Let’s start where most venues stumble: whether you’re booking bands or rentals, it’s time consuming. On most venue sites, “Private Events” is a tiny link that dumps people into a generic contact form, which kills momentum.
Follow these tips to book your most profitable holiday season ever, while keeping the guest front and center (everyone is stressed and busy at the holidays).
Instead of the generic contact form and two short paragraphs about private rentals (like every other venue), give guests their own hub to imagine what their special night might look like at YOUR location. Be specific—photos, menus, pricing, ideas!
1. Make booking easy with the basics – Date & Price
Start by making it EASY for guests to get the basics—date and price—with
- a live date picker
- clear pricing
- instant hold/request
- option to collect deposit to hold the date
Tools like Calendly (or similar) let guests choose
available dates and times, collect details, and take payment or a deposit right on your site with a simple widget. Adding a real events-calendar to your rental page lets people see open nights without endless back-and-forth emails—an especially beloved time-saver during December.
2. Build Your Rentals Page Like IKEA Builds Rooms
Imagine going to IKEA to redecorate your living room and either:
- all the products are laid out in bins with no context, or
- someone at the front takes your name, phone number, and vision, and says representative will get back to you in 24 hours.
Both options would leave you overwhelmed or frustrated, and neither option makes it easy to buy. What works is IKEA’s immersive setup—rooms that show you what’s possible, complete with lighting, accessories, and personality.
Your venue’s rental page should do the same: show sample setups for events from past events. Many parties have a professional photographer, so set up an automatic email to every party host (set to deliver 2 weeks after the party) requesting a few great photos of the event, set up, fun or food to post to your site. Most will be very happy to send them over. (And don’t hesitate to follow up with last year’s party hosts.)
Now, build that page like IKEA builds rooms. Don’t just say “Great for parties”—show it. The clearer the vision, the faster they book.
Take it up a level
Simply showing a series of photo galleries will already be more than most venues do (ie: Holly & Fred’s Wedding, Burrrr Ave Holiday Party, etc.). However if you want to give guests more exciting ideas to encourage deposit-dropping, add these extras to your Event Idea pages:
- Photo galleries
- Sample event layouts
- Sample menus (or full menus to choose from with pricing)
- Specialty cocktail menus
- What’s included
- Optional add-ons (and pricing!)
- Small touches past clients loved.
Example: “Company Holiday Social” shows 10–15 photos of the event with details about what made it great:
coat check → welcome spritz cart → photo booth with branded backdrop → well-wishes station → bar → dessert/coffee nook.
Add a short caption and an add-on price to photos (“Polaroid bundle $89,” “Branded backdrop $149,” “‘Letters to Future Selves’ station $39”). Event websites that feel like an experience (not a brochure) convert better—give guests everything they need before they ask.
3. Price Simply and Upsell Smartly
Keep your pricing structure clear and your upgrades relevant. Clarity and visibility are the two most important words for harried holiday planners.
Offer three easy holiday packages by headcount with a clear minimum spend. Then build optional add-ons or “event enhancements”.
Present upsells as helpful enhancements—not pressure tactics. The best time to offer them? In the confirmation email-locking in the date, once the excitement is fresh. You can also have these on the event page.
4. Create Turnkey Packages for Busy Planners
Make December easy to say “yes” to. Build seasonal landing pages that bundle essentials:
- Holiday Mixer Pack — Space + host + curated playlist + welcome drink
- Team Dinner Pack — Family-style menu + table styling + mic for toast
- Matinée Mingle — Discounted daytime rental for budget-savvy teams
Launch it early, promote group bookings, and spotlight off-peak time slots (Sunday–Wednesday nights, daytime). Using an online calendar for visibility and pricing makes it easier for people to book the off-peak time slots. Make your venue the low-stress choice for frazzled planners with early-bird date & price visibility and ready-to-go packages.
5. Inspire Bigger Spends (and Happier Guests)
Encourage guests to personalize their experience in ways that feel joyful, not transactional. Here are some ideas:
- Themed décor packages: Nordic Noel, Frosted Disco
- Dessert add-ons: mini s’more station + hot-chocolate bar
- Late-night snacks at 10:30 PM
- Lounge furniture for mingling
- Coat check service
- AV support for speeches
- Vendor sourcing (Photographer, Bands)
- NA bar packages: mocktail flights for sober teams
- Selfie-lighting kits & accessories for photo booths
- Staffed-by-them or staffed-by-us gift-wrapping corner for office parties or toy donations for kids-in-need
- “Leave-no-trace” cleanup option for corporate groups who want zero hassle
- “Community Give-Back” option (€1 per guest to a local charity) with cumulative results shared in January. When guests feel good about where their money goes, they spend more freely.
6. Sample Private-Rental Page Layout
Header: “Book Your Holiday Party—Pick a Date, See Your Price, Lock It In.”
Date Selector: Embedded calendar showing open slots + “Place 72-hour hold” button.
Packages:
- Holiday Mixer (up to 60): Space + host + welcome spritz/NA, festive playlist, coat rack — €1,950 (add: photo-booth kit €179; mocktail flight €8 pp; dessert cart €6 pp)
- Team Dinner (up to 40 seated): Family-style menu, table greens, mic for toast — €3,200 (add: AV tech €120; espresso cart €249; late-night sliders €5 pp)
- Full-Venue Buyout (up to 120): Dedicated staff, custom floor plan, security — €6,900 (add: lounge set €299; branded backdrop €149; cleanup guarantee €189)
Idea Gallery: 4 labeled photo sets (that click through to their galleries) with descriptions & add-on prices.
FAQs: Load-in times, curfews, sound levels, accessibility, parking, invoice terms.
CTA: “Hold Your Date” + “Talk to a Planner”
7. Keep It Tight, Honest, and Easy
Publish clear capacities, curfews, and inclusions. Confirm everything in writing with a simple event timeline and upsell checklist in the confirmation email. That combo—easy booking, vivid visuals, straightforward pricing, and thoughtful upgrades—drives December profits and keeps your guests merry. When buyers see a clear path to “yes,” they book faster and spend more.
8. Tell Everyone – literally everyone
Most people are afraid, yes afraid, worried, nervous…about texting people in their contacts about sales. Do it. Most people will be happy to help, and most often you’ll reconnect with someone you haven’t seen in a while. This is the best way (and likely the only month) where you could get a private booking and extra cash every night you’re open.
Start by sending an email out to EVERYONE who has EVER booked an event with you. If you don’t have those records, start keeping them. It doesn’t have to be a fancy email, it can be a 2-liner that says:
We’d love to have you back!
We really enjoyed working with you and making your event special in past years. Working with great people makes a merry holiday season for our staff too. If you have any holiday party plans, we have some special discounts for our favorite past customers. on Tues and Wed Nights in Dec.
NEXT >>> Start texting everyone (your lawyer, your doctor, your friends, your Disc-Golf team) and ask them simply: “Hi, do you know anyone booking a holiday event? I’d love it if you refer them to [The Main Street Saloon].” Their mom or boss may be having a party.
9. Fly that plane while duct-taping it together!
We’re already in Nov, which means, you need to get promotion out the door (Maybe you already have!?). Even if it’s not perfect, start rolling with it.
