At the end of last year, we asked our wonderful venues to nominate the fantastic people they work with, who go above and beyond, day in – day out for a Wedding Industry People Award.
Take a look at some of our amazing industry experts, with tips on being the best in their field…
Samantha Gilchrist | Gilchrist Collection
Award: Best Venue Owner
“What are your top tips for other CEOs in the wedding industry?”
- Invest in marketing. You have to promote to be able to produce. Marketing is the key to all bookings.
- Learn to delegate. You can not do everything yourself as you will burn out. Get good people that believe in your vision!
- Set a vision – what is your purpose for doing what you are doing and what is your goal. Each day make a list of things you need to do to get you a step closer to that goal.
- Remove negativity from your team. Happy staff is the key to an effective, positive and productive team.
- Research the Disney method and other successful brands that deal in hospitality successfully and implement their policies.
- Make friends with successful business people and learn from each other, find mentors that inspire you, every day you are learning, be inspired by others’ success.
- The most successful businesses are built by individuals…. You don’t need approval from others to be awesome. Hold your vision and don’t listen to anyone that says it can’t be done. You are amazing… keep going!
Cindy Marshall-Day | Walcot Hall
Award: Best Venue Owner
“What are your top tips for other venue owners in the wedding industry?”
- Always treat your staff with compassion and love.
- Make sure your team are as invested in your goals and love their job as much as you do!
- Make sure your venue is always impeccably clean and ready to present at a moment’s notice.
- Always be ready to go the extra mile for your prospective clients.
- Always exceed guests’ expectations.
- Stay true to yourself and your business’s vision.
- Every year, try and make at least two new improvements to your business to maintain growth.
- Always be prepared to jump in and help out with any little details which can help the day to run more smoothly.
- Maintain a level of professionalism and ensure your clients have as little stress as possible when it comes to their Big Day.
- Always seek feedback from guests about how your service can be further improved and work these suggestions into your everyday working practices where possible.
- Build good relationships with local suppliers and support local businesses whenever you possibly can.
- Remain consistent in your approach.
Iain Winnard | Hilltop Country House
Award: Best in-house Caterer
“What are your top tips for other General Managers/Chefs in the wedding industry?”
- Good, effective and clear communication.
- Build a trustworthy relationship with your team.
- Always take 5 minutes to brief the team so they all know exactly what’s going on and when.
- Time management is crucial on a wedding day so ensuring your team all have this attribute is very important.
- Most of all have fun and enjoy being part of someone’s most special day of their lives.
Carissa Fullwood | Blakelands Country House
Award: Best Events Manager
“What are your top tips for other Service and Event Managers in the wedding industry?”
- Always listen to your couples – you want to tell them all about your venue and that’s great but it’s important to gauge what it is they need from you
- Remember, while it is the couples day, their guests are equally as important. You want their guests to have the best day ever as well.
- Don’t put your couples under pressure to stick to certain times, the day needs to evolve naturally for a relaxed and happy day.
- At the end of the evening, don’t rush couples and guests out the door. The last half an hour is as important as the first half an hour.
Katie Comber | The Ravenswood
Award: Best Events Coordinator
“What are your top tips for other Wedding Coordinators in the industry?”
- Always go above and beyond. You must think one step ahead and remind couples of the things they wouldn’t usually think of (like swapping their engagement ring over to the other hand on the morning of their wedding so they don’t have an odd red line in pictures during the ceremony!). This includes focusing on the details – focusing on the small details can make a huge difference and will give your couples even more confidence in you.
- Lead every member of staff by example – never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself! Your entire team will have so much more respect for you if they see you doing this. You should be radiating enthusiasm to help encourage your team to deliver an unforgettable event.
- Get to know your couples and understand their interests, what they personally think the most important part of their day is so you can keep this in mind and make it even more special for them. Take time to get to know them and their story.
- Plan for contingencies! You never know when something like a power cut may happen, so take the time to write processes so you and your team can refer to these when/if the unfortunate does happen! Have the confidence to adapt and make decisions quickly if needed.
- Be event ready at least 2 weeks prior, so you don’t bombard your wedding couple and allow them to enjoy the last few weeks of their engagement! This gives your couple confidence in you as well that everything is in hand and ready to go. I always like to call my couple a day or two prior just to touch base, say hello and ask if there is anything at all that I can do to help. It helps to create a detailed timeline for you to refer to so you can keep track of when you need certain things from your couple as well.
- Be genuinely excited for their special day. Your couple will feed off of how you act and this is incredibly reassuring for them when they may be feeling a little nervous. It is also such an honour to be part of such an important life event for them, so you should be buzzing!
- Ensure your team of Event Managers are all delivering events and admin to the same high standard. You want to be sure that you are all using similar templates (and make sure that you have these all in place and people are aware of these) so your staff are used to the format, and also if someone is ill the team can easily pick up this information and ensure a smooth transition takes place between staff.
Ebony Wimbush | Cheshire Woodland Weddings
Award: Best Events Coordinator
“What are your top tips for other Wedding Coordinators in the industry?”
- While maintaining a professional manner also become friends with your couples! Couples are leaving their big day in your hands and they need to be able to trust you as well as be relaxed and have fun in the process.
- Engage all the senses for showrounds. Not only do you need to make your venue LOOK the part but incorporate their hearing with relaxing music throughout, scent with candles lit & feel with making sure the venue is warm and cosy.
- Always get to know what your couples are looking for BEFORE the initial meeting so they feel like you have put in the effort ahead of time to learn about their dream day.
- On the wedding day make sure to make yourself known to all guests. Dress Smart and blend in while also being a point of contact for any queries throughout. It works well if you introduce yourself on the door as guests arrive.
- Lastly (but definitely not least), I am always on hand via email & phone to help couples who have questions. There is no question too big or too small. Creating a relaxed communication is integral to the coordinator/ client relationship. I strive to make my couples feel like they can contact me whenever a question arises.
Jennifer Turton | Walcot Hall
Award: Best Marketing Leader
“What are your top tips for other Heads of Marketing in the wedding industry?”
- Always provide value – whether this be sharing helpful tips on wedding planning, budgeting, vendor selection or something appealing to a wider audience. This can help build trust with your customers, as well as keeping them engaged in the long-term.
- Share customer testimonials wherever possible, and always ask your customers to provide them. These form another important element of trust, and research has shown that a huge 97% of customers look for relevant reviews before making a booking or purchase. Bonus points for pictures!
- Never underestimate the value of SEO – by optimising your website and social media profiles using keywords relevant to the wedding industry, you can help to increase visibility and drive more traffic.
- Ensure that you have a clearly defined Unique Selling Point (USP). For example, is your venue in a unique location? Does it have a unique history? Is it environmentally friendly? Does it have a particularly large capacity? By defining this and carrying it throughout your marketing materials, you can help your venue to stand out from its competitors.
- Stay up-to-date with the latest wedding industry trends, incorporating them into your marketing strategy to appeal to prospective customers. Use high-quality images or video where possible, which will help to showcase your venue’s best features and adaptability to your clients.
- Go over your marketing materials and campaigns at least every six months, being sure to update images, video footage, and other details such as pricing. Is an element of your marketing plan not working? Don’t be afraid to overhaul! Take what works and move forward – try something new!
