In the events industry, seasonality differs widely across venues and is determined by factors like your region, the types of events you host, what your space offers, and many more. Winter holidays are a big deal for many restaurants, while wedding venues might experience their busy season from spring through fall.
For Summerfield Farms, the busy season seems to never end! Located in Summerfield, North Carolina, this farm venue has multiple barns, cottages, and cabins that are used for indoor and outdoor events. They host everything from intimate gatherings to events with thousands of guests.
We talked with Holly Stressman, the farm’s General Manager, about how she and her team thrive through the busy seasons.
Summerfield Farms
When’s your busy season?
HS: Our busy seasons correlate to the time of year. We’re lucky here in North Carolina that we experience all four seasons. Our first busy peak lasts from April to June and winds down throughout the summer with vacations and school being out. Then we head into our second busy season from September to November as the weather cools. We slow down around Thanksgiving, then we begin celebrating the holidays with corporate events, social gatherings, and weddings.
Wow, that’s a lot! Who’s managing all of these events on the property?
HS: We have an incredible events team that includes event coordinators, the farm manager, our sales team, and the operations team. It takes a village! Tripleseat keeps us all organized and is great for guests to utilize.
What are the most common types of events that you host?
HS: We will host any type of special occasion our customers would like to celebrate, with the majority being weddings. However, we have the flexibility to host events as small as a private meeting for two, up to a concert or festival of 3,000+. We host corporate meetings, team building events, fundraisers, appreciation events, sponsorship dinners, birthday parties, reunions, celebrations of life; you name it!
So you have a team that deals with lots of event types and therefore lots of different kinds of guests. What’s your process for planning different types of events?
HS: Here at Summerfield Farms, regardless of the event, each client gets dedicated service and attention to ensure their event comes to life and is executed flawlessly. In Tripleseat, we have booking templates for each event type that our team fills out as we meet with our clients. This template ensures we are capturing all of their details, rentals, layout specifications, and vision. Tripleseat helps us stay organized and communicate each client’s event details to everyone from our coordinating team to our implementation team.
What does your guest communication strategy look like?
HS: Our guest communication is what sets us apart. We are very well connected to our clients and ensure high customer satisfaction.
After we’ve gone through planning using the booking template, all of the details are in Tripleseat’s guest portal. There are so many features that make it easy on the customer side. In their guest portal, guests can see event details, and we provide links to helpful information like their layout, rental guide and other resources they may need.
With the ability to request deposits and final payments through the guest portal, it’s easier for both guests and us. We used to plan with pen and paper, and then manually send contracts for guests to fill out and scan back to us. Now, the guest portal shows what’s paid and what’s owed, and keeps the contract updated for everyone to see.
How do you keep everyone on your team on the same page?
HS: Team communication in Tripleseat is huge for us. We use tagging and add notes on events to track everything. Tripleseat tracks communication with the guest so everyone can see when we need to send final payment reminders and such. The mobile app makes it easy to stay in touch on event days or while team members are out in the field.
What advice would you give to someone new to the events industry?
HS: Planning for success and an unforgettable experience for your client is always the goal. Ensure that you have the tools you need to stay organized so you and your team can execute flawlessly. Tripleseat has been the answer our team needed to button up the details and ensure an unforgettable experience.
Are you juggling it all?
Making sure that your team is organized and in the loop is critical to thriving during your venue’s peak months. Check out Tripleseat, the leader in event management, so that you can handle the busy season minus the busywork. See it for yourself today.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published on the Gather blog.
