Hothorpe Hall and The Woodlands {Case Study}

“We’ve had just over 300 enquiries in January 2018, as opposed to 128 in January 2017” -Nicola Firth, Managing Director, Hothorpe Hall and The Woodlands 

Today I’d like to share with you a client case study detailing exactly how I’ve worked with one of my ambitious venue clients who invested in my 6-month ‘Refine and Shine’ programme.

Please step forward – Hothorpe Hall.

Hothorpe Hall and The Woodlands is a privately-owned exclusive use events venue set in the rolling Leicestershire countryside. Made up of an elegant manor house & grounds as well as a separate “village-feel” woodland venue setting, it is an established and successful wedding destination.

June 2017
The owner & managing director commissioned us to work with the team to help them achieve further business growth and greater success in the wedding market for 2018 and beyond.

I delivered our ‘Refine & Shine’ consulting service. This commenced with a full and open discussion about goals and objectives, challenges to date, alongside substantial background information. This involved a full-day in-person spent with the venue team including the sales & marketing director, the wedding manager, her two co-ordinators plus the Managing Director herself.

I studied all components of the sales & marketing funnel, customer relationship and service process. This involved a detailed review of their “virtual” materials (website, brochure, social media presence etc.) which we presented and explained at the session alongside training and idea-sharing on market trends and statistics.

This was followed by a further written report detailing recommendations from the findings on the day including suggested adjustments to packaging, pricing, presentation, menu offerings, further marketing avenues, supplier partner connections and much more.

“Just six months since our initial meeting with Kelly, we’ve already undertaken three styled photoshoots, re-branded, produced new brochures, re-structured a website, completed refurbishments and totally revamped our menus. We’re now working hard to manage the 290% increase in January enquiries  (2018 v 2017) which we believe will in-turn lead to business growth.”

-Nicola Firth, Managing Director, Hothorpe Hall and The Woodlands 

July-Dec 2017
We scheduled regular updates by Skype call (included in the ‘Refine & Shine’ service) to update on team progress from the report and action plan, review draft materials together for feedback as they were being developed and implemented. It was clear to see that big action was being taken!

January 2018
Hothorpe Hall and The Woodlands officially launched their new & exciting wedding offering (just a handful of visuals from their various styled shoots and menu revamps are featured here). It was a total delight to see the fresh inspiring new options for each of their distinct venues which have come about through the hard work and dedication of the entire team. Whilst our service has come to the end I will be following their progress and successes keenly and looking out for opportunities to showcase their commitment to delivering outstanding weddings.

In just one month since the website relaunch substantial increases are demonstrated at all points of the process from brochure and download requests, enquiry to showround conversions and, the all-important, showround to booking conversions.

In the words of Nicola:

“With a desire to grow the wedding side of our business, we employed the services of Kelly Chandler. Although we’d enjoyed over 15 years of success hosting weddings and had lots of in-house expertise, we really needed a fresh pair of eyes to help clear the fog between our business growth objective and the end goal. Kelly helped us do just that.

From enquiry process to marketing and sales techniques to wedding trends, Kelly refined our existing skills, taught us new ones, opened our eyes to the importance of trends and gave us the confidence to forge ahead and achieve things we’d been procrastinating over for some time!

Just six months since our initial meeting with Kelly, we’ve already undertaken three styled photoshoots, re-branded, produced new brochures, re-structured a website, completed refurbishments and totally revamped our menus. We’re now working hard to manage the 290% increase in January enquiries (2018 v 2017) which we believe will in turn lead to business growth.”

Whether you’re starting afresh in the wedding industry or are a seasoned professional who needs a little guidance, Kelly is certainly the right person to help guide you towards achieving your goals.”

If you’re an established venue and you would like to elevate your wedding business to new heights, let’s have a conversation about how my ‘Refine and Shine’ programme can help you. Please do get in touch on enquiries@kellychandlerconsulting.co.uk to schedule a discovery call.

Images by SMD Photography // Photoshoot Styling // Tickety Boo Events // The Rustic Wedding Company