Latest / Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney / How to get recommended by venues - with Olivia Riddiford

Transcript

How to get recommended by venues - with Olivia Riddiford · Wedding Pros who are ready to grow - with Becca Pountney

0:00
Olivia: That's why it's really important to actually know the venue.
0:03
You know, who is the front of house manager, who are the bar managers.
0:07
That initial venue viewing that you have is gonna be really just swat
0:10
up on the venue like you work there yourself, and you'll just become an
0:15
extension of the team and they'll love having you back time after time.
0:22
Becca: I am Becca Pountney, wedding business marketing expert,
0:24
speaker and blogger, and you are listening to The Wedding Pros
0:27
who are Ready to Grow podcast.
0:29
I'm here to share with you actionable tips, strategies, and real life
0:32
examples to help you take your wedding business to the next level.
0:36
If you are an ambitious wedding business owner that wants to take your passion
0:40
and use it to build a profitable, sustainable business doing what you
0:43
love, then you're in the right place.
0:45
Let's get going with today's episode.
0:49
Today on the podcast, I'm chatting to Olivia from host venue consultancy.
0:53
She's a very busy lady as she runs a venue consultancy, a VA service for venues
0:58
and her own wedding planning company.
1:00
She has tons of experience when it comes to venues and is really passionate about
1:04
helping them stand out and sell out.
1:06
Olivia, welcome to the podcast.
1:09
Olivia: Oh, thank you so much, Becca.
1:10
I am so happy to be.
1:12
Becca: It's an absolute pleasure to have you.
1:14
I'm really glad to have you on because I think the whole venue supplier
1:18
relationship conversation is a little bit of a mystery sometimes.
1:22
So we're gonna unpick some of that today so that whether you are listening
1:25
to this as a venue or listening to this as a wedding pro, there's gonna
1:28
be a lot for you to learn from Olivia.
1:30
So before we get into the nitty gritty of that, Olivia, I would love to go back
1:35
to the start and how you ended up working in the wedding industry in the first.
1:40
Olivia: Okay, well go straight back to when I was actually at sixth
1:44
form, so many, many, many years ago.
1:46
Now, I'm not going to divulge my age, but basically I loved planning
1:50
parties and I was part of the coordination team for things like the
1:54
prom and bits like that, the social stuff that you did as a teenager.
1:58
And I loved it.
1:59
And someone said to me, why don't you consider this for university?
2:02
And I really didn't know what I wanted to do.
2:03
I actually wanted to be a West End actress, but I went into events instead.
2:07
And actually, there's loads of similarities because it's in the
2:10
entertainments business, isn't it?
2:11
Essentially.
2:13
And you are putting on a show for people and giving them a amazing memories.
2:16
So I looked into it and lo and behold, there was an event management course
2:20
and I, went off to Cheltenham to study for four years and I did event
2:26
management with business management.
2:27
As part of that course, I went and did a placement out at a wedding venue near me
2:32
north of Bristol, and that is where I.
2:34
Everything I knew, but everything I know now, you know, from corporate
2:38
events to weddings, to parties, everything under a venue roof.
2:42
So that's when my venue journey began.
2:45
So yeah, I've been doing this for 13 years now and I've worked at many venues.
2:50
I've worked for a catering company as well.
2:52
So I've got a really broad, you know, idea of what is going on
2:55
within the wedding industry.
2:56
And I was headhunted to work at a wedding venue called Old Down.
3:02
Back in 2010 and I set the venue up from scratch as Victorian
3:06
manor house with 13 bedrooms.
3:09
I had to look after all the staff, everything.
3:11
And to be honest, at the very beginning, I was everything.
3:13
I was hr, marketing, sales, literally I was wearing all the hats.
3:17
And I think a lot of venues, if you're listening, you will be
3:19
able to , resonate with that.
3:22
And during that time things have changed.
3:24
You know, I've, I've had two children and I decided to become a wedding
3:28
planner and that's actually, I was looking at my LinkedIn today.
3:30
I've been doing that for 10 years.
3:32
So there was a crossover whilst I was at the venue.
3:34
So I was doing that and working at the venue, with permission
3:37
from the owner of course.
3:39
And the two really went well together as well.
3:41
So I, I started doing sort of marquee weddings, outdoor weddings
3:45
for couples within my locality.
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So I'm just on the edge of the Cotswolds north of Bristol.
3:49
And then I left the venue to start a family and I decided that actually
3:55
I knew a lot about running a venue and I've been there, done it, got the
3:58
t-shirt over and over again, and I wanted to help venues really stand out
4:02
and sell out within the wedding market.
4:04
And that's when host venue consultancy was born about four years ago.
4:08
So I see it from both sides of the coin.
4:10
I see it from a consumer's point of view and a supplier's point of view, and I
4:14
also see it from a venue's point of view.
4:17
Becca: So you've really come on a journey then, haven't you?
4:19
Because you've gone through everything from working at the venue to working
4:22
as a wedding planner, to working for yourself as a consultant.
4:25
So you really do have a lot of different experience.
4:29
Let's go back to that time working at the venue.
4:31
I know you said when you first started there, you were working in every aspect
4:35
basically, and helping to set it all up.
4:37
What are the key things that you think you learned during that time?
4:41
Olivia: That you have to work in a team.
4:43
You have to have people to help you.
4:45
You cannot do it all.
4:47
It's a mammoth task.
4:49
Running a wedding venue, managing a wedding venue, it's an absolute beast
4:55
because I liken wedding venues to almost the center of the ecosystem
5:02
of the wedding industry because that is where weddings take place.
5:07
So therefore, Kind of the buck stops there and, and the venues
5:12
host everything and bring together suppliers, bring together the guests.
5:18
A couple and it really is a special place.
5:21
It really, really is.
5:22
But behind the scenes there are so many cogs to turn.
5:25
Becca: And when you first started there, obviously it was quite new, wasn't it?
5:28
You weren't already doing a lot of weddings there.
5:31
So how did you help the venue attract those first weddings into the business?
5:35
Olivia: A lot of encouragement and great sales spiel because they had to
5:40
wear hard hats and high vis jackets.
5:42
You know, there was, it was a building site essentially.
5:46
It was having a full renovation, which took two years and there
5:50
were 30 construction workers working on it at any one time.
5:53
From stone masons to electricians and everything in between.
5:58
So as well as managing a brand new wedding venue, I was also
6:02
managing a construction site.
6:04
So you can imagine little old me at 22 became a general manager, had to manage
6:08
people as fresh out of university.
6:10
It was a huge undertaking.
6:12
But hit the ground running and learned so much from that moment in time.
6:17
But yes, I had to do a lot of visuals, so I, I had some visuals from the
6:21
architect, so I was able to show what the property was going to look like.
6:24
I knew what the capacities were going to be.
6:26
I knew what the rooms were going to be called, and I just had to sell my behind
6:32
off to get those first weddings in.
6:35
And actually, you know, we did some really.
6:37
Offers at the beginning because we needed clients in because we needed
6:41
testimonials and we needed to really attract new people from those.
6:46
So, so yeah, it was interesting.
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But when we first opened, we were still putting tiles on one of the
6:52
bathrooms on the day of the wedding.
6:54
It was.
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Wow.
6:55
Immensely stressful.
6:56
But we got there and we opened.
6:58
And we opened and we had our first wedding and it, it went so well.
7:01
Becca: I love that.
7:01
Right up until the wire.
7:03
So now then you work with various venues through your group
7:06
programs and one-to-one as well.
7:08
What are the big mistakes you see venues making in 2023 when it comes to
7:13
their marketing, their sales strategy, getting weddings booked in their venue?
7:17
Olivia: This one's not necessarily a mistake, it's.
7:20
Maybe a mindset thing.
7:22
I think a lot of venues are worried to show their face.
7:25
They're worried to talk openly about their expertise.
7:30
They just don't wanna show themselves.
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And I, I get that, but I think, you know, as you know, you have
7:35
to be visible in this marketplace.
7:37
And people buy people, you know, they're not necessarily buying a service.
7:42
Of course they are, but they're buying into you as well as, as
7:46
people and as as business owners.
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And as wedding professionals.
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So I think that is a bit of a mistake, but it's not a mistake.
7:54
It's a mindset shift.
7:55
So yeah, just get out there and be more visible basically.
7:58
And don't worry too much about the aesthetics.
8:01
Just get on and you know your stuff.
8:04
You know your craft.
8:05
So yeah, be bold and be brave.
8:08
Can't think of anything else right now.
8:11
, that's the main one right now.
8:12
Becca: Okay.
8:12
So the main thing is that they need to be more visible Now, one of the things
8:16
we're finding with venues at the moment is that they're very stressed about.
8:20
Finding staff, getting people, the turnover of staff in
8:24
wedding venues seems to be huge.
8:27
Do you have any thoughts about how venues can keep their staff, how
8:31
they can incentivize their staff, how you can try and hang on to the
8:34
good people, and find new people?
8:37
Olivia: Yeah, I think, you know, as we all know with hospitality pay isn't great.
8:43
It's always been the case within hospitality.
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So if you are able to offer.
8:50
Better rates of pay from your competitors, then that's going to help.
8:54
That's going to attract people for sure, and it's about listening to your
8:58
staff and inviting them to be involved within your business, asking them for
9:03
their ideas to collaborate on things.
9:07
What would you like to see within our business moving forward?
9:10
What services do you think we should offer?
9:12
How do you think we can serve our clients?
9:15
What kind of events would you like to see within our staffing area
9:21
that we can do to make your time here more fun and more exciting?
9:25
It's definitely communication.
9:27
I mean, your staff are everything.
9:30
When you're running a venue business, you cannot do it without any of them.
9:36
Everybody from the maintenance team, gardening team, housekeeping.
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If you've got bedrooms.
9:44
To the sales, marketing, finance, every single person is integral to that
9:49
venue business running successfully.
9:52
So you must listen to them and there's lots that you can do to incentivize.
9:55
We did things like Star of the Month and we would give, you
9:59
know, vouchers to cinema or it doesn't have to be massive things.
10:02
People just want to feel appreciated.
10:05
And just a simple thank you in the day really goes a long way as well,
10:08
and really genuinely appreciating each person for what they're doing.
10:13
And having regular appraisals and, and, and talking all the time.
10:17
Very important.
10:19
But if there's a sales role, then definitely that needs to be incentivized
10:23
because the more sales you get, the, you know, the more money you make basically.
10:27
So definitely we used to have a basket of goodies.
10:30
We used to set some kind of goals, like how many show
10:33
rounds can you get in a week?
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If you get five show rounds in a week, you get to pick something out of the
10:38
basket and it might be like a tub.
10:40
You know, bath salts or something, or just something to pick them
10:43
up and a little wellbeing gift.
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And then we had more monetary kind of commission-based sales
10:48
targets and goals as well.
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Becca: I think it's so important to talk about that value piece because.
10:55
Yes, money isn't always the best in this industry and in many industries at the
10:59
moment with everything that's going on.
11:01
But actually when people feel valued, then they're more likely to stay.
11:05
And often when people leave a position, it's because they just don't feel valued.
11:09
They feel like they've got ideas to give and no one's listening to them.
11:12
And that's why we then see people going into their own businesses because.
11:16
Show their ideas, and therefore you are losing really good members of staff
11:20
because you're not listening to people.
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So I absolutely agree with you if you're listening to this and you
11:25
are a venue value, every single member of staff highly, and they're
11:29
much more likely to stay with you.
11:31
Olivia: And I, I think, Becca, just to go onto that a little bit
11:34
more, when I was managing my team, I would always ensure that my staff
11:40
were doing the hours that they were contracted to do because there is.
11:45
Very easy notion to ask your staff or expect them to stay over their
11:50
hours because a wedding's overran or they're needed because we're short
11:54
staffed or whatever that might be.
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But that just does not get the best in people.
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They start really resenting their job.
12:01
So I was very, very keen as a manager to ensure that they were
12:04
blocked in, the rotors were set.
12:06
Everyone knew when their days off were, because in hospitality
12:09
we do work unsociable hours.
12:11
It's just part of the course.
12:13
Everyone knew where they were.
12:15
Everyone knew where they stood, and it got so much more out of, you know, and
12:19
I love like the Richard Branson model, you know, with Virgin and all that he
12:22
does with the duvet days and all of that.
12:25
I think that's wonderful because you're really valuing your team and they are,
12:28
they love work because it's balanced.
12:32
And life needs to be balanced.
12:34
Becca: Absolutely.
12:35
And we talked a little bit around venues, but I'm also conscious that there's gonna
12:39
be a lot of wedding pros listening to this who are on the other side of the coin.
12:43
So I wanna just touch on that a little bit.
12:45
Now I know because I hear it all of the time, that.
12:48
The supplies out there, the vendors, the pros, really want
12:51
to be working with venues.
12:52
They can see the value of working with venues, they can see the value to
12:55
their business, but this relationship sometimes feels difficult to achieve.
13:00
So first of all, I'd love you to just give me some thoughts from both
13:03
perspectives, a venue and a supplies perspective around why those relationships
13:09
can be beneficial to both parties.
13:12
Olivia: Absolutely.
13:12
I, I think suppliers, one of supplier's first thoughts.
13:16
I need to work with venues.
13:18
I need to get on their list.
13:19
I need to be involved because again, like I said before, they are the center
13:23
kind of of the wedding ecosystem.
13:27
So, and also they're the very beginning of that chain of inquiries.
13:31
So customers will come to a venue as one of the first ports of call.
13:35
Once they've decided on their date and their ceremony and everything, they'll go
13:38
to a venue and then suppliers from there.
13:41
So it's a really good relationship to.
13:45
I used to get contacted probably twice a day when I was at the venue
13:48
with blanket emails that were boring.
13:52
And to be honest, I was so busy doing all the jobs and wearing all the
13:55
hats that I would just delete them.
13:57
They didn't speak to me.
13:58
So what I would say is, if you want to work with venues and become long
14:03
lasting friends, you need to be doing things a little bit differently.
14:07
Do not send an email end of story.
14:11
You need to be finding out who.
14:13
The wedding coordinators are, or who even better still, the venue owners are
14:17
people that are making the decisions with regarding the wedding business.
14:21
And you need to pick up the phone and you need to book in a meeting with somebody.
14:27
So go on to someone like LinkedIn to try and find names, talk to your colleagues.
14:31
Is there anyone within your locality that knows who the contact is at that venue?
14:35
It's always great to start with the name.
14:36
It makes things a lot more warm.
14:39
And once you get in touch, see if you can go around and have a a venue visit.
14:43
Explain that you're not gonna take much of their time because that
14:46
is a massive consideration for venues and time is money, right?
14:50
But explain to them how, why you love the venue, why you
14:52
think you'd be a good match.
14:53
Always choose venues that align with your brand as well, because
14:57
they're gonna have the same clients.
14:59
And just see if you can have a very quick venue tour so you can
15:02
then confidently recommend that venue to your clients as well.
15:05
So it's a win-win for the venue.
15:07
It's win for you.
15:08
Take as many pictures and videos, do reels.
15:10
Promote the venue as much as you kind of become their cheerleader.
15:14
But don't drop the PSL bomb, the preferred suppliers list bomb to early.
15:19
Build a genuine relationship first and then go in with
15:22
that and see if there's any.
15:24
That can be done, but there's lots of value.
15:26
You can give venues as well.
15:27
You can, you know, write blog posts for them.
15:29
A guest blog post, you could see whether you could provide them with a, I don't
15:34
know, team building event for their staff.
15:37
So if you're a cake maker, for example, you could come in and
15:39
actually do a tutorial or making cakes or decorating biscuits or something
15:44
to G up the team at the venue.
15:47
If you do make sweet treats, Send in some before wedding season, kicks off
15:51
even halfway through wedding season or at the end just to say thank you.
15:54
You got through this because when, whenever we used to receive cakes or
15:57
biscuits in the office, we just were so thankful because we were so busy.
16:02
You know, little cards, if you're a stationer, a little card or a note.
16:04
Just something handwritten, really tangible stuff that
16:08
they're gonna remember.
16:10
Yeah, I'm really passionate.
16:12
Suppliers venue relationship because it's a really important one.
16:15
Becca: Yeah.
16:15
So don't send an email ring up.
16:17
Now, one of the mistakes I think people make is they do ring up, but maybe at the
16:22
wrong time, like in the busiest season.
16:24
So from your perspective, when is the best time, when a venue's got
16:27
the most time to be having these conversations and doing these tours?
16:31
I appreciate they're always busy, but from your perspective, when is a definite no?
16:35
And when is a, maybe this.
16:37
Olivia: Definite no is April to probably early October.
16:40
That is just a definite no they, operationally they are just so, so busy
16:45
between now and early April would work.
16:49
However, we're obviously going through the engagement season at the moment, so
16:52
they're getting lots of inquiries and dealing with new sales and new bookings.
16:56
So it's also a very busy time, but there's no time like the present.
16:59
So go ahead and see.
17:00
Otherwise, any time between kind of mid-October.
17:04
And December before Christmas, that would be a really good time to do it.
17:08
But you obviously wanna start these relationships as soon as possible
17:10
because they take time to nurture.
17:12
Becca: Yeah, absolutely.
17:13
And I love what you said about not dropping the bomb and asking
17:16
at the end of the meeting.
17:17
Can I be on your list?
17:18
Like, I think that is the worst question you can.
17:20
Ever ask a venue wait to be invited, like do everything so that they want
17:25
you to be on their list because you have been such an amazing advocate for them.
17:29
You shouted about them on social media.
17:31
You've talked about how amazing they are.
17:32
Then they'll want to repay the favor, but as soon as you say, can I be on that list?
17:36
All of a sudden you've undone all of that hard work that you've put in.
17:40
Do you agree?
17:40
Correct.
17:41
Olivia: Yeah.
17:42
Yeah.
17:42
Oh, totally.
17:43
It's . Do.
17:45
Don't do it too soon.
17:46
Becca: Okay, so we've talked a little bit about the mistake that suppliers
17:50
make by sending an email or maybe coming in at the wrong kind of season.
17:54
Are there other mistakes you see suppliers making when it comes to venues
17:58
and building relationships, perhaps on a wedding day or around a wedding day?
18:02
Where does suppliers sometimes go wrong and what puts a venue off working?
18:07
Olivia: Gosh, good question.
18:09
I think sometimes lack of communication.
18:12
Communication is key for everything you do, isn't it?
18:14
In business and in the wedding industry, massively, because this is somebody's
18:18
special day and I think even though you might not be associated with a
18:23
venue and you're not on their list or you are new to them or whatever,
18:27
it does always stop with the venue.
18:29
So if something goes wrong, you know, I dunno, your cake falls
18:33
down or something's not right.
18:36
It kind of goes back, it always goes back to the venue because they
18:39
are hosting it and they're kind of in charge on the day, aren't they?
18:42
So you have to be, you have to make sure that everything you do is on point because
18:47
you are showcasing your work to a venue.
18:50
So yeah, communication, you know, before the day, just making sure timings are
18:53
correct, making sure they've got all the information they need, that kind of thing.
18:57
Being too kind of pestering and.
19:00
You know, wanting to work with them, you know, cuz we've just talked
19:03
about getting in touch with venues and becoming, you know, having great
19:06
relationships with them, but there's also a level of pestering that can
19:11
take place and that can become very annoying and frustrating for venues.
19:15
So yeah, don't, don't be on their case 24 7.
19:18
But be helpful and, and helpful them.
19:20
So yeah, communication help helpfulness.
19:23
Main things, I think.
19:24
Becca: Yeah, it's about making the venue staff's job easier as well, isn't it?
19:28
Because if it makes their job easier, they're much more likely
19:31
to wanna work with you again.
19:32
Whereas if you make their job harder by being late or doing something wrong, or
19:36
pestering as you said, or asking a million questions, then they're gonna think.
19:40
Please don't ever come back and work at this venue again.
19:42
Olivia: And that's why it's really important to actually know the venue
19:46
from a logistics point of view.
19:48
You know, who is the front of house manager?
19:50
Who are the bar managers?
19:51
Where do I leave my stuff?
19:53
You know, if they've hired vases from me or whatever, where does it go afterwards?
19:57
And where do I pick it up from without having to bombard staff
20:00
When I arrive, can I just go in quietly, pick up my vases and leave?
20:04
What are the rooms called so I know exactly where to head to.
20:07
So that initial venue viewing that you have is gonna be really just swat up on
20:12
the venue like you work there yourself.
20:15
And you'll just become an extension of the team and they'll love
20:19
having you back time after time.
20:20
Becca: Definitely.
20:21
Now, we've talked quite a lot there around the suppliers making a good impression
20:25
on the venue, but I do think that this works both ways because actually quite
20:30
a lot of the wedding pros vendors, they have a lot of influence over clients too.
20:34
And sometimes someone will pick their photographer, for example, before they've
20:37
chosen their venue and they will ask for.
20:40
Venue recommendations.
20:42
Now I know myself that there's been times when venues have made a really
20:45
bad impression on me, and therefore if someone says, I'm thinking about
20:49
getting married at this venue, I will always say, I wouldn't if I were you.
20:53
And so therefore it does work both ways.
20:55
The venues do need to make a good impression on the suppliers.
20:57
So what sort of things do you think a venue could be doing to make sure they're.
21:02
Good experience to the suppliers coming into the venue and to make
21:05
sure that suppliers going out there and telling everyone how amazing the
21:08
venue is rather than the opposite.
21:11
Olivia: Yeah.
21:11
So same again, just the other way around.
21:13
Cheerleading for suppliers that they love, whose work that they
21:18
love and who really does align with their brand and what they do.
21:22
, but whenever they come into the venue, you treat them like a guest.
21:26
You look after them.
21:27
And one of the things that at our venue we were really good at was looking after
21:31
our suppliers because we knew that they were part of the marketing chain for us.
21:36
They were part of why we got sales sometimes, you know,
21:39
it was that black and white.
21:41
So when we had things like open days, we would really look after our suppliers
21:46
and we were renowned for that really.
21:47
We really were.
21:49
We got to know every single supplier really, really well and we, we
21:53
gave them refreshments lunch.
21:55
You know, food and drink always is a winner for anyone, especially busy
21:59
suppliers who are talking a lot at these open days, and they don't have
22:02
many breaks because they're super busy trying to sell their services.
22:07
If you can provide them with food and drink and really look after them
22:09
somewhere comfortable to, to sit, that kind of thing, that that goes a long way.
22:14
And also inviting them back maybe for some networking events.
22:17
Again, you've got the space to host something.
22:20
For free, where suppliers locally can come together and network, and
22:25
I think that's even more important these days since the pandemic.
22:29
We just wanna connect and you've got the facility to do that.
22:33
So go ahead and set up a networking event.
22:36
You've got the space and you can showcase what you do.
22:40
At the same time,
22:41
Becca: that's so true.
22:41
I just don't understand why more venues don't do this.
22:44
Like throw open your doors, invite local wedding pros to
22:48
come and see for themselves.
22:50
Give them a good time because they will share it on social media and they will
22:53
talk about your venue to people and if you give them a good impression.
22:57
They will shout about it.
22:58
We know that word of mouth marketing works really, really well.
23:01
Now that brings me onto my next question, or it's a little bit of a bug
23:05
bear of mine, Olivia, which I'm hoping you can give us some insight into.
23:09
Now I am all about telling my.
23:12
Pros to be more visible and my venues be more visible.
23:15
Show up on social media, build great relationships, tag venues, talk about
23:19
how amazing they are, all of the things.
23:21
But quite often I find that venues, social media accounts can be a bit neglected.
23:27
Often my suppliers will tag and talk about how amazing the venues are,
23:31
but they don't ever re-share it.
23:32
Or like it, or even sometimes it feels like they don't even see it.
23:36
And to me that seems like a massive opportunity missed from
23:39
the venues point of view when it comes to their own marketing.
23:43
So I was just wondering, and from your point of view, working with venues, why do
23:47
you think this happens and what's the fix?
23:51
Olivia: I think we have to be really mindful that venues have
23:55
it tough a lot of the time.
23:56
A lot of venues you see, they might look like these massive corporations
24:00
with, you know, 30 staff members, but realistically, you are looking at
24:05
places that have a very small team.
24:08
Sometimes just a one woman or one man band, and I work with those people so
24:14
I know that they are wearing all the hats, and so therefore, social media
24:18
is one of the things that really does get put to the bottom of the pile
24:23
because they're so busy working in the business, serving the clients that
24:26
they do have running the weddings.
24:27
They do.
24:29
undertaking show rounds, which are all of the things that are going to give
24:31
them business, but I totally get it.
24:34
You need to be doing the steps, like being visible before to be able to,
24:38
so it's a chicken and egg, isn't it?
24:40
I think venues, yeah.
24:42
They need to, to be very mindful of that and bring in people
24:45
where they can to help them.
24:47
You know, even if they brought in an outsourced somebody to do social media
24:51
for them, for example, that would just take such a load off their mind.
24:55
Yet they're still.
24:57
Really reactive.
24:58
So yeah, I think that's probably one of the biggest issues that venues
25:02
face is they don't have a lot of time.
25:05
Social media, blogging, that kind of thing does get put to the bottom of the pile.
25:08
Becca: Yeah.
25:08
So really we need to be campaigning to the people at the top of the venue to say,
25:13
this person has got far too much to do.
25:15
And actually, if you spent a little bit of budget on outsourcing some
25:19
staff or bringing in an additional member of staff part-time, then.
25:23
This would work well for you because it'll pay for itself.
25:25
Because if you are doing more marketing, that's gonna result in more show rounds,
25:29
that's gonna result in more sales.
25:31
So unless you're already fully booked all year round and therefore don't
25:33
need to do it, it's kind of like speculate to accumulate, isn't it?
25:37
Olivia: Yeah.
25:38
I think it's an ongoing education, and one that is moving forward and
25:42
I think people are understanding that they do need to invest in
25:46
their businesses to, to grow them.
25:47
You have to.
25:49
But it is tough because there are so many cogs within a venue.
25:52
Becca: Yeah, absolutely.
25:53
But if you are a supplier out there and you are finding this, just keep going.
25:57
Keep sharing those venues.
25:59
Keep talking about it, because even if they're not re-sharing
26:01
it, even if you feel like that you are, they're not noticing it.
26:04
They might be noticing it.
26:05
They're just too busy to do anything about it.
26:07
And also, it's still good marketing for you because you're aligning yourself with
26:10
these great venues that you want to be working at or you're already working at.
26:13
So keep on going, Absolutely.
26:16
Olivia, it's been such a pleasure to talk to you and to hear your
26:19
different perspectives on all the different areas that you work on.
26:22
Now, we always end this podcast with the same question, which is this.
26:26
What's one thing you wish you'd known sooner in your own business?
26:31
Olivia: It's very easy.
26:33
. I wish I knew about outsourcing earlier for both in my venue business
26:39
when I worked there as an employee.
26:41
An employee, but also.
26:43
As a venue consultant and wedding planner myself, in the last three
26:50
years, I have worked with BA's basically, who have been able to come
26:54
in and take workload off my hands.
26:57
You know, I'm a busy mom of two as well.
26:59
And you know, those of you that are listening may well be in a similar
27:04
position and the juggle is real.
27:06
It really is.
27:08
And just to take some weight off my shoulders.
27:12
From a wellbeing perspective.
27:14
It's everything.
27:15
Absolutely everything, because it makes you focused, it makes you think clearer.
27:20
It means you can work on the bits that you really enjoy, that you are really good at.
27:24
Because let's face it, we, we aren't masters in absolutely
27:27
every area of our business.
27:29
We just aren't.
27:30
But we are really good at some things that we want to spend more
27:32
time on, and we want to be able to field out the things that we don't.
27:37
So that is something that I feel really strongly about and outsourcing.
27:41
You are literally paying for the time that is worked.
27:43
You're not having to employ anybody.
27:45
And as we know, the landscape out there at the moment with recruitment
27:49
and hospitality is not great, and it's just a really great way.
27:54
To ensure your business thrives moving forward.
27:57
Becca: Absolutely.
27:58
So it's the same conversation really, isn't it, that we were just having about
28:01
the people at the top of venues, and it's easy for us to say, well, those people
28:05
at the top of venues should think about spending some money and outsourcing that
28:08
actually as wedding business owners, we need to look inside our own hearts
28:12
and our own heads and ask ourselves the same question because often it is
28:16
a bit about speculating to accumulate because if you can offload some of those
28:20
tasks, Don't need to be done by you.
28:23
You can spend more time doing the things that you are great at, making the sales,
28:27
getting the business in converting people, rather than spending all of
28:30
your time doing social media posts that someone else could be doing for you.
28:35
Olivia, it's been such a pleasure.
28:37
If people wanna find out more about your different businesses and all
28:40
of the things that you do, where's the best place for them to find?
28:43
Olivia: Yeah, so my wedding planning business is host
28:46
weddings and events.co uk.
28:49
Same for Instagram, and then the consultancy is host
28:52
of any consultancy.co uk.
28:54
And the same for Instagram.
28:56
So do come and follow me.
28:57
I'd love to connect with you.
28:58
And we've literally just launched a new service called Venue va, which really
29:02
touches on what we've just discussed about providing outsourcing for wedding
29:06
venues that need a bit of support, and that's in partnership with Lucy Hicks va.
29:10
So we're very excited to get that out there today.
29:12
And I just love working in this industry, I must say, and working with people like.
29:17
It is a really special place to be.
29:19
We're very lucky, aren't we?
29:20
And I just love providing both businesses and clients the most amazing experiences.
29:26
So, yeah.
29:28
Have a wonderful year.
29:29
Everyone enjoy, and I'd love to connect with you.
29:32
Becca: Amazing.
29:32
I agree with you.
29:33
It is a really special place to be working.
29:35
I will make sure that I put all of your links to your different
29:38
services in the show notes.
29:39
So if you're interested in finding out more about all the amazing things
29:42
Olivia offers, go check those out.
29:45
Olivia, it's been a pleasure and I'll speak to you soon.
29:47
Thank you, Becca.
29:47
Take.
29:48
Such a great conversation with Olivia.
29:50
I think it's always interesting to hear these things from both
29:53
the venue perspective and the wedding pro perspective as well.
29:56
So if you're thinking about building better relationships with either a
29:59
wedding venue or other wedding suppliers, get out there and do it, and don't just
30:03
ask to be on that recommended list.
30:05
I'll see you next time.