Success Story
SEM ensures that we continue to grow
‘Smart Event Manager (SEM) feels like a warm coat. It’s comfortable and virtually custom-made,” says Oetze Mulder, owner of restaurant and party center De Postwagen in Tolbert, Groningen. ‘We have been using the smart software since 1999. Over the years, we have grown as a company. Thanks in part to SEM, which grew with us.’
About The Postwagen
The Postal Car has 80 employees and offers a wide range of “happy moments,” as they call it. From a romantic dinner to a large (theme) party and from an enchanting wedding to an inspiring lecture. ‘Our range and target group is broad and the number of guests is large. SEM provides (financial) overview, ensures that communication runs smoothly, helps us work efficiently and ensures that we make fewer mistakes,’ says Oetze Mulder.
‘How it works in practice? ‘Guests can make reservations online. And actually from the moment they hit the send button almost everything goes automatically. We can send a slick quotation of a complete wedding within minutes. When booking a dinner or corporate event, there is a direct link to the kitchen, the restaurant, the activity provider and the scheduling system. In short, everyone has the right information and knows what to do. And afterwards there is a clear invoice ready to go.’
‘The nice thing about this is that the mutual communication and coordination is incredibly smooth. Everyone does what he or she is good at. There is less stress, we make fewer mistakes, and as an entrepreneur I have a nice dashboard with clear information that I can manage. I have time to undertake. Yeah, that really makes me happy.
‘SEM is also a very stable system,’ explains Oetze Mulder. ‘It always works and that feels very familiar. As an entrepreneur, sometimes you need new functionalities. Especially when your company is growing. The number of modules has therefore expanded considerably in recent years. With every request, we critically examine whether other SEM customers have the same need. If so, a lot is possible.
Kitchen Management System
De Postwagen developed its own kitchen management system, which is linked to SEM. ‘This link ensures that when an order comes in for a barbecue, for example, not only does a notification go to the reservation system, personnel planning and accounting. There is also a link to the supplier of the ingredients and the order is automatically divided into components. So the staff in the kitchen know what to do with one click.’
‘The result is that we can buy in better and spend less time doing so and can respond more quickly to changes and cancellations. The kitchen is less occupied with administrative tasks, there is less noise and tasks are clear to everyone.’ Over the past twenty years, De Postwagen has grown from village pub to the hotspot in the North of the Netherlands, with an indoor activity arena, atmospheric a la carte restaurant, versatile wedding rooms to unique overnight accommodations. ‘The days of a paper diary and handwritten notes are far behind us. SEM and the link with our kitchen management system ensure that we have the space to continue building our business,’ he enthuses.
