De Vere integrates with venuedirectory.com

As we continue to weather the pandemic storm, it is becoming clear that a company’s survival and ability to move forward is largely dependent on its flexibility and ability to adapt to the ever-changing pandemic dynamics.

The ‘new normal’ has caused seismic shifts in how businesses operate – we have seen companies transition from an office-centric culture to a more flexible work style. But this is only a surface-level shift, the real driver of this shift is, and has always been, technology. Technology is at the heart of enabling businesses to evolve and stand firm amidst the turbulence.

Indeed, times have changed. However, while many industries have consistently adapted well, and are looking to technology to adapt to this new shift, the Meetings and Events industry appear to be lagging behind in terms of adopting technology to simplify processes.

So how do we suggest that the Meetings and Events Industry utilise technology to adapt to the current needs of Meetings and Events planners?

The answer:

Digital Integration

Many organisations and technology providers have hopes, dreams and aspirations of moving meeting room bookings online and it is safe to say in the last five years, eqvents industry. The key is developing a digital process that provides a wider distribution platform for venues, that simplifies venue searching and booking for meeting planners. Technology needs to be unified to make it easily accessible to the person who wants to book meeting space and to develop a platform that does the same for meetings and events that booking.com and hotels.com has done for accommodation.

In many sectors, target audiences can easily book or place an order with just a click – no stress, no hassle. In the Meetings and Events industry, this process is a lot more complicated with the use of RFPs. The vision for venuedirectory.com is for venues to digitally integrate their online meeting booking engine with venuedirectory.com’s Instant Book technology, giving them a wider distribution platform and ultimately giving meeting and events planners access to real-time availability.

venuedirectory.com has been transformative in its approach looking to drag meeting venues and technology companies into their radical distribution ecosystem. Young platforms who are more nimble like Events500 have been quick to get on board and connect into this new route to market, other well established platforms like Rendezvous from NFS were slow to start but have now seen the light and connected into the network of business opportunities.

De Vere Group

The latest venue group to seize this rapidly changing booking channel is De Vere who have digitally integrated its online meeting booking engine, Smart Booker with venuedirectory.com, making it easier for event planners to access real-time availability of meeting spaces and to book instantly.

De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, De Vere Horsley Estate, De Vere Latimer Estate, De Vere Cotswold Water Park and De Vere Beaumont Estate can now be booked through venuedirectory.com’s Instant Book while three more properties will be live on the system shortly. The instant booking and live availability between De Vere and venuedirectory.com has been enabled via a gateway partner of venuedirectory.com -  MeetingPackage Channel Manager, that connects directly to the Opera (Oracle) Property Management System used by the De Vere venue group.

Explaining why De Vere has taken this step, Alan Corlett, De Vere's Chief Commercial Officer, said:

"By digitally integrating our extensive collection of properties through the De Vere online meeting booking engine, Smart Booker with venuedirectory.com, event planners will have an even wider distribution platform with access to real-time availability and dynamic pricing across hundreds of De Vere's meeting and event spaces.”

This digital integration now allows venuedirectory.com's customer base to easily search, filter and book De Vere's event spaces in one simple process online, giving event planners greater flexibility throughout the process.

Commenting on this successful digital integration, Michael Begley, CEO of venuedirectory.com stated:

“To offer live availability and Instant Booking for De Vere’s Grand Connaught Rooms and its many country estate properties is a wonderful addition to the increasingly large and wide range of meeting spaces that event planners can now access so much more easily. The movement towards digital integration of venues is gaining strong momentum month by month.”

Indeed, it is technology o’clock at De Vere, and one venue at a time, venuedirectory.com will achieve their mission to digitally transform the Meetings and Events industry through Instant Book. It's been a long and hard road to get the industry to this point and Covid19 has been an unwelcome arrival for most, although it has allowed for the realisation that instant booking of meeting rooms must become a reality sooner rather than later. It’s beginning to look like the instant book landscape in the UK is now escalating at a pace in the UK and other markets are watching to see what's been achieved here for their own technology roadmaps.