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Over the last 12 months, Tee Houghton, our Marketing Apprentice, has been working in Kajima Community as part of the team driving sales of our BookingsPlus software into the local authority market. The benefit of the software is to not only showcase safe, quality, much-needed spaces to local residents and businesses, but it also allows local authorities to boost their income from lettings. Read Tee’s latest blog to find out some of the challenges she has identified and some of the benefits BookingsPlus can bring.
For many organisations, generating much-needed income from underused facilities is vital. Providing safe and well-maintained spaces to your community, that can be found and booked with ease, will help ensure repeat bookings as well as build your reputation among potential customers – and overall boosting your lettings income.
Take a local resident, for example, who may wish to host a special event at your facility – if information about your venue is not easy to find online, or it isn’t quick and easy to find out if spaces are available, they may end up feeling frustrated abandoning the idea altogether, or looking at an alternative venue which is much more accessible. As an experiment, our team recently contacted a dozen schools to hire a sports hall for a special event. On average it took more than five days to confirm and secure the booking. In a world where a click on a smartphone can allow us to order something online and often receive it the same day, this is an outdated process that will no doubt put off potential users.
With some of our customers hosting as many as 30 special events per month, this type of booking can prove a lucrative one if enquiries can be generated with ease. And that’s how BookingsPlus, our online lettings software can support. Implementing such a platform will enable venues to provide residents with a streamlined and user-friendly booking process, making it easier for local residents to find, enquire and secure a suitable space for their event.
Curious as to what makes for a great event venue, and the factors that can impact a potential hirer’s decision? Read on as we discuss the top 3 considerations when choosing the ideal space, and how BookingsPlus can help.
Location Matters
The significance of the location cannot be overstated – it sets the tone, impacts attendance, and contributes to the overall experience.
When considering a venue, factors like accessibility, proximity to transportation hubs, and the number of anticipated attendees should be carefully weighed.
How BookingsPlus can help – Our multi-venue software comes with a dedicated website to showcase all of your facilities for hire, from one centralised platform. Each page features an interactive map which can be used to locate the venue, plan a route to and from, find public transport and venue accessibility.
Venue Size
The size of venue your hirers will choose will be dependent on the type of event they are planning to host, number of attendees they are expecting and the atmosphere they aim to create. Are they hosting a birthday party and need space for a bouncy castle or entertainment? Are they looking for an intimate space to hold a team meeting or large open-plan area for a school reunion?
How BookingsPlus can help – Each venue page features a space description which outlines not only important details, such as space dimensions, capacity and layouts, but also thoughts into the functionality of each area, equipment available and the types of activities which are suitable in that space.
Venue Aesthetics
If your hirers were given the choice between a derelict structure marred by peeling paint and graffiti and a modern, sleek and cared for establishment, it’s obvious which option they would choose. The visual appeal of the venue will not only affect its functionality and appropriateness, but it will also leave a lasting impression on guests.
How BookingsPlus can help – All venues on our platform are accompanied by a variety of high-quality photos for you to browse to aid your decision-making, however, static images alone may not be not enough for your hirers to determine whether the space is right. What better way to truly envision what the event will look like than taking a virtual tour. The virtual tours offer the hirer the ability to virtually walk around your venue, exploring each room and leaving no room for unwanted surprises on the day of their special event.
Platforms such as our BookingsPlus software, or Community Lettings offer, help to create an online shop window where potential customers – local people, local groups – are able to view in detail the facilities that are available, when they are available, and quickly book a time slot assisting venues of all types to not only provide outlets for their local community but to also generate a healthy income alongside.
