Enquires by Month by Lead Time

This report shows your enquiry activity by lead time and by status, grouped by arrival month. View the activity either by number of bookingsClosed Also called an enquiry. A piece of business that consists of one or more events over one or more days. Can be of any status, for example Prospect, Definite, or Lost/Cxl. or by revenue. Start with the graphical overview, then look into booking details in the data table.

All Enquiry Analytics reports help you understand your demand patterns, which helps you create a better Demand Forecast.

Use Enquiries by Month by Lead Time to understand your booking activity based on when bookings are created. For example, how far prior to arrival does most of your business book?Do some lead times convert better? Knowledge of your demand by lead time helps you target your marketing activities more effectively.

See Multi Property Mode to learn how this page functions when you have access to several venuesClosed Any business that sells function space. For example, hotel, conference centre or a sporting arena..

Using Enquiry Analytics

Using the Graph

  1. On the Trend Analysis menu, select Enquiry Analytics, and click Enquiries by Month by Lead Time.
    The Enquiries by Month by Lead Time page is displayed.
  2. Click one or more filter buttons to change the displayed results. For example, change the Lead Time selection to view only certain ranges. If you select more than one year in the Event Year filter, the system combines the data for both years by month and status. If you select consecutive years, the system rolls up the data for the years selected to give a total.
    See Filters for general information.
  3. If you selected multiple years in the Event Year filter, you can select the Show YOY Comparison checkbox to compare year on year trends or multiple year comparisons. Note: When comparing more than two years, the results are best viewed in SmartSpace, rather than as an exported file. If exporting as a PDF or other format, we suggest that you reduce your view, such as to 3 or 6 months, rather than 12 months.
    If no data exists for any of the data groupings (such as Lead Times) for a selected year, then that year won't display against the specific grouping on the graph. See the Data Table for details.
  4. Select the Expand Date Range checkbox to expand the Lead Time groupings beyond 366+ days.
  5. Select to view data by number of Enquiries or by Revenue values.
  6. In the graph, click any status in the Legend to hide it in the chart.
  7. Hover over a bar to view the data values.
  8. Click the chart context menu to select a format to export the chart for presentation purposes.
  9. Click the PDF option to convert and save the current page as a PDF file.

Using the Data Table

  1. Click the Data table tab.
  2. To export this data for further review, click Export to Excel. The data table Excel file downloads.
  3. To see details, click a blue, linked number to view a Bookings Report on these values.
    The Bookings window displays.
  4. Click Export to Excel in the Bookings window to export this specific data for further review.
  5. Click Close to exit the Bookings Report window.
  6. Click the PDF option to convert and save the current page as a PDF file.

Data in Enquiries by Month by Attendees

Graph

Column Description
Number of Enquiries The sum of bookingsClosed Also called an enquiry. A piece of business that consists of one or more events over one or more days. Can be of any status, for example Prospect, Definite, or Lost/Cxl. that start in the month and year displayed. For example, the month of April displays a booking that starts on April 30 and lasts four days. A booking starting on March 31 and lasting four days is included in the month of March.
Months / Years The month and year in which the events begin. Default data is for the previous year.

Data Table

Column Description
Booking Arrival Month Month in which the first day of an event occurs.
Lead Time The number of days between the date a customer first enquired and the event start date. When you select to Expand Date Range, the Lead Time groupings beyond 365 days are for months, not days. For example 12M-15M refers to the months after 365 days.
Definite The number of bookings for which you received a signed contract. All statuses are taken from your Sales and Catering systemClosed The system that you use to manage the bookings for your function rooms. Also known as a diary management, or meetings and events reservation system. Examples include Delphi and Opera..
Tentative The number of bookings that are verbally confirmed. You have sent the client a contract.
Prospect The number of bookings that are unconfirmed. You have no verbal or written confirmation for these bookings, but you might hold space provisionally. This includes Enquiry status, if you select to include it in the Settings tab of Database Setup.
Lost/Cxl

The number of bookings that have one of two statuses:

  • Lost: the client decides not to hold a prospect or tentative event at your venue.
  • Cxl (Cancelled): the client cancels an event for which you have a signed contract. A cancellation fee might apply.
Turn Down The number of bookings for which you decided not to offer availability. This can be because you do not have the space available, or because you believe it is not the right piece of business. Also known as denials.
Grand Total The sum of enquiries by lead time range and for all statuses.

Best Practices

Understand Your Demand Patterns by When Business Books

Use this page after you analyse Enquiries by Month Year on Year Summary.Start by looking at the default data, the full last year. Which are the strongest lead times for you?Are the strongest ranges the same for all months?

Note down exceptions, then check the same by revenue. If you have more history, select and check other years. Select exceptional months for further analysis, for example by Market Segment. Use the Data Table tab to drill down into the booking level.

Here are some scenarios:

  • If the number of bookings with long lead times has decreased, review past bookings in the Data Table. Are there annual events that you used to have? Could you target those again?
  • Are the patterns consistent over the years? For example, does the share of last minute bookings increase or decrease? If so, do you need to change your strategy for how you forecast and price demand?Also, if you select more than one year, both years are combined by month.
  • What about conversion by lead time range - do you turn down a lot of business or price aggressively early in the booking cycle, then accept everything last-minute? Or do you accept too much early and miss out on higher-value bookings closer to arrival? To investigate in more detail, continue with the Enquiries by Attendee by Lead Time report.