5 Key Components of Event Housing Management

Welcome back to the EventPipe blog! In this post, we’ll dive into the wonderful world of event housing management. Although our customers are pros in this industry, event housing can be complicated if you’re new to this space, so we’re going to help you navigate the ins and outs of the industry.

So, what’s event housing management? In its simplest form, event housing management is the process of coordinating and managing the lodging needs of attendees, exhibitors, and staff for events, meetings, conferences, or festivals. Basically, it covers all aspects of lodging for a group of people who are gathering. This blog post aims to delve into the intricacies of event housing management and explore how technological solutions can assist in this process.

The Five Key Components of Event Housing Management

Managing event accommodations involves numerous tasks. From selecting suitable hotels and negotiating rates, to managing room blocks and handling attendee inquiries, each aspect requires strategic planning and careful execution. Furthermore, there's the crucial element of accounting and invoicing, which ensures accurate billing and seamless financial transactions.

Managing event housing involves five key components, which we’ll get into below:

1.) Hotel Selection and Negotiation

First, event organizers have to identify suitable hotels close enough to the event venue. This is followed by an RFP (request for proposal) process where rates and other concessions are negotiated, which is then followed by securing a block of rooms. Along with this, a seasoned negotiator may work on other amenities like complimentary Wi-Fi or breakfast, balancing the needs of the hotel with those of the attendees.

Event housing management software can help facilitate this process of hotel selection and negotiation by allowing event organizers or housing companies to compare different accommodation options based on various criteria such as location, rates, and amenities.

2.) Room Block Management

Next up, it’s critical to manage room blocks effectively to avoid attrition fees and ensure sufficient accommodation for attendees. This process involves monitoring pick-up rates across various room types and subblocks, effectively marketing the event and managing or adjusting the block size as necessary. Keeping a close eye on this aspect is crucial to maximizing housing revenue for an event. Using a software solution that provides real-time information on pick-up rates and room availability allows organizers to adjust room blocks promptly.

3.) Booking

Thirdly, booking management includes setting up and managing the reservation process. This might involve creating a dedicated booking website or portal and handling changes, cancellations and special requests. The booking site is key because it is the face of all housing-related tasks for your event attendees. It’s key to make this process as easy as possible to maximize the number of attendees booking within your block. Otherwise, you can get slippage and attendees may book elsewhere!

4.) Attendee Support

Even with a rock-solid booking site, unexpected issues will inevitably occur, and providing excellent customer service is crucial for any event's success. This entails answering questions about the hotel, managing room share requests, or helping with issues that arise during their stay. Software such as automated email notifications about booking confirmations, changes, or cancellations can also enhance the attendee experience.

5.) Post-event Analysis and Accounting

After the event itself, reporting and analysis including tracking key metrics like pick-up rates, average length of stay, and satisfaction levels are extremely important. This data is used to improve future events and knowing how to use this data is key to having an effective housing strategy. Another important post-event aspect of housing management is accounting and invoicing. If hotel rebates and/or commissions were part of the contract with your hotels, ensuring accurate and timely billing, managing payments and resolving discrepancies are critical points for maintaining a positive relationship with accommodation providers and ensuring a smooth experience for attendees. At the end of the day, the right event housing management software can help with post-event analysis and accounting.

Conclusion

The complexities of event housing management require a comprehensive and efficient approach. As the events industry continues to evolve, leveraging technology has become imperative for event organizers. A good event housing management tool, with a wide range of features that cover the full event housing lifecycle from RFP to accounting and invoicing, is a must-have in this day and age. By automating and centralizing tasks, these platforms not only save time and reduce errors but also enhance the attendee experience, leading to successful and memorable events.

In the end, event success is not just about the event itself, but also about the complete experience an attendee has – and that includes their accommodations. So, take a step forward and revolutionize your event housing management with a dedicated software solution, because a well-rested attendee is a happy attendee, and a happy attendee is the key to a successful event! EventPipe provides a modern approach to event housing and makes the entire event lifecycle incredibly easy while creating additional revenue streams for housing companies and event producers. Learn more about what EventPipe has to offer below!