Relationships: the most powerful asset in a venue’s toolkit

By Jackie Harding, Commercial Director

In business, as in life, the key to happiness is found in our relationships – they enhance our wellbeing, provide a pillar of support, are at the heart of some of our most treasured memories and, above all, remind us that we’re connected, that we’re part of a community.

And yet our relationships are so easy to take for granted. We become complacent, we stop putting the effort in, we assume they will always just be there. Wrong.

My overriding focus as Commercial Director has been on investing the time, energy and effort into nurturing our relationships. Our clients are the beating heart of our organisation and I’ve been determined to show them that, here at The Mermaid London, we don’t expect their business, we expect to have to earn it.

This starts with M Club – our new agency partnership that values and rewards. With increasing numbers of businesses using agencies to execute their conference and events spend, this is our way of showing agents not only that we understand their needs, their expectations and what is important to them, but that we also understand how to make their lives easier – income and fast payment guarantees. We know. We get it.

By introducing M Club, yes, I wanted agents to know how much we value them, but I also wanted them to know that we see their loyalty, that we appreciate it, and that we’ll reward it. The partnership guarantees agents:

• An enhanced commission
• Commission invoices paid within 10 days
• A dedicated account manager
• First to hear about special incentive offers
• Keep up to date with venue news and industry trends
• Host your client site visits at The Mermaid London with refreshments and canapés

Of course, it’s not all just about the grand gestures and, under my leadership, we have implemented lots of smaller changes that make a big difference – anticipating a client’s potential pressure points and proactively making the process smoother for them. Whether it’s using smaller suppliers so we can be more reactive and agile to our clients’ needs, showing potential clients how much we’d love to work with them by reaching out rather than waiting for them to call us, or actively addressing clients’ needs by making the enquiry process easier. The point is we understand. We understand your challenges. We understand your constraints. We understand you.

Now, for all the things we do, the most important thing that can be done is when we stop “doing” – and just simply listen. That’s how we knew what changes we needed to make, how we learnt what our clients needed from us, and how we understood what we had to do to make it happen. Here at The Mermaid London, every relationship is a collaborative effort – it’s not about us telling our client what they should or shouldn’t do. It’s about us working with them to understand their needs, not just when an event is planned, but throughout the year too.

This is why I have made regular communication with clients a non-negotiable priority, not through emails, text messages, or ‘likes’ on social media, but through proper conversations – checking in, catching up, talking. My team and I also take every opportunity we can to do this in person – such as our recent attendance at the AIEA AGM in the Cotswolds. While we loved exhibiting with other venues, we loved attending the awards dinner afterwards even more as it gave us time to chat to people and really discover how they’re feeling and what we, as venues, can do to support them.

Just to prove I’m not talking the talk without walking the walk, I’ve popped the thoughts of some of our wonderful clients below – after all, it does take two to make a relationship…

Rachelle Speed, Orange Door Events: “I have placed a range of our clients into the venue over the last six months and each event has been a great success. We love the blank canvas areas we can dress and bring to fruition our clients’ vision.”

Amy Nichols, Clearcut Venues: “We like working with The Mermaid because they become an extension of our team and work with us to make the event come to life.”

Matt Lewis, Active: “The Mermaid London is a versatile space that works for our large product launches and international team collaboration events. We know we are in safe hands.”

So, if you’re looking to lean on a venue and team who understand the value of relationships and the impact of a well-executed event, contact us today on 020 7236 1919 / info@the-mermaid.co.uk