One of the most effective strategies is to use your food and beverage services to increase bill size. By providing A/V equipment, it’s one less thing they have to remember plus they have on-site staff to help with any technical difficulties. Here are some practical ways to help you achieve your goals. Upstairs Atlanta hosts many diverse events, therefore it is important that our preferred catering list represents a variety of cuisine to cover the multitude of palettes that our clients have.”, As an events industry pro, you’re not just in the business of managing stellar events. Click here to log in to Gather. You are fully equipped to offer a variety of food options to increase your f&b revenue. If you work with outside caterers or have a preferred caterers list, consider linking to their menus or sites so they can get a feel for those offerings as well. They’re more likely to grab something right in front of them rather than leave the premises in search of a cafe. Use of flowers, interesting table settings, a welcoming entrance at the front door and tasteful holiday decorations can all distinguish your hotel.�� 4.�Insure great food presentations. Once you’ve received a potential lead or an RFP – reach out to your contact as soon as possible. Using a pipeline to manage all your leads will streamline your sales process and, if utilized properly, will ultimately lead to more closed deals – #WINNING! You can even offer them an incentive, like a free bottle of Champagne or a small discount. These are easy to store, they don’t require any restaurant equipment to execute, and typically are priced to fit into any planners budget. Here are a few tips and tricks to strengthen the quality of your prospective clients. If you’re a medium-sized hotel with 1 meeting space that can fit 150 people theatre style, an RFP for a 500 person conference is not a qualified lead. 3. Send past customers who booked with you this time last year an email and see if they’d like to start a tradition by doing the same this year. You’re also there to tend to your client’s needs to ensure their event goes off without a hitch. “One way that we do so is by allowing our clients have access to our “Treasure Room”, which is a room filled with decor items that can be incorporated into their events if they desire. Related: See which event types are most profitable in our most recent guide. Looking at hotel F&B performance for June 2017, on a 12-month-moving-average comparison, catering-and-banquet revenue per available square foot (RevPAS) rose 2%; while for hotel F&B venues, revenue per available seat saw a 1.4% increase, according to STR data. Take advantage of these professional relationships and ask for business referrals from both vendors you trust and happy clients through email or in person. For example, offer a centerpiece, table linens, the house wine and one or two flower arrangement choices in a standard package. If you’re a full-service hotel, you have an in-house food and beverage team. In fact, 71.67% of buyers start their purchasing journey with a google search (The State of Demand Generation 2013, Pardot). It’s OK to ask more of a prospective client! It’s more convenient for a planner to rent equipment from the property rather than borrow or lease from a third party. The following 10 ideas can help you to increase sales and control costs: 1. – Prospect in real-time either via the phone or in-person whenever possible. – Offer packaged meals like sandwiches and salads as options for lunch break. Set results goals (sales per month, amount per sale, profit per sale, etc.) Each stage should represent a different step in the buyer’s journey. a way to cater to everyone’s dietary needs without breaking the bank. Find Your Audience. Off-premise catering is another area of the restaurant industry that continues to grow. Plus, we chat with Russell Simon, sales director at Upstairs Atlanta, about the methods his business uses to increase banquet sales. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you likely already know that people find out about your business online, largely via google search or social media. “We strive for efficiency, and Gather allows that for our clients, which is a huge benefit for us. Another type of sales plan you’ll see a lot is an individual sales plan for specific sales tactics, such as prescribed call sequences, email follow-up frequency, and meeting appointments. Have packaged snacks, to go coffee, juices and pastries on display. Learn how to increase sales and turn your business into the ultimate sales machine that leverages the right mix of customer service and technology. A 400% increase in sales. 4. Holly Edwards is Gather's Content Marketing Specialist. Sales meetings are essential for any sales operation. Tips to Sell More Banquet Event Orders. , about the methods his business uses to increase banquet sales. Food is a very important part of an event or celebration so our preferred catering list contains top-notch professionals and companies that deliver exceptional customer service and delicious food! These symptoms will be potential indices, which can be used to aid understanding and interpretation. They are also asking me to improve banquet sales by a large percentage as well, as well as raise the bar on the banquet clientele. Everyone likes to feel special, so what’s something creative you can offer your clients that will encourage them to have their banquet in your space? Whether your private event space offers food in-house or you work with caterers, make sure to mention that to your customers. Gathering leads that are outside of your property’s capabilities, can take away precious time from other opportunities that would be the perfect fit for your business. Not only do meal options provide flexibility for planners who may not know everyone’s dietary preferences, it also allows alleviates stress for planners hosting ticketed events who may not know the number of attendees until later in the event planning process. Virgin. A qualified lead for hotel banquet sales is typically a prospect whose event needs, budget, size, and timing all are possible at your property. Restaurants with private dining rooms and banquet facilities can increase sales by catering to private parties and large functions such as weddings, holiday parties, and business conferences. Working with other departments such as housekeeping, food and beverage management and catering, banquet managers are expected to collaborate to make an event successful and increase sales. Article - How to Optimize Your Hotel Sales Strategy for More Group Business - 100+ months of continuous RevPAR growth has the hotel industry riding an … Increase Prices (Slightly) Increasing menu prices is a logical way to increase restaurant sales – if done right. This is quite evident that if you increase the costs of your menu items, it will automatically increase the net sales of your restaurant. If you can, include both empty venue photos and event photos filled with people on your website and social channels so customers can envision their party at your venue. In fact, it can significantly increase the average amount spent in dollars per order, known as average order value (AOV), as well as overall revenue. One way to find better turn catering leads into sales is to be more specific in your eRFP form. This is applicable especially in case of B2B sales where the salesperson is the influencer for buying behavior. 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