reason to fret about the potential risks of becoming a Peerspace host. There are tons of protections in place for Peerspace hosts, thoroughly protecting both you and your space.

For instance, Peerspace provides host liability insurance coverage for general liability claims up to $1 million. The platform also guarantees that it will cover guests’ liability for damages up to $25,000 for each booking. Click here for even more details about how Peerspace protects host safety with its custom-built protection plan for Peerspace bookings.

Next steps to becoming a Peerspace host

After reviewing all this key info, are you interested in turning your unique space into a potentially lucrative venue rental? Check out this resource to learn more about starting your own venue rental business by working with Peerspace. And if you do end up deciding to make your event venue business a reality, be sure to review our guide to putting together an event venue business plan to ensure you’re fully prepared. 

Before you know it, your business plan will be complete and you’ll be listing your space on Peerspace, reaching your target audience, and receiving tons of booking requests for your amazing space (hosts receive an average of about ten inquiries each month). These will soon be followed by the payments from those bookings! Who knew establishing a new passive income stream and improving your financial standing could be that easy?

Event space rentals conclusion

If you’re reading this because you are currently planning an event, remember that with a bit of planning now, your gathering will undoubtedly be a classy night (or day, depending on what you’re planning!) that no one will ever forget. And by utilizing a site like Peerspace, you’ll be able to book the perfect event venue and anything else your gathering may need.

On Peerspace, you’ll be able to book an industrial loft, a glamorous penthouse, a tropical outdoor retreat, a cabin in the woods, a beachside cottage, a swanky restaurant, an intimate and historic bar, or pretty much whatever type of space you can dream of.

And since all spaces are available by the hour, you can save money over other sites that charge you by the day, meaning you get significantly more bang for your buck with Peerspace rentals. You can opt for indoor venues, outdoor venues, or those that offer a combination of both indoor and outdoor spaces, such as a lovely home with a beautiful backyard garden.

Likewise, if you’ve got a space of your own that you’d like to use to start your own venue rental business, Peerspace makes doing so easier than you ever could have imagined. All you have to do to get started is list your space on the platform (free of charge!), accept bookings you receive from interested renters, and get paid by direct deposit immediately following every booking.

On Peerspace, pricing, photos, and reviews are all provided upfront. That way, you never have to second guess how fantastic an event venue may genuinely be or worry about hidden charges. Event space rentals have never offered so many solutions before!

Find unique event spaces on Peerspace