Auckland bar venue with private function rooms

Auckland bars that have a private function room are a popular choice for people looking to host a variety of events, ranging from 21st birthdays to wedding anniversaries. These spaces are versatile, easy to set up for an event and have the option to add on great food and drinks from the main bar. But we also know that it’s not easy for you as a bar owner to get a continuous flow of enquiries and new bookings for your space. You may be getting plenty of enquiries, but you may have found that not many are converting into actual bookings. Or maybe you’re having a hard time getting your space noticed by your dream customers.

Before we get into the details of how you can actually get your bookings up, it’s important that you understand the biggest challenges you might be facing and what your strengths are. Maybe you have a unique set up in your bar venue that would be perfect for hosting weddings but you haven’t been able to draw in the right crowd. Or maybe your venue has plenty of open space to fit a large gathering, but you mostly end up getting enquiries for smaller events. Whatever your unique problems are, it’s important that you identify them at the very beginning, before you proceed to the next step.

There are several actions you can take to give your bar venue in Auckland the best chance of getting hired. We have consolidated all our learnings from how some of the best local bars in Auckland have successfully increased their bookings and have created this actionable list of things you can do as well. These actions may all seem very simple, but sometimes, it is the smallest of the things that make the biggest difference!

Keep your website updated

What do they say about first impressions? Making a solid first impression on your potential customers through your website is probably one of the best ways to get their attention. You may already have a website, but does it clearly highlight exactly what kind of event spaces you offer and why your space is different from the rest? Think about your website as the first touchpoint where you have the opportunity to grab the customer’s interest through a detailed description of your space, how many people can be accommodated, information about additional offerings like food, drinks, music etc., and the kind of events you can host.

Want to take it a notch higher? Invest in high quality images or even a 3D walkthrough video of your space and display them on the website to allow your audience to vividly visualize their event being hosted at your venue. Is your bar’s private function room located in a gorgeous heritage building? Or have you invested in a unique decor for the interiors? Update your website with that information and add new images. The website is your portfolio so don’t shy away from showcasing your best bits and making changes as you go.

Offer customers the ability to check availability online

Now that your website is updated, consider adding a feature to allow potential customers to check the availability of your venue online. It could be as basic as letting them know that your bar venue is booked out for the next two months or as detailed as sharing your event booking calendar so customers can check on which dates and times your space is still available. Providing this information upfront ensures that when you get an enquiry through the website, the customer is already aware of the venue’s availability for that particular date of their choice. This cuts down the time spent by you in exchanging emails with customers to confirm event date, timing and cross checking your venue availability, leaving more time to focus on the event itself. This should automatically lead to higher volume of qualified enquiries and a significant increase in conversion.

Clearly outline pricing, refund and cancellation policies

Pricing for a bar venue hire in Auckland is probably one of the key factors that influence bookings. So it’s always a good idea to share that information with potential customers without leading them on. You have an hourly hire fee for your private dining room on top of the food and beverage expenses? Make that clear on the website. Is your function space available for free or with a minimum hire? Definitely highlight that on the website. Let your customers know what they should expect to pay and what pricing structure you follow. Being upfront about the fees and expenses will allow customers to take the next step without any hesitation and will help to build trust. In addition to that, make sure your refund and cancellation policies are laid out without any scope for ambiguity, so customers know what exactly they are getting into.

Get your space listed online

You may already have potential customers who know about your space, but what about the ones who don’t even know that you exist? Increase the chances of your bar venue getting hired in Auckland with SpacetoCo that offers you the opportunity to host your venue on the platform for free. Not only does that help thousands of potential customers to discover your space in the marketplace and create a booking, SpacetoCo’s intuitive platform automates all the admin work that comes with managing a space. Listing your private function space online on a well established portal not only increases your brand’s visibility, it also gives you the freedom to streamline your admin processes. Keep a track of your bookings, invoices, payments, cancellations, all in one place while allowing your customers an easy to use, one-stop platform to book your venue by the hour. If you have always shied away from doing this thinking that you may lose touch with your customers, SpacetoCo promises to only take the repetitive admin work away allowing you more time to do what really matters - connecting and planning the event with your customers.

To learn more about how SpacetoCo can enable you to List for Free and save HOURS in bookings admin, book a demo with one of our Auckland team..

Use social media channels to showcase your space

Social media is a great way to visually showcase your bar venue for hire in Auckland and to let your audience know what you offer. If you already have social pages set up on Facebook or Instagram, don’t restrict yourself to sharing information about your main bar or kitchen. Make the most of these these existing platforms to highlight your private function venue and generate conversations around them. Share images from successful events you’ve hosted in the past and give your audience ideas about the kind of events you can host. It is highly likely that customers who have visited your bar in the past are the ones who follow you on social media. Hence an occasional reminder to the audience about your bookable space may help you gain additional interest and enquiries. You can also sweeten the deal with a monthly offer - like ‘Free sharing platter when you book in Feb’

Make use of Facebook’s ‘Book Now’ feature

Now that you have an updated and active page on Facebook, take your social media game a notch higher by adding Facebook’s ‘Book Now’ feature to your business page. The Book Now button can be linked back to your website or your page on SpacetoCo to consolidate all your bookings in one place and is a great tool to help you get more bookings for your restaurant or bar. Adding this feature to your existing Facebook page is a matter of a few simple steps and offers an additional opportunity for you to capture more people interested in booking your function venue.

Claim your business listing on Google

Here is another easy way to increase the visibility of your bar’s private function space in the Auckland region. Take ownership of your business listing on Google My Business so that all information about your venue (timings, contact details, website etc.) is correctly displayed when someone searches for your business. An updated listing would also mean that your customers can add reviews on Google, adding more credibility to your business.

Taking the time to do this also serves another purpose. When a potential customer searches for similar spaces in Auckland on Google, your business listing will show up if the Google reviews mention anything about your venue. This is a great way to start building an online presence for your space even if you don’t have a website yet.

Start hosting your own events

Not getting as many private event bookings as you’d like? Why not keep your space busy, especially on those quieter weeknights, by hosting some of your own events? A quiz night on Mondays to get the week started, a live comedy night on Wednesdays to keep the mid-week blues at bay - fun events like these will not only bring the crowds to your space, they will also work as an inspiration for potential customers to bring their own events to you. Paint & Wine nights are growing in popularity and offer something creative and different. What better way to increase bookings for your function room than to take matters in your own hand and give potential customers a glimpse of the possibilities your function space offers! Make sure to leave plenty of flyers about your venue hire offer around the space at the event.

Encourage online/electronic word of mouth

One of the most powerful ways to get the word out about your space is by encouraging your customers to actively engage with you online. Mentions on social media, tagging your social media pages on their photos, adding reviews on your Google business listing are just some of the ways your customers can generate online word of mouth. It is one thing for you as a business owner to promote your function space online, and it is another for your loyal customers to talk about their experience and spread the word within their social networks. Focus on giving them the best event experience in Auckland because if your customers are having a good time at your event venue, it is highly likely they will end up mentioning you and your space when they share photos and videos online. This is another reason to have your social media pages active and updated to make the most out of online word of mouth.

Keep things simple

Above all, try to keep the function room booking process and overall experience straightforward for not just your customers, but for yourself and your staff too. Consolidate all your bookings in a single platform like the one SpacetoCo offers instead of sifting through hundreds of emails on a daily basis. Spend your valuable time doing what you do best - creating memorable experiences for people. But most importantly, make things uncomplicated for your customers so they know they don’t have to jump through hoops in order to host that much-awaited party at your space.