The key question for hotels is simple: Does your event production partner actively listen to customers, and can they demonstrate how those insights improve products and services?
➋ WHAT SERVICE STANDARDS GUIDE YOUR TEAM’ S BEHAVIOR? Hotels invest significant effort in defining service standards for their staff. Event production partners should do the same by not only complementing the venue’ s standards, but also by creating their own high standards that navigate their teams.
Ask potential partners how they define and reinforce service behaviors across their teams. Do they have clearly defined service standards? Are those standards reinforced through training and daily operations?
To ensure the importance of focusing on the guest experience, make a point to develop service standards and training programs that direct how team members interact with planners and venue teams throughout the event journey. Hold yourself accountable and measure how teams are doing across different touchpoints. Training is a critical component, especially considering the number of new employees who enter the hospitality workforce.
These standards and training translate hospitality values into consistent behaviors, such as proactive communication, thoughtful problem-solving and ownership of issues when they arise.
For hotel leaders, this matters because service consistency directly impacts the planner’ s perception of the hotel. An event production partner that follows defined service principles helps reinforce the property’ s own hospitality standards.
➌ HOW DO YOU SUPPORT HOTEL TEAMS DURING LIVE EVENTS? Event days are high-pressure environments. Communication gaps between providers and venue teams can quickly create stress for planners and hotel staff alike.
Hotels should ask event partners how they stay connected with planners and venue staff during events. Do they provide real-time reporting or customer satisfaction insights? Are team leaders empowered to address concerns immediately?
Consider employing tools that allow leaders to monitor real-time feedback and quickly respond to issues if they arise, ensuring challenges are addressed before they escalate.
For hotels, this type of proactive service model helps reduce operational friction and allows their teams to focus on delivering hospitality rather than troubleshooting technical issues.
➍ HOW DO YOU ENSURE CONSISTENCY ACROSS LOCATIONS? Many hotel brands operate across multiple markets and rely on trusted service partners to help maintain consistent experiences.
Ask technology providers how they deliver reliable service standards across different properties and markets. Are event setups standardized? Are training programs aligned across locations? Encore’ s customer experience emphasizes standardized processes, training programs and service guidelines designed to ensure planners receive the same high-quality experience regardless of venue location.
➎ HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE MOMENTS THAT MATTER MOST? Customer experience research consistently shows that a few critical moments shape perception more than anything else.
These include:
• The first interaction between the hotel, event planner and the production partner
• The alignment of scope, pricing and expectations during planning
• The handoff from the sales team to the on-site technical team
Hotels should ask event production partners how they manage these transitions to ensure continuity and planner confidence. When these moments are handled effectively, planners experience a smooth and professional journey from initial inquiry through event execution.
Ultimately, hotels and event production partners share the same goal: creating exceptional experiences that bring planners back year after year. This can be achieved through strong training certifications in service-critical roles, continuous development beyond entrylevel roles and a service energizer program that culturally reinforces service expectations daily.
When hotels choose partners who actively listen to customers, are invested in delivering world class service standards and prioritize communication, event teams become an extension of the venue’ s hospitality culture. The result is not only spectacular technical execution, but also a collaborative partnership that protects the venue’ s reputation, strengthens planner relationships and ensures every event reflects the level of service guests expect.
May / June 2026 hotelsmag. com 41