First, check it reached them
- Look in your sent folder, and for a message saying it couldn’t be delivered.
- Check the address came from the venue’s own website. A listing site’s address may go somewhere else.
- Some venues only answer their own enquiry form. If the website has one, use it as well.
How long to wait
Three working days is a fair wait for a first answer. It’s what Eventier waits before it writes a follow-up. If your event is soon, follow up sooner, or phone.
Don’t wait on one venue at a time. Write to several at once, so a quiet one doesn’t hold everything up.
The first follow-up
Reply to your own email, so it stays in the same thread with your date and numbers:
Follow-up one
Hi, just following up on my enquiry about hiring your venue on Saturday 14 March. Happy to give more detail if it helps.
Thanks,
Your name
The second follow-up
Three working days after the first, once more. Make it easy to say no: a no lets you move on.
Follow-up two
Hi, checking in once more about Saturday 14 March. If the date doesn’t work, a quick no is really helpful too, so I can plan around it.
Thanks,
Your name
After two, phone or move on
If a venue is your favourite, phone it and ask for whoever handles functions or events. Otherwise, put your time into the venues that answered. Two follow-ups is plenty.
Make the next enquiry easier to answer
An enquiry is easier to answer when a venue can see at a glance whether it can help: the date, the number of guests and the budget in the first lines, and a few numbered questions. The venue enquiry email template does that.
What Eventier does
When a venue goes quiet, Eventier writes a polite follow-up for you to send. Twice at most, then it shows you the venue’s phone number instead. Replies come back to your own Eventier address, and Eventier reads them for you.
Questions
Is it rude to follow up?
No. Venues get a lot of email, and a short follow-up that repeats your date is easy to answer. Keep it to one or two lines.
Should I send a new email or reply to my first one?
Reply to your first one. The venue sees the whole thread, with your date and numbers, in one place.
How many times should I follow up?
Twice is enough. After that, phone them, or put your time into the venues that did answer.