Open Air Business June/July 2017

FUNCTION VENUES
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IT’S COMMONLY AGREED that
people do business with companies
and people they like and key to
liking them is often in feeling
that their own desires and needs
are understood. In the arena
of weddings this is never truer
– couples want and deserve to
feel special at every step of the
way in what is such a unique and
unparalleled life event. You need
to speak their language and give
couples what they need before they
even know they need it. So, do you
speak bride?
Remember your audience is
inexperienced, excited, yes, but
nervous and sometimes worried,
emotional and overwhelmed.
You therefore, as a venue and the
biggest and most pivotal wedding
supplier they will hire, need to fill
them with confidence and guide
them from the start.
Here are some tips on how you
can speak a couples’ language
and tap into what they are really
thinking. You might think this
comes later on in the co-ordination
and detail and that you don't
need it in the initial sale but that
would be wrong – today’s bride
and groom expect to be able to see
and experience big parts of their
wedding day before it all actually
takes shape. Remember today’s
couples have been using Pinterest
for ideas and inspiration gathering
for years, they are very savvy and
very regular readers of wedding
blogs and are sponges for soaking
up wedding ideas and creativity.
Do you
Speak
Bride?
Kelly Chandler explains how to win over
couples by speaking their language
TELL THE WEDDING STORY
Whilst you would be right to
encourage couples to make their
own mark on personalising their
wedding day, make sure that
in a bid to mark yourselves as
bespoke and flexible, you don’t
forget to share your knowledge
and experience. Tell them
in a storytelling, logical
manner how things can
work on their wedding
day.
The best websites
and marketing
materials I see tell
the story in a clear
and easy way showing
typical wedding day
options and possibilities both
in text and in photos. Make sure
you cover the entire story, not just
the parts that directly impact
you. Whilst you may well
only host receptions
and parties in a
tented structure
in your grounds,
before a couple
will book with you
they need to work
out how their entire
celebration will flow.
This will mean working
out details that as a minimum
will involve bridal preparations,
the wedding ceremony, overnight
accommodation and, in most
cases, pre-wedding day activities.
Most weddings attract a very
international guest list these days
and often the direct bridal party
are not local to the venue either
so the logistics of a wedding day
go beyond purely a meal and a
party. Make sure you showcase
what’s available by yourselves
and also locally, whether it’s an
awareness of your local church, the
civil ceremony route or outdoor
symbolic ceremonies. Detail local
options for a late night after-party,
group accommodation and next
day brunch. Work hard to paint the
entire picture to make it very easy
for a couple to see that you speak
their language!
ANTICIPATE THEIR NEEDS
As an extension of that, make
sure you pay attention to the
little things which make all the
difference in the wedding market
and set you apart. Brides (and
grooms to a certain extent!) like
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