As the restaurant and hospitality industries become more and more saturated, it’s as important as ever to have a strong brand. That strong brand shouldn’t just stop when you set foot outside your space, however — it should be reflected in your private events program too.

If you’re not sure where to begin, fear not! We’ve highlighted six great ways Gather’s software platform helps keep your brand strong, so you can build loyalty and keep customers coming back for a consistently stellar event experience.

You come off as organized

All seasoned industry pros know that organization is key to running a successful private events program. But as it turns out, there’s an added benefit to keeping all of your event details in one place. New customers want to work with businesses they can trust — and part of that trust comes from being organized. From being able to easily find a past catering order to know exactly what customization options and wine brands your venue has, being on top of organization makes you look good to clients and prospects alike.

It enhances your professionalism

A strong brand is built on way more than just a great logo. It should be reflected in your decor, on your menu, online, and yes, in your private events. There are a few easy ways to show off your branding when it comes to events. One is by branding your client-facing documents. You can also include a photo of your event space on your website’s lead form. Having a strong brand will help you stand out from the competition. Think about it: Would you rather work with a business that has clean, consistent, branded forms, or one that sends you plain, mismatched documents?

Clutter is eliminated

For the longest time, the job of managing events was synonymous with clutter, right? File folders, sticky notes, BEO binders, credit card slips, the works. In this day and age, however, systems like Gather eliminate the need for various systems and processes. Less clutter — or, even better, none at all — means less risk of details getting missed or leads falling through the cracks. Not to mention, you’ll save tons of time by not having to search through email chains and notebooks for the info you need.

Training new team members is a breeze

No matter how successful your company is, switch-ups are bound to happen. Employees can leave or change positions, or maybe you’re just expanding your staff as your business grows. Either way, you want the onboarding steps for any software to be easy and, most importantly, quick. Gather’s onboarding process is simple and streamlined, meaning most people can become Gather pros in just a couple of weeks. Plus, with the aforementioned consistent docs and processes, your clients won’t know the difference — thus, your events program keeps running without skipping a beat.

It encourages consistency

Speaking of consistency, that’s another big way to win client business. Consistency encourages a successful guest experience, and successful event and, ideally, positive feedback that’ll help you grow. Not only should docs be consistent, but your processes for managing events should be, too. That means consistent processes for things like responding to leads, booking guests, updating event details and disseminating information. (Luckily, Gather makes that all a breeze!)

Templates ensure you get all the info you need

When it comes to getting new events on the books, it’s all about speed. The faster you follow up with a lead and get all the necessary info to confirm their desired date and time are available, the more likely you are the get their business. Our booking templates eliminate a lot of the back-and-forth communication that often happens on the front end to see if the event makes sense for your space. Templates ensure that the prospect submits all the info your staff needs, always in the same place, so you spend less time following up and more time proactively selling.

Now that you know how Gather keeps your brand on point, request a live tour with a Gather expert to find out all we can do for your events.

Caroline Cox
Content Marketing Manager

Caroline Cox is Gather's Content Marketing Manager. She spends her time crafting blogs, thought leadership pieces, case studies, social media content and more, helping empower restaurants and other event venues to streamline their planning process and grow their events programs with success.