Become the next best corporate event venue in London with a few of these top tips that’ll help increase enquiries for B2B events. 

Over the last few years, there has been a massive increase of B2B events in the events industry. With 28% of corporate companies allocating over 20% of their marketing budget to organising events (Bizzabo, 2017).
21% of corporate event planners having an events budget of over $1 million and another 32.8% with an event budget less than $100K (Event MB, 2016). So, there’s no time like the present to become more corporate compliant in 2018 and transform your business into the best corporate event venue in town.
Corporate event planning is different from other forms of event planning. Corporate events are usually used to market a particular product or brand message and so the organisers are a lot more meticulous in the planning stages.
The budgets are higher, and so are the stakes. In many cases, corporate events are the main focus of brand or product campaigns. They can be anything from meetings and product launches to large dinners, galas and awards ceremonies.
So, no matter what your venue has to offer,  a B2B target audience can easily unlock a whole new stream of revenue for your business. There are a few things you should know to ensure you’re making the most out of these B2B leads, and how to nurture those corporate relationships.

A bar with red chairs and large circular lights

1. Be on top of event trends

Being on top of event trends will place you above your competitors. Impress potential Guests with your industry-wide knowledge and work with them to make their event as successful as possible to show that you are the best corporate event venue. 
The B2B events industry is buzzing with new technology and influences all the time so subscribe to event industry newsletters and make sure you are at the cutting edge at all times.

An overhead image of people sat in red chairs

2. B2B Focused Platforms

Consider the marketing channels you use to promote your venue. Where is your venue more likely to be seen by corporate event planners? Which listing sites are you using and are they corporate focused?
If you are using third-party sites to promote your venue, review your listings on these platforms, with a strong focus on what corporate clients want to see for their B2B events. Whether that’s including your corporate menus or Day Delegate rates.
Check you have all of the additional information uploaded onto your listing to limit the number of initial questions the potential corporate client will ask. Corporate B2B event planners want information quickly and you should work with platforms that allow you to deliver that.
list of B2B events clients
For example, with HeadBox there’s a primary focus on B2B events and a large network of corporate clients using the platform every day.
HeadBox users include the likes of Facebook, Uber, Dentsu Aegis, Domestic and General and Boston Consulting Group. This is why we’ve built a range of digital tools to allow our venues to display as much information on the venue listing page as possible. Including features such as PDF uploads, Dynamic Pricing, Bespoke Packages and HeadBox 3D.
These features allow our corporate clients to gather as much information as possible. So they can browse to make quick decisions on the venues that would best suit their brief. Spaces on HeadBox which make use of these features see a significantly higher number of enquiries from our corporate network. 

3. Impressive collateral

You absolutely must ensure you look the part! Invest in some well-designed and high-quality collateral for your venue. Have both hard copies and online versions of these info packs ready for any corporate client asking a question. The better designed and more interesting these are, the more you’ll stick in a corporate booker’s mind in the future.
Corporate bookers are always busy, so your message needs to be simple to make an impression. That’s why we created HeadBox 3D; a state of the art new technology that will ensure you stay ahead of your competition.
With this technology you can provide your busy corporate Guests with a virtual tour of your venue from the comfort of their own desk, saving time on site visits and making the decision making the process much quicker. This slick and interactive technology gives your Guest all the information they need in one place, which is always what the busy B2B event bookers are looking for.
A screen shot of the HeadBox 3D tour of Six Storeys

4. Don’t miss out on bookings you can’t service

If a brief comes in that, for whatever reason, you are unable to service it, you may still be able to provide value to a corporate booker, ensuring you are at the top of their mind for any future events.
If the date is flexible, offer them alternatives. If it’s not flexible, why not offer a complimentary drink at your venue? That way you are still leaving a fantastic impression of your Space and be at the front of their mind for their next corporate event venue choice. 

Alternatively, you could organise a corporate showcase, inviting potential corporate leads. Invite them for a tour of your venue with a complimentary drink. There’s no better marketing tool than actually getting them inside your venue to see it for themselves.
Build a relationship with the individuals that attend the events, so that they remember the outstanding service you provided them.

two women sitting on velvet chairs

5. Be flexible with suppliers

Booking a corporate event venue is just one part of the event planning process. So, catering for as many different suppliers needs in-house is crucial to ensuring you don’t lose a chunk of the booker’s events budget to an outside supplier.
 36% of event planners spend most of their budget on the venue with 34% of their budget also going on catering (Bizzabo, 2016). That’s a lot of budget, if you are able to provide catering in-house.
If you don’t have the capability of servicing these needs in-house, building up a bank of supplier relationships could be key to your business.
Do some research into independent or small-scale suppliers, and reach out to them to see if they would like to collaborate on particular B2B events.
Work together to supply the corporate booker with plenty of options for their event and show them that you have great contacts that will make their event even better!
man in apron setting up canapes

6. Be Professional

It goes without saying that you should always be professional, whether it’s B2B events or B2C. With corporate event budgets on the rise, B2B clients can be invaluable to your business.
So you should endeavour to build strong relationships with these clients from the outset. Always be on top form with your customer service and go the extra mile wherever possible. You never know what big events are around the corner.
Always think of the long term, you want to build relationships with these clients and make sure they come back to your venue. Alternatively, tell their corporate colleagues all about your service.
The ways in which your venue adds value to your customers should extend far beyond the price that was negotiated for the Space and long after the contracts been signed. Always act professional and execute an amazing service, whether it’s for a small reservation or a 20k summer party brief.
B2B events can unlock some serious benefits for your venue. So make sure you know what to expect and how to leave a lasting impression. Build up your B2B contacts and soon enough you’ll be at the front of their mind when shortlisting their favourite corporate event venues. 

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