Want to host your wedding reception at a city-based venue that makes you feel like you’re in the mountains? That’s the jam at Level 10, an event space perched above downtown Charlottesville, and offering unobstructed views of the Blue Ridge.
“We’re the highest venue in Charlottesville, and that is pretty fun,” venue director Mary Blanton says.
Launched last fall, Level 10 has space for 117 inside and up to 155 together with its attached heated deck, which takes full advantage of the venue’s height. The indoor space is 1,600 square feet; the deck offers another 800. Separating the two areas is a 50-foot glass wall facing west toward the mountains. Weather permitting, guests can keep about 50 percent of the window wall open at any time.
“The stunning views off of the heated rooftop balcony were certainly a highlight of the evening,” says Meghan Byrnes, who hosted a Level 10 event for her downtown startup, Hexagon Energy, LLC.
Level 10’s aesthetic is clean and modern, allowing guests to customize the place to their preferences, Blanton says. She and her team can set the venue for seating with six 60-inch tables and chairs, and their commercial kitchen is available for use by customers’ preferred caterers. They also offer a bridal suite, concierge desk, parking, and private elevator access.
Kate Lambert, chief development officer at the Boys & Girls Club of Central Virginia, said the amenities made everyone at her “80-person fundraising event feel like a VIP as they entered.”
Level 10 features sound by Sonos, video by Xfinity-connected smart TV, and room controls by tablet. In addition to rehearsal dinners and wedding receptions, Blanton and her team are open to hosting corporate events, meetings, fundraisers, workshops, and any party guests can dream up.
“We’ve had a number of wonderful events, from corporate cocktail parties, to venture startup companies, to rehearsal dinners and welcome parties for wedding guests,” Blanton says. “What’s neat about the venue is it can also be intimate—it’s just the nature of the room. We’ve had great dinner parties of 30 people.”
A certain virus may have affected the event mix for Level 10 thus far, but Blanton expects the coming wedding season to be a big one. She and her team are developing a list of preferred vendors and building out their marketing materials (including a new website), and believe they are priced competitively.
And while some venues offer catering and alcohol in their base pricing, Level 10 goes for flexibility by allowing guests to customize those add-ons. The result is a unique combination of pampering and privacy.
“The venue has this open-air-flow kind of environment, but it is exclusive. There is nothing else going on—it is completely your space,” she says. “And, it doesn’t stay static. Depending on the time, it morphs from a lovely setting during the day to sunset to the night lights of the city.”