Templates and guides for venue owners
Short, practical pieces on running an event or wedding venue: the schedules, proposals and contracts you write every week, and the numbers behind them.
8 min read Best venue management software for multiple locations: what each shares across venues, what it costs and where it fits Best venue management software for multiple locations: six products compared on logins, permissions, templates across locations, reports and price, from their own pages. 9 min read Best venue management software for wedding venues: six products, who each fits and what each publishes Best venue management software for wedding venues: six products compared on price, terms, calendar, contracts and wedding paperwork, with where each fits better. 7 min read How to manage venue tours and sales follow-ups: stages, the tour, the follow-up and why you lose Manage venue tours and sales follow-ups: stages with one rule each, how to prepare and run a tour, a follow-up schedule from the same day, and a weekly review. 6 min read How to standardize workflows across venues: what matches, what stays local and how to keep it that way Standardize workflows across venues: decide what must match, write one playbook, keep master templates, count the same things weekly and change rules in one place. 7 min read How to organize venue contracts and deposits: one dashboard, one schedule, one folder per booking Organize venue contracts and deposits: a fixed order of documents, booking and security deposits written apart, one payment schedule and dispute evidence kept together. 7 min read Venue CRM vs general CRM: what a venue needs that a sales CRM does not model Venue CRM vs general CRM: what HubSpot, HoneyBook and venue systems say they do, four questions that decide it, and a one-minute test for double booking. 7 min read How to reduce missed wedding venue inquiries: seven fixes, a follow-up schedule and the cost of a miss Reduce missed wedding venue inquiries: one inbox, one owner, a reply time you keep, a follow-up schedule, the FTC rules and the cost of a miss, with arithmetic. 6 min read How to manage multiple venue calendars without double booking: six rules Manage multiple venue calendars without double booking: one calendar per room, three statuses, setup and teardown in the block, a hold rule, sharing and a weekly audit. 7 min read How to choose venue booking software: seven steps and the questions to ask How to choose venue booking software: map your booking path, test holds and payments on real inquiries, price the first year and read the terms. 7 min read Venue management software pricing: what it costs in 2026 and what the price leaves out Venue management software pricing in 2026: published prices from Perfect Venue, Tripleseat, Event Temple and MyVenueHQ, a year of cost for one and three venues, and extras. 6 min read Venue software vs spreadsheets: when a spreadsheet is enough and when to switch Venue software vs spreadsheets: when a spreadsheet is enough, five signs to switch, the cost of retyping as worked arithmetic and how to move your data safely. 6 min read Service charge vs gratuity at a wedding or event venue: who gets the money and how to show it Service charge vs gratuity at a wedding or event venue: who gets the money, how the IRS treats each, and how to show both on a BEO, proposal and invoice. 6 min read How long is a wedding? Ceremony and reception lengths, and a sample timeline How long is a wedding ceremony and reception? Typical times from planner and venue sources, plus a sample timeline for a 5 pm ceremony and an 11 pm end. 7 min read Corkage fee at a wedding venue: what it is, how venues charge it, and what to ask Wedding venue corkage fee explained: what it covers, per bottle, per guest or flat, published examples from $20 to $55, what to ask and how to write it down. 7 min read When is wedding season? The peak months, and how venues price peak, shoulder and off-season When is wedding season? The peak months, how venues price peak, shoulder and off-season dates, and a worked seasonal price table with made-up numbers. 11 min read ChatGPT prompts for event planners and venues: fifteen to copy, and what to check Fifteen copyable ChatGPT prompts for event planners and venues: inquiry replies, run of show, vendor emails, menus and thank-yous, and what to check in each. 8 min read AI event proposal: what to let it write, and what you must set yourself Can AI write an event proposal? Yes, the wording. A prompt for each of six parts, a fact sheet, and what it must never invent: prices, dates, capacity. 9 min read Best free floor plan makers for venues (checked October 2026) Free floor plan makers for venues compared on October 15, 2026: account, free limit, exports and first paid tier for 8 tools, ours included with its limits. 6 min read Best free seating chart makers: which let you export without paying (October 2026) Free seating chart makers compared on October 15, 2026: which let you download a chart with no account or payment, their limits and first paid tier. 8 min read AI for event planning: what works, what doesn’t, and how to check it AI for event planning: ten tasks with a verdict, a prompt pattern that works, the common failures and the free tools that beat a guess. Includes weddings. 7 min read How venues use AI to answer inquiries faster, and what to keep for yourself How a venue can use AI to answer inquiries: a five-step reply, the facts to check first, an editable template and when to follow up. You send every reply. 8 min read Wedding reception layout: six floor plans with table counts Six wedding reception layouts drawn to scale: rounds, long tables, a head table, cocktail then dinner, a ceremony flip. Table counts and floor per guest. 6 min read How to start a wedding venue: nine steps, the costs, and whether it pays Starting a wedding venue in nine steps: zoning and permits, capacity, the plan, the build, contracts and pricing. Plus the costs to quote and a profit example. 6 min read Wedding venue business plan: the eight sections, a free template, and a revenue model that does the math A wedding venue business plan in eight sections, with a free Word template and a revenue model. Enter your dates, fees and costs for profit and break-even. 5 min read Banquet table sizes: dimensions, and how many people each one seats Banquet table sizes in inches, with seats per table for 6 and 8 foot rectangles and 48 to 72 inch rounds. Includes a free round table seating calculator. 6 min read Wedding run of show: a sample day your whole crew can follow, in Word and Excel A wedding run of show with times, owners and cues for the whole crew, what one includes, and the buffers that get forgotten. Word and Excel downloads, free. 6 min read Wedding venue cost and pricing guide (2026): what venues cost, and the five ways they charge Wedding venue pricing in 2026: average cost by guest count (The Knot’s study), the five ways venues charge, and fees quotes leave out. Free proposal template. 7 min read Questions to ask a wedding venue: 40 for the tour, and what a good answer sounds like The 40 questions to ask a wedding venue, grouped by when to ask: date and price, what’s included, the day, food, access, and the contract. Free Word checklist. 6 min read How to write an event venue proposal, section by section How to write a venue proposal: the seven sections an event venue proposal needs, sample wording for each, and how to price add-ons. Free Word download. 7 min read Venue rental agreement template: the twelve clauses it needs, with sample wording A free venue rental agreement template in Word and the 12 clauses a venue or wedding venue contract needs, from deposits to cancellation. Not legal advice.