Planning an event can be a smooth process when you are working with a repeat venue and contact because you have an idea of what to expect from the venue, and how your contact responds to various situations. However, starting relationships with new contacts can be quite a process because they may not always agree with your terms and conditions. So, what happens if they are not cooperating or making the planning process any easier?
Find a New Venue Contact:
If an individual is not properly fulfilling their job duties, and you find that they are taking multiple days to call you back – ask to speak with another individual. Speak with a director of sales or catering and explain the situation to them. If the unresponsive person is the director, don’t hesitate to reach out to the director of another department. See if they can get your contact to get back to you. Finally, there is always someone else to reach out to such as the general manager, owners, or managing company.
Don’t Give Up:
Some people are faster or slower than others at responding. If you’ve sent back a few revisions to a venue contact, don’t allow more than two days to go by without communicating with them. If they don’t reply to your email, call! Exhaust every possible method of communication until you find the one that your contact is most responsive to. Some people just need a little push. Speak to another person in the venue’s sales department and ask them to follow up on your behalf with your contact. Face-to-face interaction is more powerful than communication through electronic devices.
Find Another Venue:
If after every attempt to communicate, the venue is still not very responsive…then maybe you should not be working with them. You want to avoid working with someone who will not be available when you need them, or be proactive about solving unanticipated issues. Save yourself the headache, and avoid working with someone who does not have the greatest care or interest in helping you achieve your event goals.