The questions every group asks
Whoever is organising a group booking is usually doing it for other people, in a hurry, from their phone. They will ask some version of the same things:
- Can we all go in together, or at least one after the other?
- How much is it for all of us, and do I have to pay for everyone?
- Can I pay some now and the rest later?
- What if one more person wants to come, or someone drops out?
- What do people need to do before the day?
If your booking page answers all five, most groups will book without ringing you at all.
Keep the group in one booking
A group too big for one room or lane is the classic reason for a phone call. If you can run the same activity twice back to back, offer it: the first half of the group at seven, the rest at quarter to eight, booked as one booking with one payment and one guest list. For a visit with several activities, let each activity have its own number of people — not everybody wants to do everything.
Whatever you do, avoid splitting a group into separate bookings by hand. It is how two halves of one party end up with different times in their confirmations.
Take the money in a way that suits a group
The organiser rarely wants to pay for twelve people and spend a month chasing eleven friends. Three things help:
- A deposit, then the balance. A deposit secures the date; the rest is due a set number of days before the visit, with a reminder.
- Everyone pays their own share. Split the booking into shares and send each guest a link to pay theirs, so the organiser only pays for themselves.
- A clear cancellation policy, shown before anyone pays, so nobody is surprised when plans change.
Expect the numbers to change
A group of twelve is a group of fourteen by Thursday and eleven by Saturday morning. Decide in advance what you will allow — adding people up to a set time, dropping people with or without a refund — and let the organiser make the change themselves online where you can. Price every change the same way the original booking was priced, so the organiser sees the real difference before they confirm.
Get the paperwork done before the day
Twelve waivers at the desk is twenty minutes of a session gone. Send every guest a link to sign before they arrive, let one adult sign for the children with them, and do not take names you do not need at the checkout: ask for the guest list after the booking is paid, when the organiser is no longer deciding whether to book.
On the day
Check the whole party in at once, or one by one as they arrive, from a list that shows who has signed and who has not. Give the group one person on your team to look after them. A good group booking is the best advert you have: twelve people go home and tell their friends.
How VenueBookr helps
A party too big for one room can be booked across back-to-back sessions as one booking, where you allow it, and a visit with several activities can carry a different number of people on each. Take a deposit with the date the balance is due and a reminder before it, or split the booking with PayMyBit so each guest pays their own share from their own link. Customers can add a guest online and pay the difference. Every adult signs their waiver on their own phone before the visit, one signature covering their children, and any question on the booking form can be asked after the booking is paid. On the day, check the whole party in, or each guest, from the Day Plan.
Book a live demo and we will set it up around your own venue.