Venue Sales
Certificate
Venue Sales Certificate
Course Overview
Are you looking to increase your venue’s bookings? If so, arm yourself with the strategies and tactics you need to succeed. In this detailed course, we’ll dissect the elements that go into a successful sales strategy for a wide range of event venues. Participants will leave with the confidence and tools to navigate your clients’ needs, close more in-bound inquiries, and prospect to develop new leads. This course is designed for banquet, catering or event sales managers responsible for booking their venues for private events, meetings, and conferences.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Where and how to find new leads.
- How to develop winning proposals.
- How to effectively negotiate a win-win agreement.
- How to effectively close the sale.
SCROLL DOWN to see more details including a breakdown of course content, learner testimonials, and FAQ’s.
Event Leadership Institute has been approved by the Events Industry Council (EIC) as a Preferred Provider of continuing education courses, including the COVID-19 Event Strategy & Design Certificate course, which qualifies for CMP continuing education credit. Determination of continuing education credit eligibility or Preferred Provider status does not imply EIC’s endorsement or assessment of education quality.
Learn From An Industry Leader
With over 20 years of industry experience, Howard Givner is a widely recognized expert and innovator in the field of events, business growth strategy, technology and education. Howard is the Founder and Executive Director of the Event Leadership Institute (which launched in April 2011), provider of best-in-class training and education for the events industry, through online, on-demand video classes, interviews with industry leaders, white papers, webinars and live events.
He is the founder of Paint The Town Red, Inc., and the former CEO of North America for Global Events Group, the 13th largest event agency in the world, which acquired Paint The Town Red in 2008. During his tenure the company won over 30 industry awards. Howard is a Past President of the ILEA (International Live Events Association) NY Metro Chapter; has served on the board of directors of MPI (Meeting Professionals International) Greater NY Chapter as VP of Education; is a member of the BizBash NY Advisory Board; has served on the Advisory Board of Special Events Magazine; been a judge of the Gala Awards & HSMAI’s Adrian Awards. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences on a wide range of topics. He has been profiled in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, National Public Radio, ABC News, The Apprentice, and USA Today, in addition to numerous trade media.
Howard is a consultant to companies in the hospitality, meetings and event industry, specializing in strategic planning, sales growth, management, and mergers & acquisitions, and selectively consults with business owners on a limited number of engagements.
Facilitating Instructor
Dr. Kelli McCrea teaches event management, event planning and operation, customer service, and management of recreation, hospitality, and parks at California State University, Chico. In addition to teaching, Kelli also serves as the Department Assessment Coordinator, Accreditation Co-Coordinator, and student club advisor. Kelli lives in Napa Valley, California, and frequently does events on the weekends.
View Kelli's Profile
Taking A Strategic Perspective
- The triple crime of the empty room
- Leveraging your time in the sales process
- The lost art of hospitality
Client Discovery: Closing More Inbound Leads
- Dynamic pricing options
- The goal of the initial call or email exchange
- What information to gather
- What information to share
- How to evaluate the prospect
- Should you discuss price or date availability
Prospecting & Lead Generation
- Sources of new leads
- Understanding the sales funnel
- Why people put off prospecting, and how to fix this
- Honing your elevator pitch
- How to vary your pitch based on who you’re pitching
- ‘Pull Prospecting’: getting prospects to come to you
- Networking tips
Growing Your Accounts
- How to identify additional leads from an existing account
- Tips for using Google to find event leads within an organization
- Tips for using Linked In to find event leads within an organization
- Tips for finding email addresses within an organization
Special Tips for Booking
- Weddings
- Fundraisers
- Association events
- Meetings & conferences
- 3rd party referral agents
Knowing Your Property
- Points of differentiation with your competitors
- Objections & responses
- Features vs. benefits
- F.A.Q.s
Conducting the Perfect Site Tour
- Advance prep
- How to structure the tour
- Little touches that make a big difference
- Customizing the tour
Developing Winning Proposals
- Identifying & addressing decision making factors
- Understanding the decision making process
- Comparing your proposal to the competition’s
- What’s the ideal format for a proposal
Negotiation Techniques
- Understanding negotiating styles
- Maintaining price integrity
- Identifying common tactics and how to respond
- Avoiding the “divide and conquer”
Post-Event Debrief & Follow Up
- Positioning your venue for the re-booking
- Multi-year contracts
- Addressing feedback constructively
- Common complaints from clients and how to respond
The Event Leadership Institute stands behind all of its content. If you feel you didn't learn what you expected to in this course, just let us know within 30 days of your last lesson and we'll give you a full refund. Click here to view our refund policy and full terms & conditions.
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