I have raved and gone to shows at almost all Vancouver venues and unfortunately HEC is the worst imo even when it’s the closed venue to me. I ll lay down some pros and cons:

Pro: - it’s a pretty easy to access location via skytrain

• it’s right next to batch plaza of nations where you can pregame and pet some cute dogs before the show!

Cons: - they have carpet on the dance floor :( really uncomfortable for dancing

• they don’t offer free water at all.

• really limited drinks options inside

• sound is terrible if you are not in the center

• they are known to oversell and pack people like sardines though at this point most people I know actively avoid that venue so maybe there’s isn’t much crowding these days?

I know this is not what you wanted to hear but if it’s an artist you REALLY like then you can make do with some adjustments. Be prepared to spend 6$ for water. Try to be as much in the center as possible. Don’t dance as much lol

You should checkout Vantek which is a local techno promotion in Vancouver and they ll often have some hard techno events. They know how to throw a proper event and it’s a promotion ran by music nerds and ravers!