Resetting a Venue After a Convention, Retreat or Party

The event is over, the last guest has left, and the room looks like a party happened in it. This is the moment event planners and venue managers dread, because the clean-up has to happen on a deadline: the next booking, the morning handover, the deposit inspection. It goes much better when it was planned before anyone walked through the door.

Agree on the handover before the event

Ask three questions well ahead of the day. What condition does the venue expect the space returned in? Who removes rental items, decor and leftover food, and when? And when does the cleaning crew get access to the room? Event cleaning is a different job from a routine one, and confusion usually comes from assumptions: the caterer thought the cleaners would strip the tables, the cleaners thought the caterer would.

Put the answers in a short written plan, shared with the venue, the caterer, the rental company and whoever is doing the cleaning. One page is enough.

Clear the room before you clean the room

Nothing useful can be cleaned until the things in the way are gone. Decor, signage, centerpieces, rented linen, leftover food, empty bottles and any equipment all need to come out first. Trash and food waste come next, because they smell and attract pests, particularly in a warm climate. Set aside a separate spot for items that belong to guests or the client, since there will always be a jacket, a phone charger or a name badge.

Then work the room in order

A ballroom or meeting space resets in the same order as a house: high to low, dry to wet. Check ledges, light fixtures and any decorative features that were hung for the event. Then wipe tables, chairs and the surfaces people leaned on, stacked chairs included, since the backs and arms get handled all night. Floors come last, after the furniture has been moved to where it can be reached.

• Strip and bag all disposable items, then check under tables for what was dropped.
• Wipe tables, chair backs, bars, buffet lines and any registration or check-in tables.
• Spot-check walls and doors for scuffs and handprints.
• Vacuum carpet or sweep and mop hard floors only after the furniture is moved.
• Reset the room to its next layout, if that is part of the plan.

Floors take the worst of it

Spilled drinks, dropped food, confetti, glitter and the grit carried in from outside all end up on the floor. On carpet, spills should be dealt with while the event is still happening if you can, since a dried sugary drink is far harder to remove. After the event, vacuum thoroughly before spot treatment, and mark any stains for the person responsible for the carpet. Hard floors need sweeping before they are mopped, and a dance floor needs a second look, because sticky patches don't show until someone walks across them.

Restrooms and the outdoor edges

Restrooms get the heaviest use of any space at an event and are often left to the end. If the event is large, plan for a mid-event check, then a full reset afterward. The outdoor edges matter too. Patios, entrances, smoking areas and the parking lot all collect litter and cups, and a clean ballroom with a littered entrance gives the wrong final impression to the venue's next client.

Conventions, retreats and parties are different jobs

A multi-day convention leaves a lot of paper, signage and boxes, and the room may need to be turned around between sessions. A retreat has meal spaces, break rooms and often lodging, so the work is spread across several areas. A party is shorter and messier, with food and drink as the main problem. Tell whoever is cleaning which of the three you're running, and what the busiest hours are, so the crew arrives with the right plan.

Document the condition as well. Before the event, take quick photos of the room's condition. After the cleaning, take them again. If a deposit or a damage question comes up, you'll have a clear record rather than a disagreement. It costs almost nothing and settles most arguments before they start.

Sun Care Cleaning Solutions lists Special Event Cleaning for conventions, retreats and parties among its services across Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, and has been cleaning in the valley since 2000. To talk through an event, call (760) 813-7160 or toll free (888) 597-1228.