Water's Edge Events Park 4850 Powell Road, Powell, OH 43065

"Do not, I repeat, do not host a fundraiser at this venue. It's a nice venue and I'm quite sure for a corporate event or wedding its fine. But if you are hosting a fundraiser, LOOK ELSEWHERE. The Columbus Zoo was not a great partner in our event. Any chance they had to be a gracious host or makes things difficult, they always choose to make things difficult despite us spending substantial money there. We were unable to bring sealed alcohol items into the room for a silent auction. Even though they would not have been opened or even distributed until the event ended, the zoo refused to accommodate us. Similarly, we had to cancel our wine pull. Once again, despite our pledge to not cost the Zoo any of their bar tab money, they refused which cost our fundraiser over a thousand dollars. Also, we were supposed to be out at 10p. Our event was running a bit long. Instead of being good and gracious hosts and partners in our evening, they closed the bars EXACTLY at 10p. No mention of last call, and nobody came to me and asked if I would be willing to pay extra to keep the bars open for another 30 minutes for my guests. We were having a successful night and I would have been happy to pay for an extension of time for another 30 minutes. Or even 15 minutes to announce a last call and allow guests to get what they needed. But no, they closed without anything being said and did not care about how my guests felt about it. My guests also believed they were slow to clear plates and food from the table. A guest came to me and stated that plates were stacked on their table for a really long time and there were no forks for the dessert table. This is basic service stuff the Zoo missed particularly when paying nearly $20,000 for an event. Once again, the venue has wow factor. And for a wedding, I'm sure it's lovely. But if you're running a fundraiser, I would only come here if it was the ONLY option available to you and you are willing to deal with the Zoo's politics and its absolute unwillingness to partner with you."

"Very nice place to have larger events at the Zoo..."

"A little crowded but very entertaining"

"Great venue - perfect for our night out watching sugar Ray!!!!!!"

"I was there for a work trade show. Afterwards there was a good concert. Great atmosphere. It was a good time!"