Website chat for event companies
An event company's chat rarely closes a sale; its job is to turn a vague first message ("we're planning something in March for about 200 people") into a short brief a planner can price. Answer the general questions (services, areas, packages from a published price) quickly, collect the brief in the same chat, and hand it to a planner while the client is still shopping around. Quotes, dates and anything contractual stay with the planner. This works for wedding planners, corporate-event firms and equipment rental companies alike.
The brief to collect in chat
The planner needs seven answers before a call is worth making. Ask them naturally, two or three at a time:
- [ ] Type of event (wedding, corporate, launch, birthday, conference)
- [ ] Date, or the month if the date is not fixed
- [ ] Number of guests
- [ ] City and venue, or "need a venue"
- [ ] What they need from you (full planning, décor, sound and light, catering, staffing, rental only)
- [ ] Budget range, if they will share it
- [ ] Name, phone, e-mail
Switch on "Ask for name and email before chatting" so the last line is never missing. When the brief is complete, assign the chat to a planner with an internal note summarising it in one line. Collecting leads without being pushy covers the tone.
Twelve questions event companies get
| Client asks | Answer pattern you fill in | Planner takes over? |
|---|---|---|
| Are you free on [date]? | "Let me check the calendar. What's the event and roughly how many guests?" | Yes |
| How much does a wedding / event cost? | "Our packages start from [published price] for [what's included]. Your quote depends on guests, venue and décor." | Yes, for the quote |
| Do you find venues? | "Yes, we work with [types of venues]. Tell us the date, guests and area." | Yes |
| Do you do corporate events? | "Yes: [conferences, launches, team days, as published]." | No |
| Do you rent equipment only? | "Yes. Our rental list starts from [published prices]: [link]." | No |
| Which cities do you work in? | "We work in [areas]; outside them, [published travel terms]." | No |
| Can I see your past work? | "Our portfolio is here: [link]." | No |
| Do you handle permits for the event? | "We handle [published scope]. The rules depend on the emirate and the venue, so our planner confirms what applies to your event." | Yes |
| How much is the deposit? | "Bookings are confirmed with a [published deposit] deposit." | No, if published |
| Can I change the date after booking? | "Our planner will check the contract terms for your booking." | Yes |
| Can we meet to discuss? | "Of course: by video call or at a venue of your choice. Which day suits you?" | Yes |
| I'm unhappy with how the event went / I want money back | "I'm sorry. Our director will contact you today." | Yes, always |
What is never quoted in chat
- A full event price. It depends on too many choices. Publish "from" packages and let the planner quote.
- Availability of a date until the planner has checked suppliers and venues.
- Permit or licence rules. Say what you handle and that the rules depend on the emirate and the venue; the client should check the rule that applies.
- Cancellations, contract changes, complaints and refund demands. StayReplied hands complaints and refund demands to a person.
The answer mode in StayReplied is set per channel (off, drafts only, or answer). Your team sends the published answers and collects the brief. No plan includes AI today; AI drafts need your own Anthropic key. Keep package prices as published price records, so a "from" price is identical in chat and on the website.
Welcome lines
- "Planning an event? Tell us the date and the number of guests and we'll take it from there."
- "Hi! Weddings, corporate events or rentals: what are you planning?"
- "Welcome to [Company]. Send us your idea, and a planner will put a proposal together."
Starter questions: "Plan a wedding", "Corporate event", "Rent equipment", "Check a date".
After hours
Event clients often write late in the evening, and the widget sends no automatic closed message today. Put your reply hours in the welcome line and answer evening enquiries first thing: "Good morning, thanks for your message about [event]. To prepare a first idea, could you share the date, guest numbers and area?" If the client goes quiet, send one follow-up.
Wedding season and year-end
Enquiries cluster in the autumn and winter wedding season and before year-end corporate parties. In the shared inbox:
| Stage | Owner |
|---|---|
| New enquiry | Coordinator, who collects the brief |
| Brief complete | Planner for that event type, by assignment |
| Rental-only orders | Rental desk |
| Booked client with a change | The planner on the contract |
| Complaint or refund | Director, as a ticket with a due time |
One owner per chat means a client never receives two different prices from two planners. Presence shows who has the chat open, and you are asked to review if the client wrote again while you were typing.
The first week
- Create the workspace; invite the coordinator and the planners.
- Publish your services, "from" packages, rental list, deposit terms and areas.
- Publish the widget on the services and contact pages, with your site in the allowed origins.
- Write the welcome lines and the after-hours reply in English and Arabic.
- Test a wedding enquiry from first message to a complete brief.
- Agree the season routing table.
- Read every chat; publish answers for anything asked twice.
When this is not for you
If you sell only through venue partners and never get direct enquiries, chat may be quiet. Web chat is the channel you connect today; WhatsApp is coming soon (see channels). Read who StayReplied is for. Starter is AED 70 a month plus 5% VAT for 2 seats, Team AED 210 for 5; see pricing.
Questions and answers
Can the chat give an event quote?
It gives your published "from" packages and collects the brief; a planner sends the real quote.
What should we ask first?
The event type, date and guest count. The rest of the brief follows in the same chat.
Can several planners share the chat?
Yes. A coordinator collects briefs and assigns each one to a planner, with internal notes.
Does it work in Arabic?
Yes. The widget and the inbox work in Arabic and English, right to left included.
Turn vague event enquiries into briefs you can price.
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