Meeting Room Scheduling at Hotels and Event Venues

Meeting Room Scheduling at Hotels and Event Venues: main benefits

Efficient meeting room scheduling is essential for smooth operations and customer satisfaction in the fast-paced world of hotels and event venues. With the advent of meeting room scheduling software, managing and optimizing meeting spaces has become more accessible.

This article will explore the benefits of implementing a meeting room scheduling system and why hotels and event venues should consider using one like Spazious.

What is a Meeting Room Scheduling System?

A meeting room scheduling system is a software solution that enables hotels and event venues to manage their meeting spaces effectively.

Likewise, it provides a centralized platform where managers can view real-time availability, make reservations, and optimize room utilization.

These systems streamline the entire scheduling process, eliminating the need for manual tracking and reducing the risk of errors or double bookings, among others.

Who can benefit from Meeting Room Scheduling?

On the one hand, meeting room scheduling systems benefit many businesses, such as hotels, conference centers, event venues, and co-working spaces. 

Likewise, these systems are precious for establishments with multiple meeting rooms of varying sizes and configurations. In other words, spaces that host events and meetings of different typologies. Whether hosting corporate meetings, conferences, or social events, efficiently scheduling and managing meeting spaces is crucial for maximizing revenue and ensuring customer satisfaction.

On the other hand, event planners and corporate professionals looking for meeting spaces can also benefit from this technology. Nowadays, these professionals spend much time searching for specific locations for their meetings and events. Moreover, they are waiting for a quotation and a response to their RFP.  

In conclusion, a meeting room scheduling system makes this process more efficient for hotels and planners. It helps hotels close more rooms and increase their revenue. Planners save time and obtain an immediate meeting room reservation and quotation. 

How much does this software cost?

The cost of meeting room scheduling software varies depending on various features, including the provider. 

In fact, different pricing models exist, including monthly subscriptions or pay-per-use / pay-per-reservations options. In this last case, the hotel will pay a commission for every meeting room booked through the booking engine. Hotels and event venues must evaluate their needs and budget before choosing a meeting room scheduling system. 

Why consider a Meeting Room Booking in Hotels?

There are different benefits hotels, and other venues will experience by using a meeting room booking system. Most of them directly affect its revenue increment and process optimization. 

#1 Optimize Room Utilization

One of the primary benefits of implementing a meeting room scheduling system is the optimization of room utilization. Hotels and event venues often have various meeting spaces, ranging from small conference rooms to large ballrooms. With a meeting room scheduling system, managers can easily view the availability of each room in real-time, avoid double bookings, and maximize the utilization of their meeting spaces.

This efficient allocation of resources ensures that every room is used and reduces the frustration of scheduling conflicts for staff and clients.

#2 Enhance Customer Experience

A seamless and user-friendly booking experience is crucial for customer satisfaction. Meeting room scheduling software offers a convenient platform for clients to search for available meeting rooms based on their specific requirements. 

By integrating such software into their websites or mobile apps, hotels, and event venues can provide clients with a hassle-free booking process. Clients can check availability, select the desired room, and make reservations within minutes. This enhances customer satisfaction and frees up staff to focus on delivering exceptional service during the event.

#3 Streamline Operations and Increase Efficiency

Manual meeting room scheduling can be time-consuming and prone to errors. By implementing a meeting room scheduling system, hotels and event venues can automate the entire process, reducing the risk of mistakes and streamlining operations. 

With a centralized platform, managers can handle reservations, generate invoices, and manage customer data seamlessly. This automation saves time and minimizes the chances of double bookings and scheduling conflicts. Staff can then focus on other critical aspects of their business, such as event planning and customer service.

#4 Obtain Real-Time Reports and Statistics

Meeting room scheduling systems provide valuable insights through real-time reports and statistics. Managers can analyze room utilization, booking patterns, and revenue generation data. This information enables informed decision-making to optimize meeting room offerings and pricing strategies. 

By identifying trends, peak booking periods, and popular room configurations, hotels and event venues can allocate resources effectively. Thus, plan for peak seasons, and improve overall profitability.

#5 Integration with Other Systems and Technologies

A robust meeting room scheduling system can seamlessly integrate with other methods used by hotels and event venues, such as property management systems (PMS) and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. This integration ensures smooth data flow, eliminates duplicate entries, and reduces the risk of errors. 

It also enables the sharing of customer information across different systems, providing a holistic view of the customer journey and enabling personalized and targeted marketing efforts.

Spazious: the 360º solution to manage Meetings & Events

If you are looking for software specialized in events and meetings management, discover Spazious and its innovative technology.

Spazious is a 360-degree solution for managing hotel meetings and events business, as it includes three different platforms in one unique space. 

Spazious offers an Instant Booking Engine for Meetings and Events to capture instant leads and bookings. With it, hotels increase the number of secure reservations and revenue for M&E business. Also, event planners receive an instant response to their RFP. Used to waiting an average of 48 hours to get an answer from the hotel, Spazious helps save 97% of the time (from 48 hours to a maximum of 1 hour to confirm the reservation). 

To manage the deals, sales, and distribution features of meetings and events management, Spazious includes their iSEM®. Through Immersive Sales and Event Management, hotels and event venues can improve their sales process. It will help them save time, costs and automate repetitive tasks. It is immersive, as sales teams and event planners can use the 2D and 3D event configurator from it.

As a matter of fact, the Diagramming Platform is the third solution Spazious offers. Events can be configured and personalized from the platform. Making a room reservation has always been challenging and exciting. It feels like playing a video game! As a result, hotels refrain from committing errors in the event or meeting setup. This configuration also helps take into account the total amount of the event. 

Find out more about Spazious and ask for a demo here!

In conclusion, implementing a meeting room scheduling system like Spazious can significantly enhance the efficiency and profitability of hotels and event venues.Moreover, by optimizing room utilization, enhancing customer experience, streamlining operations, accessing real-time reports, and integrating with other systems, hotels and event venues can stay ahead in the competitive market, provide exceptional service to their clients, and maximize revenue generation. 

To sum up, investing in a meeting room scheduling system is wise for any establishment looking to streamline its operations and provide a seamless booking experience.

Choosing the best event management software for your needs

 

Choosing the best event management software for your needs

Why do event managers need software? To make their work more efficient. Event management requires a lot of time, effort and coordination. There are many aspects of event management that require attention to detail, such as online registration, the event website, organisation and display system, email campaigns, check-in, etc.

Event management software helps organisers keep track of all the tasks, deadlines and resources involved in their events. Regardless of the type of event they organise, there is a wide range of tools available. Specific event management software is available for different types of events, such as conferences, meetings, weddings, etc. For example, a wedding planner may need special software to help them organise their wedding day.

 

How to Choose the Best Event Management Software

Start by prioritizing your needs. Want to save time managing event organisation tasks? Spazious is perfect for you then. Would you like to increase attendee participation and help your exhibitors create more businesses? How about saving money with a better event booking and diagramming system?

 

Take a look at each tool to see what it can do for you and ask yourself these questions:

 

– When it comes to events, have you ever wondered what you need?

– What items would be useful for the success of your event? List them down in order to see if they’re all available.

– Do you plan on having the event in-person or as a hybrid? Is the software customizable enough to support your type of event?

– Is the event planning software mobile-friendly?

– And is there an easy app for the attendees?

– How easily can you adopt the software?

– How can the team interact? Is it real time? Can the team see changes on the spot?

– How complex do you want your system to be?

– Do you use a project management or CRM system already? 

 – How many people will be using the software?

 

event management agenda

What an event manager needs based on responsibilities:

In this section, we will go over the event management needs of event managers according to their responsibilities. We will also cover some tools and platforms that can help them get better organized and make more informed decisions.

An event manager should have a clear understanding of the budget allocated for their events by analyzing everything from expenses to revenue opportunities. Sponsorship agreements should also be taken into consideration when negotiating contracts with vendors and suppliers, as these agreements can provide a significant amount of revenue for your organization.

 

So let’s see how we can meet these requirements one by one:

1.- Create and execute event plans and concepts

Once you know the size of the event with the approximate number of guests, the most important thing is to know the ideal dates, the duration of the event and location. Spazious booking tool can easily help you get along with every detail in your agenda.

Understand the fees and penalties and the terms of payment, make a list of the necessary services so you don’t leave anything out when making your choice. Cancellation policies and contingency clauses are elements that should always be in place to avoid unexpected situations.

2.- Manage budgets and invoicing

Keeping on top of our suppliers is essential to running a business that survives. So we must be careful and always know how much money we’re spending and where it’s going.

A good management tool that can access your CRM will help you keep up with the progress of your sale. Make sure that the software you choose is compatible with this pre-requisite.

3.- Negotiation with suppliers

Do not lose sight of the objective, under this premise we will have to be consistent with our budget and specify the services that are included and those that are excluded. Manage the payment calendar and deadlines.

Will several quotes be necessary? Save time by choosing venues that have fast and efficient software.

4.- Negotiate sponsorship agreements

Negotiating agreements is sometimes difficult but with the right circumstances and visualization of potential outcomes, it becomes much easier. This is possible thanks to visualization tools and the ability to make changes in the spaces as Spazious does with its diagramming tool and customization of spaces with all the variables offered by both the space & promoter.

5.- Manage logistics

Logistics management is both an art and a science. The logistics team ensures that all the materials for an event are in place. That includes the venue, audio-visual equipment, catering, stage design, speakers, registration desks, security guards and more.

Real-time management tools are becoming increasingly popular for managing large teams. One quick example would be making changes without delay. This means that both tasks are made easier and completed faster because less time is needed to complete it.

6.- Update senior management

In order to create a smooth and efficient corporate structure, it’s important for senior management to have clearly defined responsabilities. It’s also important for them to be aware of the skills of their staff. As a result, they’ll be able to delegate tasks correctly and give the best of themselves at all times. 
An all-in-one tool makes it easy for each user to access all visualizations and modifications in real time

7.- Manage branding and communication

This job often includes designing promotional materials, overseeing the marketing strategy, and overseeing the overall execution by just connecting with your phone or tablet.

8.- Obtain permissions

Event managers can also use tools to keep better track of the permits they need and already have. Some tools sync with hotel or venue CRMs, so this process is already structured and ready to go.

9.- Manage post-event reporting

This is one of the most important, but often neglected steps of event planning. Properly manage post-event reporting will help you keep track of your budget, make better decisions about future events, and provide you with more accurate data for your next event plans.

 

Thoughts on how the right event planning software can save you time and money

Event planners are constantly on the go and need to be organized at all times. But a lot of them forget about all the little details, which can result in a less-than-stellar event. And while some think they can manage on their own, there are a lot of features that event planners don’t even know about that would make their life easier