A Manual for Event Managers on How to Easily Boost Banquet Sales

1. Display Your Event Space
Weddings and business gatherings are not the only events your facility can accommodate. Emphasize how it may be used for baby showers, anniversaries, birthdays, and even events with unusual themes. Make a variety of promotional pieces that highlight the exquisite ways in which your venue may be adapted for various occasions. Include both empty venue and guest-filled event images on your website and social media accounts, if at all possible. Another option to draw attention to your event space is to provide a 3D venue walkthrough, which allows clients to picture their party there.

Take use of that, whether it's a stage that can accommodate a live band or a spot with an amazing view of the cityscape."With its Edison bulbs, exposed brick walls, and distinctive cement bar top, upstairs Atlanta has a lot of character and personality," Simon remarked. However, there is still enough room for every client's vision to be realized. Upstairs Atlanta has been able to host a wide range of events thanks to this capability, which is something that many venues lack.

2. Provide Complete Packages
Provide all-inclusive packages to your clients to make the planning process easier. Incorporate entertainment, décor, refreshments, and even an organizer on the day of the event. When clients discover that you can manage every part of their event, they are more inclined to make a reservation, which lessens their effort and worry.

Let's take the scenario where a couple is organizing their wedding. You provide a whole package that includes a caterer, designer, and DJ rather than having them arrange these elements independently. Here's how to organize it:

Catering: Provide a range of menu choices, such as a buffet, family-style meal, or a three-course plated dinner. Add choices for dessert stations, late-night nibbles, and hors d'oeuvres.
Decor: Offer a range of themed décor packages, including modern elegance, vintage glamour, and rustic chic. Incorporate lighting, table sets, centerpieces, and even personalized backdrops.
Entertainment: Collaborate with nearby DJs, live bands, or even unusual entertainment choices like caricature artists or photo booths. Make sure the event timeline incorporates these services with ease.
Day-of Coordinator: Designate a specific person to help with the organizing of the event.From setup to breakdown, this coordinator will make sure everything goes without a hitch so the couple may enjoy their big day stress-free.

3. Tailored Follow-Up
Send a customized email or phone call to a client who expresses interest or visits your location. Provide solutions that are specifically suited to their wants and problems. Converting inquiry into reservations can be greatly impacted by this personal touch.

4. Display Your Menus for Events
Make sure to let your guests know if your private event venue serves meals in-house or if you utilize caterers. Provide samples of your special occasion menus on your website if you own a restaurant. If you have a list of favorite caterers or work with outside caterers, think about including links to their websites or menus so people can see what they have to offer. When visiting venues, potential customers nearly often inquire about the food options, thus having this information readily available will speed up the booking process.

"We have a preferred catering list, but we don't have an exclusive catering option or menu," Simon stated. "Some fantastic special events caterers and fantastic Atlanta-based eateries are on our favorite catering list. Since food plays a significant role in events and celebrations, our list of favored caterers includes excellent experts and businesses that provide both delectable food and outstanding customer service! Because Upstairs Atlanta organizes a wide range of events, it's critical that our preferred catering list offers a selection of cuisines to satisfy our clients' different palates.

5. Off-Peak and Seasonal Savings
Encourage customers to make reservations during off-peak hours by providing exclusive deals and bundles. By using seasonal specials, you may maximize the use of your facility all year round by filling in slower dates.

Create alluring off-peak packages with extra benefits like free upgrades, extra facilities, or uncharged extended hours to make this work. To reach as many people as possible, promote these offers on your website, social media accounts, and email newsletters. Collaborate with nearby suppliers to provide packaged offers that increase customer value even further. For example, a winter wedding package can include savings on catering, flower design, and photography. To keep prospective customers interested and promote reservations during sluggish periods, keep your promotional calendar up to current and emphasize these deals. You can optimize your venue's potential and guarantee consistent revenue by booking your calendar all year round.

6. Promote Extra Services
Increase income by providing extra services like live entertainment, bespoke beverages, or personalized décor. Teach your sales force to spot upselling possibilities and how to persuasively communicate these choices to customers.

Consider offering supplementary services that enhance events' memorability if you want to significantly increase your venue's income. Consider creating specialty beverages that lend a distinctive touch or providing bespoke décor that precisely fits the client's concept.Events can also be made unforgettable with live entertainment, such as a brilliant DJ or a local band.

In this process, your sales team is essential. Make sure they have the skills necessary to recognize upselling chances. Give them the skills and zeal to showcase these extra offerings in a way that will captivate customers. To assist your staff feel comfortable proposing these extras, role-playing exercises can be an entertaining and useful training aid.

Emphasize to clients how these services can improve their event and provide their guests lifelong memories when proposing these options. A customized touch can make all the difference, such as a cocktail named after the couple being married or a corporate event décor theme that embodies the company's image.

Offering and successfully marketing these extra services will make your venue the preferred option for outstanding events while also boosting income and improving the entire client experience.

7. Give Your Customers a Special Feel
As a professional in the events sector, you do more than merely oversee outstanding events. In order to make sure your client's event runs smoothly, you are also present to attend to their demands. Since everyone enjoys feeling unique, what imaginative service can you provide to your clients to entice them to have their dinner at your venue?

"At Upstairs Atlanta, we think it's important to go above and beyond for our customers," Simon stated. One way we accomplish this is by giving our clients access to our Treasure Room, a space stocked with décor pieces that they are welcome to use for their events. Our clients are welcome to utilize the candle votives, vases, and other décor items in the Treasure Room at no cost.

8. Use Social Media
When it comes to promoting the potential of your location, social media is your best friend. Post excellent images and videos of previous events on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest on a regular basis. Remember to utilize captivating captions and pertinent hashtags to expand your exposure.

Consider your social media accounts as an online portfolio showcasing the finest features your location has to offer. Post breathtaking images of exquisitely furnished banquet spaces, contented patrons having a good time, and memorable moments from a variety of occasions. Videos, which capture the atmosphere, vigor, and enthusiasm of events hosted at your location, can have an even greater impact.

To keep your audience interested, post frequently since consistency is essential. Make use of captivating captions that emphasize special features of each event or convey a story. Give a testimonial from a happy customer, a humorous fact about the wedding couple, or behind-the-scenes glimpses of how your staff makes events happen.

Using hashtags is crucial to reaching a wider audience. Employ well-known and pertinent hashtags, such as #EventVenue, #WeddingReception, #CorporateEvents, and location-specific keywords, to increase the visibility of your postings. To encourage customers to post their own images and experiences, you may also make a special hashtag for your location.

Interact with your followers by quickly answering their messages and comments. Express gratitude for compliments and respond amiably and helpfully to any queries or issues. Work along with regional event coordinators or influencers that can assist spread the word about your location to their audience, enhancing your social media visibility.

9. Collaborate with regional suppliers
Develop connections with nearby DJs, florists, photographers, and other suppliers. Cross-promotion can be advantageous to both parties. To help clients organize their event and increase the likelihood that those vendors will recommend you to clients, compile a list of favorite providers.

Establishing solid ties with nearby businesses will revolutionize your venue. Start by contacting skilled local caterers, DJs, photographers, florists, and other event specialists. To meet these suppliers in person, go to local trade exhibitions, networking events, or even throw a mixer at your location.

After you've built these relationships, consider how you may help one another. Cross-promotion is a great tactic that benefits all parties. Share each other's work on social media, write blog entries together, or develop cooperative campaigns that give customers a discount when they use your network of suppliers.

Another excellent approach is to compile a list of recommended vendors. Your clients may find this list to be a useful tool in locating reputable experts who can add a unique touch to their event. Provide a range of choices in every category so that customers may discover the ideal fit for their preferences and price range. You may have a photographer who is skilled in taking unscripted pictures, a DJ who keeps the dance floor busy all night, and a florist who specializes in gorgeous, sophisticated arrangements.

You facilitate your clients' planning process by endorsing these businesses. Additionally, because they are a part of a trustworthy and encouraging network, these suppliers are more likely to recommend your venue to their clients in return. You might even provide incentives for referrals, like a modest commission or a discount on subsequent reservations.

10. Request Referrals
In reality, the private events sector is a rather small world, despite its seeming size. This is due to the fact that working with potential customers and vendors involves a great deal of networking. Make the most of your business connections by requesting business recommendations via email or in person from satisfied customers as well as reliable suppliers. Asking for online reviews, utilizing social media, and getting feedback from visitors can all help promote your company.

"We generate leads through our marketing, and we turn those leads into sales," Simon stated. We have a strong social media presence where we engage with potential customers, and we are included on numerous websites for event venues. Without a doubt, word-of-mouth has been our most effective marketing strategy. In addition to special event vendors and industry experts, we have received a lot of recommendations from people who have hosted events at Upstairs Atlanta in the past!

11. Hold Tasting Events and Open Houses
By giving prospective customers a taste of what you have to offer, holding a tasting class at your location can be a very effective way to increase banquet and event sales. With this immersive approach, guests can try a range of foods in your event area. Highlight the flavors, presentation, and quality that your location has to offer. You may create an unforgettable and compelling experience that words or images alone cannot match by appealing to their senses. Clients will find it simpler to picture their event at your location and feel secure in the culinary experience they will provide their guests with as a result of this direct engagement with your menu, which can foster excitement and trust.

Tasting lessons also offer a chance to showcase the adaptability and personalization possibilities available for various occasions. You can accommodate a variety of palates and dietary needs by showcasing your culinary prowess, from gourmet hors d'oeuvres to intricate multi-course meals. This sets your location apart from rivals and establishes you as a flexible and accommodating option for any kind of gathering.

12. Pursue Repeat Event Revenue
What's the simplest way to maximize banquet sales and your bottom line? Don't work harder; work smarter.Send an email to previous clients who made reservations with you around this time last year, asking if they would like to establish a custom by doing the same this year. You may even give them a little discount or a complimentary bottle of champagne as an incentive. Customers who are rushing to choose a location for their yearly holiday party or corporate event will also benefit from this.