Catering to corporate clients

As the hospitality market emphasises giving value for money, many businesses are looking to the advantages of hosting corporate events. Pubs with a sophisticated feel, while still being an intimate environment, should seriously consider catering for corporate functions. Most pubs have an affordable but good quality menu option. These range from a variety of nibblies to hearty meals for lunch or dinner. Many offer a discounted catering package for group bookings. It’s not much more of a step to offer corporate functions or conference catering in your bar or pub dining area, as an economical alternative to more expensive restaurants or function centres. We asked Angela Gallagher, Group Operations Manager at the Union Hotel, North Sydney, about attracting and keeping corporate clients.

What marketing methods do you use to market your functions and conferences to the corporate clients?

We use a PR consultant, search engine optimization (SEO) and Google Ad-words on our websites and HTML emails targeting our database. The database contains around 6000 contacts from our existing customers and people using our loyalty card, ‘Publife’ who join through our websites.

Our websites can give you a visual tour of the whole pub including the restaurant and function rooms. We encourage word of mouth, and we seem to get a lot of referrals from happy customers. We also use print media, local papers and the Financial Review and Good Living. Ray Hadley on Sydney radio 2GB promotes us and we also take out TV advertising from time to time on Channel 10.

Which methods or combinations of methods have proved to be most effective?

We constantly appraise and adjust our marketing approach, but try to combine them all as effectively as we can. We ask for feedback from customers and listen to them, but the indirect advertising bottom line is very difficult to measure. Word of mouth and customer referrals are golden.

How do you monitor the effect of your marketing? How do you get feedback?

I book all the functions, so receive a lot of feedback that way, direct from the customer.

We have an option in our sign-up forms for Publife for people to comment and give feedback and answer specific questions, and they do. This is most helpful.

How important for corporate clients are the following factors:

1. Location?

Very important. Sometimes proximity to the CEO’s home is more important than to the business. We’ve had a couple of instances where the CEO eats in our restaurant and lives on the North Shore but the company is based in the Sydney CBD. Generally, location is important.

2. Quality of food and service?

Critical at the event, and certainly for repeat business and recommendation. Although expectations are lower for a ‘conference’ style event, when they receive superior quality food it is even more appreciated. Generally though, people’s expectations of quality are on the rise.

3. Technical facilities: wireless access, audio visual equipment, projectors and iPod connection?

Important also, in particular the last three. We have free Wifi for all our guests in the hotel.

4. Price?

It’s a competitive environment out there; your offering needs to have perceived value and quality if you want to retain your margins, and yet still there needs to be something in it for them.

5. Room size?

The room really needs to fit the function. Too big or too small can destroy the atmosphere that you are trying to provide. We have a bit of built-in flexibility in the way our rooms and outdoor areas can be configured to adapt the function. Some customers don’t understand this, but the corporates generally do.

Do you have promotions or discounts for corporate clients?

We have our customer loyalty card ‘Publife’ and we send out HTML emails with promotions and deals.

How important are corporate functions for Union Hotel?

A very substantial part of the business, from Melbourne Cup festivities, conferencing to product launches and even farewells.

How many corporate functions do you do every 2 weeks?

Depending on the season, generally about 15-20 corporate events every 2 weeks.  At Christmas, it is around 20 a week.

How are the numbers affected by seasons?

New Year is busy with planning/strategy meetings. End of the Financial Year with celebrations, and the Christmas party season is generally just crazy!

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