Question about renting commercial space.

[Kaek]

I have a bit of experience with this sort of thing.

What you want to do firstly it so setup an event management business.
This is to protect yourself from certain liabilities in case things go wrong.
It also gives you a bit of credibility instead of being some random guy.

You need to then research the local laws of where you are in regards to these things

1) If you plan to have alcohol available then you need to look into alcohol license/permits. Not having alcohol available makes things much much easier in a lot of cases.

2) Fire safety, you cannot just have a party in any commercial space. The space must have adequate fire safety "features", "escape plans", etc.

3) Zoned use. If you want to throw a party in an industrial warehouse for instance, some local laws may prevent you from doing so as the use of the building is not for such a purpose.

4) Insurance/professional liability. You can run a big risk if you don't have this. A risk my friends often take, but I wouldn't.

I think your idea of using an old bowling alley is a good idea. A place already established as a place where people are allowed to congregate and be entertained is much easier to sort out than a warehouse.

As most people have said, a lot of these things depends on where you are based.

[sobi]

What you want to do firstly it so setup an event management business.
This is to protect yourself from certain liabilities in case things go wrong.
It also gives you a bit of credibility instead of being some random guy.

If your in the states, it doesn't protect you. Only filing under an LLC can do that, and it's limited.

[buddha131]

I have a bit of experience with this sort of thing.

What you want to do firstly it so setup an event management business.
This is to protect yourself from certain liabilities in case things go wrong.
It also gives you a bit of credibility instead of being some random guy.

You need to then research the local laws of where you are in regards to these things

1) If you plan to have alcohol available then you need to look into alcohol license/permits. Not having alcohol available makes things much much easier in a lot of cases.

2) Fire safety, you cannot just have a party in any commercial space. The space must have adequate fire safety "features", "escape plans", etc.

3) Zoned use. If you want to throw a party in an industrial warehouse for instance, some local laws may prevent you from doing so as the use of the building is not for such a purpose.

4) Insurance/professional liability. You can run a big risk if you don't have this. A risk my friends often take, but I wouldn't.

I think your idea of using an old bowling alley is a good idea. A place already established as a place where people are allowed to congregate and be entertained is much easier to sort out than a warehouse.

As most people have said, a lot of these things depends on where you are based.

thanks for that reply man!

what if it was going to be designated as a music venue (stage)? i know some local talent that could rap for a bit, and then i could mix some danceable music.

And as far as fire safety goes, if the warehouse was appropriately sized for the amount of people showing, and exits are marked, and we have exit routes marked with glow in the dark paint/tape (like lazer tag places), fire extinguishers, emergency lights, etc. would we be in the clear?

[Kaek]

If your in the states, it doesn't protect you. Only filing under an LLC can do that, and it's limited.

I was implying that he should setup a limited liability company and employ himself through the company.

[Kaek]

I don't understand your first question regarding a music venue? If you booked a music venue then I presume it would make a lot of things easier for you depending on your local laws.

I have a friend who puts on a few gigs every year and often what we do is we hire out a local bar/club, pay the owner a fee for the place and then throw a party.
How we get away with negotiating this is that we throw these parties on sunday, on weekends where the monday is a public holiday. Sundays for some places are quiet and our fee + the income from increased bar sales is attractive for owners.
We claw back our costs by charging a door charge.

Fire safety is not something I want to give advice on. It is so complicated, you need to talk to an expert. I don't mean a lawyer. You can probably ask a fire service company for advice, they may or may not charge you.
Even if you followed the law to the letter, you may still need to contract a fire service company to evaluate what you have done and issue you something which confirms that your efforts meet the local laws?

Yeah fire safety, definitely most complex part.

[sobi]

You can probably ask a fire service company for advice, they may or may not charge you.
Even if you followed the law to the letter, you may still need to contract a fire service company to evaluate what you have done and issue you something which confirms that your efforts meet the local laws?

Yeah fire safety, definitely most complex part.

Again, this depends on where buddha131 is, but in the states, a company is the place you go to only after you've gotten the building coded by the fire marshal. Then the companies supply you with whatever the fire marshal has deemed necessary to install. Going to a fire safety supply store will most likely result in them trying to sell you loads of what will make it safe, but might not actually hit on what you legally NEED.

For the record, I'm no expert, but I did help a good friend run a club, and this was a building that he rented and brought up to code himself. Sounds similar to what you are trying to do, Buddha.

[Kaek]

In the country where I am from, there are companies which provide fire inspection services.

They may or may not be in the business of selling fire safety equipment. However their primary purpose is in the inspection and compliance of a building to fire safety standards.

They often provide advice as well. Although usually they will charge for it.