Open Air Business June/July 2018

FUNCTION VENUES
INSPIRATION
› The moving image/embracing
technology: www.hedsor.com/
hedsor-house-virtual-tour
› Eye catching, modern web design
and a flexible wedding planning
approach:
www.weddingweekends.co.uk
› Authenticity and going the extra
mile for the bride who is a first time
planner of weddings:
www.fetchampark.co.uk/weddings
› Authenticity and nailing their
USP: www.thewellbeingfarm.co.uk
FLEXIBILITY
The couple of 2018 are more
than ever seeking to celebrate
their wedding absolutely their
way, so flexibility of approach
is key. It’s a fine balance as this
audience is inexperienced and
needs guidance and help to
deliver a vision too, but as much
as possible keeping a flexible
approach to the ways you can
suggest they use your spaces,
plan their day, design their menu
etc. is key.
Having some venue restrictions
and guidelines is often
understood, but maintaining an
open, ‘keen to help’ approach
towards fresh ideas and giving
choice where it is absolutely
possible is essential in attracting a
modern audience. Try to prescribe
the day too specifically, according
to past tradition, and they will run
a mile… In website terms, being
able to guide a customer clearly
to a range of options of how they
can use your venue is key, marked
more as ‘inspiration’ than ‘this is
how we always do it’.
FIRST TIME WEDDING PLANNER
While making the point above
about flexibility, make sure
the offering presented on
your website and elsewhere is
specific and helpful enough,
taking account of the fact that
these customers are new to this
wedding planning business!
Yes, they seek flexibility and
absolute personalisation, and
they often have a vision of parts
of their celebration and how they
envisage it to be, but most (unless
event managers themselves)
don’t have any knowledge about
how to get there; they are firsttime
event planners, planning the
biggest event of their life. It’s great
to take a bespoke approach but
don’t forget to steer them.
Example features for your
website could be:
› A storytelling approach,
describing with text alongside
photos, the journey through a
typical wedding day/weekend
at your location, showing each
space set up and dressed as you
might often use it
› A bird’s eye view/floor plan
of all your key spaces and
capacities so they can map out
their celebration and see how it
flows
› Frequently asked questions
– all those little things that
you’re often asked; make those
questions accessible from early
in the process to overcome any
potential hesitations
› Exciting gallery pages that show
the wedding day components
clearly (ceremony photos
together, party photos together,
getting ready photos together)
to inspire, in an organised
sense, the potential new
booking.
Don't forget that these customers
have never set foot in your venue
and have no idea of how it all
knits together and works – try to
take a fresh pair of eyes to your
website as if you’d never seen
your venue before and use this to
have a website refresh to really
ensure what you’re presenting
is user-friendly and appealing to
your next clients.
NEED EXPERT HELP?
This kind of website analysis is something that forms a part of
my signature consulting programme ‘Refine & Shine’ where I help
my venue clients on a one-to-one basis look at areas to refine and
improve their wedding offering to increase bookings and/or enter
new markets. If you’d like to explore more, you can find out about
‘Refine & Shine’ and other consulting and training options at
www.kellychandlerconsulting.co.uk/consulting-services
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelly Chandler is a longterm
preferred service
provider for exclusive
venues such as Syon
Park, Highclere Castle,
Spencer House and
Stoke Park Club. Kelly’s
consulting services to
wedding venues draw
on prior experience in
international conference
and event planning,
over 15 years of business
management, and
working directly with
discerning couples
planning their weddings
in diverse locations
and forging successful
relationships with all
components of the
wedding industry. A
former director of trade
body The Alliance of
Wedding Planners,
Kelly is a well-regarded
innovator, mentor,
trainer and industry
spokesperson on and in
the wedding business.
www.kellychandler
consulting.co.uk
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