Ask any event planner or event scheduler and they’ll tell you: the volume and complexity of events continues to rise rapidly. And, unfortunately, staffing doesn’t always follow suit. As a result, events professionals have to find ways to be more efficient as their workload grows. One area where efficiency is especially important is in communicating with event hosts about their room requests, resource needs, and other details.
Even simple meetings (and you could argue there’s no such thing anymore!) require multiple interactions, and complex events may involve dozens, if not hundreds, of details that have to be hammered out. If a host replies to a scheduler’s requests for information quickly and clearly, it makes life easier for both parties. If they don’t… well… it does not. Fortunately, there are things the event scheduler or event planner can do to set the stage for effective communication.
The key to getting what you need from people who submit event requests is having a well-defined process for how you will connect with them. Fail to create and follow this kind of procedure and you can expect that issues will arise. First, it will cause frustration for you, your events team, external service providers, and the event host. Second, it will waste your valuable time. And finally, it can result in miscommunication that leads to an unsatisfactory event and damage to the reputations of everyone involved.
To avoid these and other negative outcomes, keep these tips in mind for your interactions with hosts or anyone who will have input on an event:
Of course, even if you use the tips above, you will still encounter people who don’t respond promptly or at all. It’s something that all event planners and schedulers have to deal with at times. In that case, you should continue to be polite and simply do what you can with the information provided. If that means you need to cancel a requested service or even the event itself, at least you have made an effort to meet the host’s needs, and you have the documentation to prove it.
If this is an ongoing problem, you may need to consider adding language to your reservation confirmations stating that failure to respond and subsequent cancellation of services or events can result in suspension of room booking privileges. But, hopefully by setting a positive tone regarding communication upfront you can get the timely and complete responses that lead to a positive experience for hosts, event attendees, and your staff.
Do you need help making your request process more efficient? See our free online resource, The Ultimate Guide to Taking Online Room Scheduling Requests.
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