Market Your Restaurant to Corporate Groups
By Cindy Baccetti
It’s a common conversation. We meet with a new
restaurant member and immediately hear that
group business, especially corporate group
business, is one of their most desirable types
of business. But all too often this does not
result in a targeted group dining marketing
effort. This is frequently the key missing
element in a restaurants marketing and
advertising campaign. This disconnect between
the stated goal and the execution of a plan is a
huge challenge for restaurant owners. Many
things affect the decision to forego group
dining marketing including lack of time, scarce
resources or simply lack of knowledge. A
targeted, sustained group dining marketing
effort with the specific goal of increasing
corporate group dining is critical for the long
term success of many restaurants. Those who are
doing it well are reaping the rewards. Those who
are not may find it is a costly mistake
especially when so many restaurants are doing it
and doing it well. How to start? What to do?
These are questions we hear every day.
One
reason for failing to go after group business is that
restaurants are forced to focus on their traditional
business since that’s what pays the bills on a regular
basis. Additionally a successful group dining marketing
program targeted at corporate users requires a lot of
resources, knowledge and a sustained focus making it
difficult. There are several critical elements to a
successful group dining advertising effort.
Keep it Simple
Group dining guests are very different from other
guests. They are looking for information quickly and in
an easy to understand format. They want specific details
they can use to make decisions about their upcoming
event booking. Many restaurants believe, in error, that
a busy corporate or group dining prospect will be able
to visualize booking a group event at a particular
restaurant merely by looking at their website. But that
just doesn’t work. Providing only a standard dinner
menu, abstract photos and little information about
hosting a group event is a common mistake. Group dining
prospects are only concerned about their next event and
the most successful restaurants, many of which are
Groupdyne.com members, successfully ‘paint a picture’ of
what a group event in their restaurant feels like, and
better yet what it tastes like. A guest so clearly
envisions their event that they wouldn’t even consider
booking elsewhere.
These valuable prospects simply do not have the time to
guess about the items critical to the success of their
event. You must lay it out for them in the most simply
and easy to understand terms. Your corporate guests are
busy and navigating thru countless pages on your website
that do not provide them the group dining information
they are looking for will surely lead to your losing
their interest, and ultimately the sale.
Know Your Spaces & Places
Taking a current ‘space inventory’ is one of the most
important steps in a new group marketing campaign. At
Groupdyne.com we see things through a group dining
focused perspective and many times we see things that
our restaurant members simply do not. An ‘outdoor
terrace’ becomes a ‘semi-private room’. Another common
mistake is not understanding that every restaurant has a
private dining room… if a 100 seat restaurant allows
their space to be closed for private events they have a
private dining room for 100. You must get a group
mindset. When meeting with a new restaurant client we
almost always create a new space inventory. Taking a new
look at your spaces and places is critical to an
effective group marketing campaign.
What’s Cooking?
Do you know which menus and in what formats are most
requested by corporate dining guests? We do. Compiling a
library of past group menus with special themes and
concepts allows you to show your creativity. Corporate
guests enjoy browsing past menus for ideas and
suggestions. At Groupdyne.com we regularly review our
member’s group and seasonal menus and make
recommendations and suggestions.
A Picture is Worth…[well you know the rest]
You know what they say....A picture is worth a thousand
words, well perhaps, but it must be the right picture.
Again expecting a group dining guest to somehow see a
photo of your beautiful waterfront view or an attractive
couple drinking martinis in your bar and automatically
expect them to conceptualize hosting a group event at
your restaurant is a stretch. We regularly conduct group
dining photo audits and are surprised at what we find or
shall I say what we don’t find. Photos of your spaces,
group menu platters, room set-ups and hopefully an event
filled with guests are all critical. Make it easy for
guests to see themselves having an event at your
restaurant, not feeling like they are your first group
reservation.
A Quick, Complete and Courteous Response
What is considered a ‘good’ response time when
responding to a group dining inquiry? What should you
send to the potential guest in your first interaction?
If you aren’t sure, how do you know where you measure up
against your competition? They say that races are won in
inches. Similarly a successful group dining response
program should be measured in minutes. We are often
surprised to hear about what and how long it takes some
restaurants to respond to their corporate dining guests.
People that have researched a restaurant, and have taken
the time to send an online request are at times left to
wait 2-3 days to then be told to call the restaurant for
more details about availability. No deal. Group sales
verbiage, quality and quantity of event information and
ultimately your response time are all critical to
converting a lead to an event. How do you measure up?
About Groupdyne.com
From corporate dinner meetings to wedding rehearsal
dinners, family celebrations to holiday gatherings,
Groupdyne.com helps you find and book the perfect
restaurant for your upcoming event. Browse over 2,000
group dining restaurant listings in 17 US cities
including: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Las
Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, Phoenix,
Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco,
Seattle and Washington, DC.
Groupdyne.com was built on the premise that planning meetings, special
events, group lunches and dinners should be easy,
intuitive and fun. The site connects users with a
powerful, integrated database of restaurant information,
specifics on private and semi private dining rooms and
other offerings, chef biographies, capacity details and
menu information to make planning group dinners simple
and carefree. Users also benefit from standardized
profiles that allow for quick side-by-side restaurant
comparisons and one-click e-mail submission for simple
email communications, video content and more.
Groupdyne.com is quick, easy and free-to-use.
About Cindy Baccetti
Cindy Baccetti brings over 20 years sales, marketing
and business development knowledge to Groupdyne.com.
Her extensive experience in the hospitality industry,
which ranges from full-service restaurant, bar, and
nightclub operations to catering establishments, museums
and conference centers, has given her a unique insight
into this market. This expertise, coupled with sound
business instincts and innovative negotiating skills,
produces results with universal appeal in the restaurant
industry that are directed at improving bottom line
results.
Groupdyne.com is the result of the vision and passion of Cindy Baccetti,
who recognized the need for a specialized search tool
for people planning group dining/meeting events in
restaurants and similar venues, whether they are
professional meeting planners, or just planning major
personal events. She created the hospitality website
allowing users to locate group dining venues nationwide.
Her leadership includes creation of the initial concept,
assisting in the site’s graphic layout and programming
code development, guiding the concept from start to
finish.
As President, Cindy oversees Groupdyne.com's daily operations, providing clear, strategic leadership
and extensive industry expertise. She is responsible for
the company's corporate positioning, branding and
identity, public relations, member engagement marketing
to ensure strong connections with website users and
member venues. Cindy also oversees Groupdyne.com sales
and internal communications, corporate affairs, and
community relations efforts and serves as champion of
the company’s brand in the market.
For More Information About Groupdyne.com
400 Mercer Street, Suite 308
Seattle, WA 98109
425-221-3374 or info@groupdyne.com
