INTRODUCTION
The choices of event spaces continue to increase, from traditional venues such as hotels and banquet halls to non-traditional venues such as barns and stadiums. With the increased competition, it’s important to find ways to make your venue stand out in the crowd so you can drive bookings, even on off-nights.
Here are tips for marketing your space to lure group events:
HOW TO TARGET THE CORPORATE MARKET
Corporate events can be a great way to fill your off nights, as meetings and company outings tend to take place during the week. You should do a combination of push marketing and pull marketing to attract these types of events.
For push marketing, make sure to determine who the decision-maker is at an organization. This could be an administrative assistant, someone in HR or someone in the marketing department, depending on the size of the company. You also should consider targeting third-party event planners and firms since they often help organizations plan events.
Next, determine the best ways to reach your prospects. For instance, you could do tradeshow marketing, email marketing, direct mail, LinkedIn ads and/or some other tactic that positions your space in front of your target audiences.
At the same time, you should be ready to capture leads who are actively seeking a venue. In terms of pull marketing tactics, you should consider Google Search Ads, search engine optimization (SEO), referral marketing and directory listings, to name a few.
Quality photos and videos of your space are a must, as they can help prospects visualize their event at your venue. Showcase various setups (e.g. meetings, classroom-style) on your website and social media channels as well as testimonials that praise your event space. If you haven’t had an event or a particular type of event yet, stage your space accordingly.
In addition to layout, make sure to include information like square footage, capacity (sitting and standing), A/V availability and accessibility. As for pricing, include a contact form that people have to fill out on your website in exchange for your pricing guide. That will help build your email list, which you can use for follow-ups and future marketing efforts.
HOW TO TARGET THE CONSUMER MARKET
Start by targeting your current customers with internal signage and brochures, email marketing campaigns and social media posts that highlight your event space. Even if they are familiar with your business, they may not know about all of your offerings or your ability to host events like birthday parties or anniversary celebrations.
To reach new customers, you will follow many of the same tactics you used for the corporate sector. For instance, Google Search Ads and tradeshow marketing (e.g. wedding shows) are good places to start. Facebook and Instagram advertising is another good way to reach the consumer market.
To promote rehearsal dinners and wedding receptions, for example, you could target people who indicated that they recently got engaged on their social media profile. Similarly, you can drive bookings for birthday parties by creating timely ads that target by birth month. Tailor the experience even further by creating landing pages that include images and information related to the specific occasion.
Make sure to highlight the features and offerings that make your venue unique, such as your property’s photo-worthy scenery, signature menu or anything else that separates you from your competitors. You want to show guests that you can create a tailored, memorable experience for them vs. a cookie-cutter event they can get anywhere, especially if you have a non-traditional venue.
You also should consider forming relationships with other vendors (e.g. wedding cake bakeries, dress shops, hotels) to earn referral traffic. If you have slow times, you may also want to consider offering seasonal incentives (e.g. upgrades, discounts) to fill your space on off-days or during the off-season.