Are the words “digital” and “hospitable” diametrically opposed in your mind? Not after you have Linda Bosman and Maarten Moors, Sales Consultants at Voorraedt / Smart Event Manager , asking for their views. ‘We are convinced that the opposite is true. If you properly deploy a digital tool such as, for example, our updated Online Reservations module, you can júist free up time to be even more engaged with your guests.
Smart Event Manager provides smart event management software, entirely focused on supporting the event professional. ‘With our software, we try to make everything as easy as possible for our users. So our tools have to be clear and straightforward,’ Maarten starts. ‘Because many of our colleagues come from the industry, we are very good at making the translation between reality and the software. The software solves issues that people actually encounter in practice.’
Time off for hospitality
Precisely because of their industry knowledge, Smart Event Manager knows how important hospitality is. Linda: “We sometimes hear from our clients that they are somewhat reluctant to deploy digital tools. They fear that deploying a digital tool is not hospitable because they won’t speak to their client. But using a digital tool properly frees up time where event professionals can focus on what they do best: organizing events and dealing with the guests who need the attention.’
Request or book directly
The Online Booking module is widely used for simple bookings such as meetings and trainings. ‘Often an event consists of the same kind of elements. Those are fine to book digitally. In addition, clients can also use the tool for requests. With us, the module is really such that you can make a request that is shot directly into Smart Event Manager as an option. So that booking is actually in Smart Event Manager as an option,” Linda says. ‘As an event manager, all you have to do is accept it. On the other hand, you can also book directly based on the availability linked to Smart Event Manager. Our module always looks up availability in real time.’
More time for customization
The fact that you can go both ways with the module makes Online Reservations unique. ‘You can even set per reservation type whether or not customers can book directly,’ Maarten adds. ‘For a meeting you might think that’s fine, whereas for a party night you can only make a request.
Larger events or conferences generally require more customization,” he agrees. ‘But by making the initial contact digital, you remove a lot of workload from the reservations department, which actually allows more time for larger or complicated events that require attention. For customized events, a request via a digital tool can be a nice stepping stone. The initial contact can be made 24/7 and the relationship is created in the system. So you skip the initial administrative battle, as soon as you start calling the client making the request, you immediately know what they are interested in and can get straight to the point.’
Hospitality is in the interplay
Therefore, according to Linda and Maarten, hospitality is mainly in the interaction. Maarten: ‘Not only in the module you purchase somewhere, but also in the tone in which you address people on your website and take them with you. The condition is that it all works perfectly together. A digital tool doesn’t have to replace direct contact, it’s just an extra service you add to your website. And that service is also a piece of hospitality.
This article appeared in June 2024 on events.co.uk.
Text: Mahlee Plekker
Photography: Met Pitt
