Versatile Event Space at Startuptive

1. Lack of event staff presence We were told someone would be at the space the entire day to help with basic needs. - When we arrived to the building, we found out that the elevators were down. We had to call the event staff person to inquire, and he seemed to have no idea. Ideally, he should have been there before us and given us a heads up. He made his way over shortly after, so we got all of our information about timeline for repairs from security. - During our tour, we inquired about garbage turnover and we were told that the event staff person would be helping with garbages and instructing us on where to put bags on the day. Because the event staff person did not remain on site, we had to take care of garbages ourselves and ended up piling them up at the door during the day. - We were not given a rundown of the audio system and had to figure that out ourselves. 2. Lack of privacy We booked the space from 11AM to 9PM. - Around 12:45, an employee came in to make a coffee. When we asked who they were and let them know that there was a booking, they said they were aware but that they and others may just walk through from time to time. We asked if there was another way around and they responded hesitantly that the way around was locked. This was not true, and it appeared as though they just wanted to make a coffee in the space before returning to wherever they were working. We had to make a call to the event staff person to put an end to this, as he was not on site to take care of this in the moment. 3. Cleanliness - When we arrived at the space, the sink was full of dirty dishes. When we alerted the event staff person for the short amount of time he was there in the beginning, he said we could just leave them there. We replied that we of course did not want to have dirty dishes in the sink for the party, and that this should have been cleaned for us prior. He ended up dealing with the dishes, however the lack of awareness was shocking. 4. Access Issues - While no one's fault, arriving to the building to non-working elevators was stressful. We had to bring all of our boxes of party supplies, food, boxes, drinks etc. up the stairs. Flagging that this is something to be aware of as a possibility. Thankfully, they were up and running right before the event began. - We prepared for the fact that the front door was only accessible with key card access, but did not know that the elevator also needed a key. Something to be mindful of. In the future, I would look for a space that does not require someone to come down to allow guests inside.

On weekends, the AC will be turned off at 3pm and there is a portable one. On a summer event, don't ask the guest to wear long sleeves. Parking can be challenging specially if the party is from 1pm-9pm.

It would have been very useful to have a stove and oven instead of having to rely on the 2 microwaves. Would have appreciated an empty refrigerator, as I had to move items around to make space for our food.

Accessibility due to security measures required us to have someone in the lobby to get our guests up to the venue.