Do the words ‘digital’ and ‘hospitality’ seem like opposites in your mind? Not anymore after you ask Linda Bosman and Maarten Moors, Sales Consultants at Voorraedt / Smart Event Manager, for their perspective. ‘We are convinced that the opposite is true. If you use a digital tool, like our renewed Online Booking module effectively, you can actually make gain extra time to focus even more on your guests.’
Smart Event Manager provides smart software for event management, fully focused on supporting event professionals. ‘With our software, we aim to make everything as easy as possible for our users. Our tools need to be clear and intuitive,’ Maarten begins. ‘Because many of our colleagues worked in the industry, we are able to translate real challenges into software solutions. The software solves issues that professionals actually encounter in practice.
Time freed up for hospitality
Because of their industry expertise, Smart Event Manager understands the importance of hospitality. Linda: ‘We sometimes hear from our customers that they are a bit hesitant to use digital tools. They fear that using a digital tool is not hospitable, because they won’t be able to speak to their customer. But by using a digital tool effectively, event professionals free up time to focus on what they do best: organizing events and attending to the customers who need attention.’
Requests or direct bookings
The Online Booking module is often used for simple bookings like meetings and training sessions. ‘An event often consists of the same types of elements. These can easily be booked digitally. Additionally, customers can also use the tool for requests. The module allows you to submit a request that is immediately entered as an option in Smart Event Manager. That reservation appears as an option in Smart Event Manager,’ explains Linda. ‘As an event manager, you only have to accept it. Alternatively you can also book directly based on availability linked to Smart Event Manager. Our module always checks real time availability.’
More time for customization
The fact that the module works both ways is what makes Online Booking unique. “You can even configure per reservation type whether customers can book directly or not,” Maarten adds. “For a meeting, that might be perfectly fine, while for an party, you may prefer to only allow requests.”
“For larger events or conferences, more customization is generally required,” he agrees. “But by letting the initial contact take place digitally, you remove a lot of workload from the reservations department. That frees up time to focus on larger or more complex events that require extra attention. A digital request can be a great first step toward a tailored approach. The first contact can happen 24/7, and the relationship is automatically created in the system. So you skip the initial administrative step when you call the customer who submitted the request, you immediately know what they’re interested in and can get straight to the point.”
Hospitality lies in the interaction
According to Linda and Maarten, true hospitality is all about the interplay of elements. Maarten explains: “It’s not just about the module you implement, but also about the tone of voice you use to address and guide people on your website. The key is that everything works together seamlessly. A digital tool doesn’t have to replace direct contact, it’s simply an added service on your website. And that service is also a form of hospitality.”
This article appeared in June 2024 on events.nl
Text: Mahlee Plekker
Photography: Met Pitt
