3 Ways to Reduce Stress for Event Planners and Win Their Business
According to Forbes magazine, being an Event Coordinator is the 5th most stressful job. Event coordinators juggle lots of moving parts like keeping tabs on multiple clients, meeting tight deadlines, and dealing with unforeseen last-minute problems.
So when it comes to choosing a venue for their client, this should be the simplest of their tasks. But a lot of that depends on the sales process an Event Sales Manager of the venue provides.
As the Event Sales Manager, you want to show why your venue is the ultimate venue for a planner or coordinator to choose for their event. This requires you to be organized and make the decision as easy as possible for interested parties.
In this article, you will know 3 ways you can take the stress away from Event Planners and Coordinators, so you win more business.
Showcase your venue with impressive visuals and testimonials
When planning an event, often the Event Planner or Event Coordinator will scour the web looking for the perfect venue. They compile a list of options to present to the client and have their client narrow down the possibilities to only a couple of choices.
During this first round of research, an Event Planner or Coordinator doesn’t have time to physically visit a venue if they haven’t been there before. They will get any first impressions of your venue from whatever resources online like your website, existing photos, and reviews.
But don’t assume they’ve seen everything your venue has to offer by doing a simple Google search. Present stunning photos, virtual tour videos, or client testimonials in the marketing collateral and proposals you send. By embedding this type of media into your documents, you can easily showcase the beauty of your venue and why it is the right choice for their client.
Most proposal software tools on the market today feature robust document editors that allow you to drag and drop these types of content assets from a custom content library. Features like these create beautiful client-centric documents in as little as a few minutes.
Here are some photos you may want to consider adding to your content arsenal:
- Pictures of the building, entrance, welcome signage. This gives the Event Planner an idea of what the venue will look like for arriving guests.
- Take photos of the bathrooms. We’re not joking, this really helps! Event Planners care about providing a superior event for their client’s guests so they want to make sure the venue can provide a positive (not to mention clean) experience.
- Feature photos that show the change in lighting from day to night. Therefore, no matter what time the event will take place, the planner will have the appropriate visuals of your space.
Streamline your booking process
As mentioned previously, Event Planners are under extremely tight deadlines. The last thing they need from you as an Event Sales Manager is wasting their time with unnecessary processes and paperwork.
One way to reduce friction in the planning process is to make it easy for someone to book your venue. You want to provide a super easy, super simple way for planners to receive, view, and sign the quote you send them.
The best way to do this is with a document automation or document management tool. An all-in-one software tool that allows you to digitize the paperwork around bookings will make both of your jobs seem like a cake walk.
Most solutions on the market today not only allow you to generate a quote for your clients, but they also allow you to provide multiple choice pricing to your client, and they can electronically sign the quote. If a deposit is required to secure a date, you can even ask them to pay when they eSign.
Quoting software also eliminates the back and forth lengthy email threads with in-document collaboration. This level of messaging allows the Event Sales Manager and the Event Planner to comment right in the quote with questions, requests, needed edits, and more.
When you streamline chaotic processes, not only will planners thank you for reducing their workload, but you’ll also gain a reference for life.
Be transparent about costs
When a client gives an Event Planner a budget, they expect them to stick to it. The last thing anyone wants is an unhappy, pissed off client because you are spending more of their money than intended.
Of course, things happen, and unanticipated conditions will likely occur, but it is your job as the Event Sales Manager to aid in setting expectations from the beginning. You need to provide as much transparency as possible around costs and foster communication early so should things veer off course, everyone is prepared.
Let’s say you are a wedding venue and you charge a flat fee to use the facility but the bride and groom must provide the tables and chairs; make sure this information is evident in the proposal.
You’ll also want to detail things like cancellation fees, refundable, and non-refundable deposits. The more costs you can provide to the planner in the initial agreement, the better the trust will be between each party.
Now you’re likely thinking, how can I accomplish this in my proposal process? Good news is, proposal, quote, and contract software includes features that allow you to create line items on your quote that detail specific pricing or conditions.
Want to allow the planner or client to edit their own quantity or choose a specific package?
No problem, your quotes will enable the recipient to dynamically select the pricing that works for them so they stay in budget.
If a change to the event occurs, there is no need to create a new proposal or quote from scratch. Proposal software supports these changes, automatically updating the document, and it will send a new notification to the Event Planner. You can even track these changes so you can manage versions without getting confused.
In conclusion
The job requirements of an Event Planner and an Event Sales Manager can be disorganized and uncontrolled. But by using an all-in-one document automation tool to streamline the paperwork processes behind planning an event, you’ll make everyone involved a little less stressed.
Proposal software can help a venue stand out from the competition, reduce friction, and provide transparency. By implementing or choosing a software vendor to aid in your event document processes, you can rest assured your events will go off without a hitch and you’re providing an indefinite amount of happy memories that your clients will cherish forever.
