The group scoop: How your technology can help you land events

By Kara Heermans, SONIFI’s Senior Vice President of Product Management and User Experience

 

 

The event space is a competitive business. And your interactive TVs and Wi-Fi services could help you stand out from the crowd—while boosting revenue for your property.

Here are some ways you can use your technology for unforgettable group services that will make you the go-to hotel for weddings, conferences, and events.

Create a special stay for the special day

Let’s say you’re working with a wedding planner to host a couple’s ceremony and reception in your event space, and have a large room block for their guests.

As part of your event offerings, you could promote an add-on custom TV package. With it, the TVs in their room block could power on to a menu in the wedding colors with a background image of the happy couple.

The interactive TV’s main menu then features a photo, favorite song, and video message from the couple thanking guests for traveling in—it makes a perfect backdrop for an influencer to post how excited she is to celebrate with her friends for the weekend.

The wedding planner tells you the couple and their friends are huge sports fans, so you adjust the channel lineup to put all the sports channels at the top of the guide. It’s another special touch to make their stay even better.

You also schedule a message to appear the morning after the wedding that congratulates the couple, and another that tells attendees where to go downstairs for the send-off brunch.

Bring the conference to every room

And what could this custom TV experience look like for a conference you’re hosting?

At turn-on, the TV features a personal greeting along with the conference’s logo and brand colors, making it a great way to welcome attendees in the rooms associated with the event.

Generate buzz and help everything feel connected by carrying that idea to a promotional video on the main menu that goes over the can’t-miss conference sessions and spotlights the event’s main sponsors.

In this case, not only can you charge additional for the custom TV package, conference organizers can also lobby for more sponsorship dollars given the added exposure.

You work with the event coordinator to complement the promo videos with personalized messages scheduled to automatically send throughout the conference.

Upon check-in, attendees get an invitation on the interactive TV to head to the lobby bar for the conference’s kick-off social hour.

Each morning, a simple message shares how attendees can find the schedule and locations of that day’s events, and a message each evening highlights a sponsor with a QR code to learn more about their services.

In the channel lineup, you designate a conference channel that livestreams the main stage sessions, so attendees who are under the weather or have to return to their room for a quick meeting won’t miss any of the action.

And when the event coordinator tells you a majority of the group speaks another language, you set the TV menus to display in their preferred language, and also add channels in that language to the lineup for the duration of the event.

On the last day of the conference, one last message lets attendees know where they can store their luggage until departure, and how to purchase a late checkout if needed.

Amp up event Wi-Fi experiences

When selling your group services, a stellar Wi-Fi package that includes a private network for the event elevates you above what your competitors can offer.

With the right internet partner, self-service tools allow you to easily set up event Wi-Fi that includes things like custom splash pages and branding, unique access codes and SSIDs, dedicated bandwidth, and 24/7 technical support.

Just like on the TV, you can include conference sponsors on the event’s splash screen, again increasing that exposure and revenue opportunity.

Implementing a conference services component to your network appeals to event planners and large groups—which increases your revenue potential and makes the event even more memorable for attendees.

Be sure to talk to your HSIA provider about it if you haven’t yet.

Partner up to level up your group services

To make things even easier for your staff, find a vendor who can provide both interactive TV and network solutions for your property.

Having just one place to ask questions and consult with on the best options simplifies the process for you both before implementation and after go-live.

It’s time to think about your TV and Wi-Fi as more than basic amenities. With a good technology partner, they can be just the thing to dazzle event organizers toward your property. And make you the venue that groups can’t miss and won’t forget.

 

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Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Hospitality Upgrade.