Holiday events are happening. Even though COVID-19 is still top of mind, people are making up for lost time, specifically the lack of gatherings in December 2020. The difference this year – unlike, say, 2019 – is that groups are a bit unsure of the situation and are more than likely to book last minute or within two weeks out.
Whether you operate a hotel, a restaurant, a club or a private event venue, you need to be ready to take the business, and here’s how TransForm can help.
To start, the name of the game this season is quick turnaround times. Groups will want immediate answers on quotes, contracts, deposits and BEOs. All this is now expected to be done electronically, often without even a site visit (or at least a virtual one). Given this speed, you need systems in place to allow for card-not-present transactions and lightning-fast updates to any digital contacts during the negotiation phase. If you can’t move at that pace and keep track of all your documents, then the business is bound to go elsewhere.
TransForm’s core utility is its ability to allow for secure payment portals that seamlessly connect into a merchant’s payment gateway. This works great for giving customers a convenient way to pay – one that’s also contactless and doesn’t require any in-person arrangements.
But perhaps equally important for quickly locking in a holiday event is the SignNow integration, acting as an electronic document module so that you no longer need an in-person signature (in addition to the version coding so that you avoid delivering an out-of-date contract). Other prominent features within TransForm include a deposit function as well as the ability to schedule installments with automatic notifications on late payments.
Together, these make the purchase pathway from initial inquiry through to a confirm event all the easier so that you minimize any ‘abandoned RFPs’ by not responding fast enough. Critically, this adaptability to the post-pandemic pace for venue and meeting space bookings has applications far beyond the holiday season of December 2021.
Given how flexible these types of reservations have become insofar as refundability, cancellations and attrition clauses, having groups confirm a booking less than two weeks out from a chosen date may represent the ‘new normal’ for events. As such, you need to meet event planners with the right technology that matches how they want to communicate, for which TransForm fits the bill. Consider adding it to your tech stack for the New Year. In the meantime, happy holidays!
