The George on Collins

Background

Occupying the basement of the iconic Georges Building in Melbourne CBD, The George on Collins is an upmarket, all-day venue where Southeast Asian flavours and contemporary techniques come together in a stylish, heritage-listed space that’s primed for long lunches and group dining.

The George is a destination for all of Melbourne CBDs and beyond biggest businesses to host corporate events from 10 – 500 people. With five stylish event spaces on offer, catering from intimate gatherings to full house hire, The George on Collins offers ideal venue space for any occasion.

The Challenge

Prior to using iVvy, The George on Collins encountered several challenges.

One issue involved the occurrence of accounting errors and the duplication of tasks within the event management process. The conventional manual approach to information storage and planning not only proved to be time-consuming but also introduced the possibility of errors. This manual method also resulted in a significant amount of time being dedicated to processing event inquiries, time that could have been used more effectively elsewhere.

Additionally, tasks such as completing contracts, proposals, and Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) demanded a considerable investment of time and manpower. A particular concern was the potential for errors, both in the financial aspects and in accurately conveying event details to the operations team.

In light of these challenges, the introduction of iVvy aimed to streamline these processes, minimise errors, and enhance overall venue management efficiency.

Results

In the past two years, The George on Collins has experienced a 25% increase in events, as a result of added venue exposure and having quotes streamlined and organised. This growth can be seen when comparing each month’s events and looking at the events from one year to the next.

As the team has become more skilled with the event system, they have been continuously improving how quickly they respond to inquiries. Team members have also been able to make better use of the venue by booking more events to fill gaps in the event calendar, thanks to better use of the system.

Tom explains: “I believe we have seen a huge increase in team efficiency and being able to accommodate more bookings due to [iVvy] mapping out where our gaps in events may be.”

By automatically generating tasks that used to take up a lot of time, such as creating invoices, BEOs, and quotes, the team at The George on Collins has managed to save a lot of time. Additionally, there have been fewer errors with iVvy storing all quotes for potential and confirmed bookings digitally in one place.

• 25% increase in event bookings
• 80% faster quote creation
• 5 minutes saved per event invoice
• Faster response-to-enquiry times

iVvy Solution

Quoting / Inputting Events:
With the incorporation of iVvy’s quick document tools, creating quotes and inputting event details became simple and streamlined. By automating much of the manual work involved in this task, The George on Collins was able to cut manual administration time by 80% and reduce the chances of errors, while providing potential clients with accurate cost estimates for their events.

Reporting:
iVvy’s reporting functionality allows the team at The George on Collins to gain valuable insights into event operations. The system compiles data on various metrics, such as booking trends, revenue generated, and customer preferences as stored in the CRM. This data-driven approach empowers the team to make informed decisions, optimse their services, and identify areas for improvement.

Invoicing:
iVvy’s invoicing feature automated the creation and sending of invoices, streamlining venue management finances for The George on Collins, which now saves 5 minutes per event invoice.

Detailed Session Creation with Multiple Spaces:
iVvy offers the capability to design detailed event sessions that encompass various spaces within the venue. This is particularly valuable for venues like The George on Collins that involve different activities or setups occurring simultaneously or sequentially. The system allows for efficient coordination of these sessions, ensuring smooth transitions and minimising scheduling conflicts.

Accessibility:
As iVvy’s cloud-based software is available and accessible from anywhere, at any time, the team at The George on Collins are able to log in and work from a central location. This also assists in team members having access to all event details, reducing the risk of briefing information being lost or miscommunicated.