The Importance of Conducting a Site Visit

The importance of conducting a site visit – a visit at the Serpentine Gallery.

The following pages have for purpose to outline and explain in detail the important aspects of conducting a site visit when organising an event. Executing a physical inspection of potential venues where to hold an event points out whether a particular venue is suitable or not for the purposes and theme of the specific venue. A theoretical knowledge has been explored and backed-up by practical examples from a recent site visit at the very popular Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens, which is a host of numerous high-class events every year. A site inspection checklist has been made prior to the visit and completed after an interview with a member of the event management team of the Gallery. The information presented below explains how the theory has been applied when conducting a site inspection at one the most exquisite venues in London.
The Serpentine Gallery is one of the best known London galleries and also described as fearsomely fashionable by The Observer, set in the unique location of Kensington Gardens, within a very short distance from the West end and Knightsbridge. It focuses on modern and contemporary art and attracts approximately 750 000 visitors a year with its exhibitions, education and public programs. Every year, the Serpentine Gallery commissions international architects to design a temporary Pavilion constructed on the gallery’s outside premises, which provides a distinctive showcase for unique and modern architecture during the summertime. All of the architects are of a worldwide acclaim corresponding to the prestigious international reputation of the gallery, and some of them include Henry Moore, Andy Warhol, Paula Rego, etc. The Pavilion, which capacity is 500, then is opened for private and corporate events in the evenings (Serpentine Gallery, 2010).
The Serpentine Gallery is divided into four large magnificently proportioned rooms, including the

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