Vendor Strategies

for Booking More

Events in 2024
ABOUT THE BASH'S 2024
VENDOR SURVEY
Party planners celebrated all of life’s special moments last year, and we
expect this year to be no different. Vendors are already connecting with new
clients for all types of events and implementing their strategies for securing
more bookings, gearing up for another successful year.

In this report, learn from over 850 vendors about how they plan to be
successful in 2024 and what matters most to their business when it comes to
responding to leads, following up, collecting reviews, and more.

In this report, you will find vendors’ METHODOLOGY

feedback on:
The data in this report is based on a January
If they’re connecting with new 2024 survey that we conducted with active
members of The Bash. We received responses
clients and for what events from more than 850 vendors from all of the
How they’re responding to and U.S. and across numerous categories.
following up with leads
Where they expect to get leads in
2024
How they’re utilizing reviews
Their top goals and tips for 2024

2
CONNECTING WITH NEW CLIENTS

of vendors have connected

with new clients for 2024 events.
On The Bash, 66% of vendors have connected with new clients so far for 2024
events. That’s 6% more vendors than at the start of last year. With a new year
comes new party trends, milestones, and more reasons to celebrate.

Here is a breakdown of the most popular event types vendors have received
requests for:

1. Weddings
2. Adult birthdays
3. Corporate events
4. Community events
5. Kids’ birthday parties
6. Other: Funerals, proms, graduation parties, anniversary parties, and
other private events

3
RESPONDING TO LEADS

of vendors are prioritizing

responding quickly to leads.
51% of vendors are prioritizing responding quickly to leads in 2024. On The
Bash, 2 in 5 bookings go to the vendor that responds first. Vendors
understand that the quicker they reply to a lead, the more likely they are to
be booked. Here is a breakdown of what they are prioritizing when it comes
to responding to leads:

51% said responding quickly to leads

19% said personalizing responses
12% said responding to every lead
10% said other ways like utilizing saved responses, setting up a time to
meet virtually or in person, or referencing past event experience
8% said following up with a phone call

Over 70% of vendors are responding to

their leads within 2 hours or less in 2024.
Here are more details on how quickly
vendors are responding to leads with a
quote:

37% said within 30 minutes

34% said within 2 hours
22% said within 24 hours
4% said more than 48 hours later
3% said within 48 hours

4
FOLLOWING UP WITH LEADS

of vendors follow up with

their leads at least once.
Of the 77% of vendors who follow up with their leads, 42% follow up one time,
27% follow up twice, and 8% follow up 3 or more times. Here is a breakdown
of how quickly vendors follow up with leads after their initial quote:

39% said within 24-48 hours

21% said they don’t follow up with leads
24% said within 2 hours
10% said more than 48 hours later
6% said another amount of time

Of the vendors who follow up more than one time, 17% follow up 1-2 days
later, 15% follow up 3-4 days later, and 15% follow up 5 or more days later.

5
FOLLOWING UP WITH LEADS

The top way vendors will be

following up with leads is email.
We asked vendors the top way they plan to follow up with leads in 2024. Here
is what they said:

1. Email
2. Phone call
3. The Bash or other booking platform
4. Text message

We also asked vendors which feature on The Bash they think will be most
helpful to their business in 2024 when it comes to responding to leads. Here is
what they said:

1. Receiving client contact information after sending a quote

2. Text message alerts
3. Saved response templates
4. Email alerts
5. Messaging through The Bash platform

6
ADVERTISING & PAYMENTS

The top channel where vendors will

be paying to advertise their event
business in 2024 is The Bash.
We asked vendors where they will be paying to advertise their business in
2024, and the top answer was on The Bash. We also asked vendors how they
plan to get leads for their business this year, and here is what they said:

Online booking sites like The Bash

Word of mouth
Repeat clients
Personal website
Organic social media
Other (like paid Google Ads and paid social media ads)

7
ADVERTISING & PAYMENTS

of vendors require a deposit

due at booking.
52% of vendors surveyed require a deposit due at booking time to secure
their services for an event. A deposit protects vendors in the case of a
cancellation, and many party planners are willing to pay a deposit to secure
their date and vendor and make the booking official.

We also asked vendors how they most often collect payment from clients,
and 32% said online through a booking platform like The Bash. Here are the
top ways vendors collect payment from clients:

Online through a booking platform like The Bash

Payment app
Cash in-person
Other ways like PayPal, POS systems like Square, or by check

8
COLLECTING REVIEWS

of vendors follow up with

clients to ask for a review.
59% of vendors surveyed follow up with their clients after the event to ask for
a review. 89% said that reviews are very important or somewhat important in
getting booked for future events, as reviews communicate trust, reliability,
and client satisfaction, which heavily influence party planners to book.

Here are the top 5 actions vendors take after receiving a new review:

Share them on their website

Share them on social media

Add them to existing

marketing materials

Identify opportunities for

improvement

Identify themes or trends

9
COLLECTING REVIEWS

Vendors care most about getting

reviews for their business on The
Bash.
We asked vendors the platforms where they care about receiving reviews for
their business, and the top answer was The Bash. Here is a closer look at
where vendors care about receiving reviews:

The Bash
Facebook
Google Business
Yelp
Other social media platforms and event booking platforms

10
 VENDOR GOALS

Top business goals for vendors in

2024
Here are the top 10 business goals vendors want to achieve in 2024.

1. Grow bookings into repeat, long-term clients

“Continue providing top-level entertainment to my clients and to create
new clients for repeat business.” - Country Band
2. Improve organization and streamline processes
“Streamlining everything from my performance to the marketing of
my business.” - Comedian
3. Take their event business full-time
“I want to sustain myself as a full-time musician and not have to rely on
another job.” - Singer Guitarist
4. Increase their bookings
“Convert a higher percentage of leads to bookings.” - Solo Musician
5. Increase their revenue
“To increase revenue, add another skill, keep images current, and make
connections.” - Face Painter

11
 VENDOR GOALS

6. Add onto current offerings

“To greatly expand the services we offer and the clients we work with.” - DJ

7. Improve marketing materials

“Shooting a quality video and using it in my marketing.” - Speaker

8. Get booked for new types of events

“We want to play better shows such as community events, festivals, and
corporate shows.” - Live Band

9. Have fun performing

“Have fun in all parts of the business.” - Magician

10. Increase 5-star reviews

“To book at least 20 weddings and receive 5-star reviews
from all of them.” - DJ

12
 TIPS FROM PROS
Top tips from
vendors
1 Respond quickly to leads.
The quicker you respond to leads,
the more likely you are to be
booked. Respond to every lead—
you never know which event might
turn out to be the perfect fit.
2 Make a personal connection.
Party planners aren’t only sharing
their celebration with guests, but
also their vendors! Connecting
with your client will help make
their event even better and make
you more memorable.
3 Follow up.
Don’t give up on your leads.
Follow up via email, text, or phone
call to answer questions, learn
more about their event, and
educate them on what you offer.
"The more details people have right off
the bat from you, the better equipped
they are to make a decision."
-TAROT CARD READER
"Follow up! It will show that you are a
professional and care about their
event."
-DJ
"Maintain an open line of
communication before the event."
-COMEDIAN
"Work hard and deliver more than your
clients expect."
-PHOTOGRAPHER
"Always try to keep in touch with past
clients."
-DJ
13
TIPS FROM PROS

4 Communication is key.
From the time you submit a
quote to the event day, keeping a
frequent and open line of
communication with your clients
is everything.

5 Over deliver.
Be honest about what you can
and cannot provide for an event,
but over deliver on your promises
"Content is king. Post consistently
to make an everlasting impact on engaging content on social media."
clients and their guests. -DJ

"Ask for referrals."

6 Grow your reviews. -EVENT PLANNER
Reviews can make or break a
party planner’s decision to book
"Don't sell yourself short. Stick to the
your business. They are powerful
pricing you are worth and don't let
at communicating reliability,
clients lowball you."
trust, and satisfaction. Always -COSTUMED CHARACTER
follow up with clients after their
even to collect your review!
"Get those reviews! Once I got up to 5+
reviews, then the gigs started pouring
in."
7 Know your worth. -STEEL DRUM BAND
Understand the value of the
service you provide and be
"Never stop growing and innovating
patient. The booking you want at new ideas."
the price point you’re looking for -DJ
is out there and will come to you.

14
 ABOUT THE BASH
The Bash is an online event marketplace for party hosts
and event planners to find inspiration and book the perfect
vendor or entertainer for any celebration, big or small.

Since 1997, The Bash has helped bring over

half a million celebrations to life!

Learn more at thebash.com.