EVENT VENUE OPERATIONS

How VenueFlow works

Event-venue operations — inquiry, proposal, contract, deposit schedule, BEO, and run-of-show — for wedding venues, banquet halls, and event spaces.

What it solves

Wedding venues run on inquiries, proposals, deposits, BEOs, and run-of-show docs — most of it living in inboxes, sticky notes, and back-of-the-binder spreadsheets. By the week of the event, nobody is sure which version of the menu is current, which deposit is paid, or who is plating the late-night station.

VenueFlow centralizes inquiry intake, proposal generation, contracts, deposit schedules, BEO packets, and run-of-show planning into one operational workflow — every event has one source of truth from first lead to send-off.

Why this is hard: Every event has its own dietary, layout, vendor, and timeline details, deposits arrive on schedules tied to event dates, discounts over a threshold need owner sign-off, and the day-of choreography can't have surprises.

Who uses it

Venue owner

Approves over-threshold discounts; watches booked revenue, occupancy, and weekend readiness.

First action: Open Proposals → Awaiting approval

Sales manager

Qualifies inquiries, builds and sends proposals, owns conversion through to contract.

First action: Open Inquiries

Event coordinator

Builds the run-of-show, generates the BEO packet, coordinates vendors per event.

First action: Open Events → Upcoming

Catering manager

Sets menu selections and verifies guest counts before kitchen prep.

First action: Open Events → Catering view

Operations manager

Finalizes contracts, approves room layouts, runs event day execution.

First action: Open Events → Operations

Finance

Posts payments, chases overdue deposits, exports the ledger.

First action: Open Payments

Admin

Full administrative access — manages rooms, discount thresholds, and venue settings.

First action: Open Admin

Workflow at a glance

happyHappy path

Sales qualifies an incoming inquiry and confirms date + room availability. Proposal is built from a package and sent. Client accepts; contract is finalized; the deposit schedule is created. Coordinator builds the run-of-show and generates the BEO packet for the operations team.

exceptionException path

A deposit milestone passes its due date without a posted payment. The deposit moves to "Overdue", surfaces on the finance dashboard, and the event status reflects the at-risk flag. Finance follows up; once posted, the schedule clears.

approvalApproval path

Sales builds a proposal with a discount above the 15% threshold. The proposal moves to "Awaiting approval" and cannot be sent until the venue owner signs off. Decision is logged on the proposal and to the audit trail.

reportingReporting

Booked revenue across upcoming events, weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun) BEO readiness, deposit aging in dollars, inquiry conversion funnel, and discount-approval activity roll up on the venue owner dashboard.

What it produces

Proposal PDF
Contract PDF
BEO packet (printable)
Run-of-show PDF
Deposit schedule
Event readiness report

Industry terms

Inquiry: A prospective client's first contact — date, party size, type of event. Qualified by sales before a proposal is built.
Proposal: A priced offer for a specific date + room + package. Includes line items, discount, and an expiration. Becomes a contract once accepted.
BEO (Banquet Event Order): The printable operations packet for an event — menu, headcount, room layout, run-of-show, vendor notes. The source of truth on event day.
Run-of-show: The minute-by-minute timeline for an event — load-in, ceremony, cocktails, dinner courses, toasts, send-off. Built by the coordinator before BEO sign-off.
Deposit schedule: The set of payment milestones tied to event date (e.g. 25% on signing, 50% at 30 days out, balance 7 days prior). Overdue milestones flag the event.
Blackout date: A date or date-range on a room or venue that cannot be booked (renovation, owner hold, prior commitment). Surfaces in the availability calendar.
Vendor note: A coordinator-captured note tied to an external vendor for a specific event — florist load-in time, DJ power needs, photographer access list.
Package: A reusable bundle of room + catering + service hours that a proposal can be built from. Speeds quoting and keeps pricing consistent across sales.
Room block: A multi-room hold tied to one client for one event date — used for weddings with overnight guests or multi-room conferences.
Contract milestone: A countersigned step in the contract lifecycle: sent, signed, countersigned, finalized. Drives when the deposit schedule activates.

Data model (for technical evaluators)

The app is built on a relational schema (Neon Postgres + Prisma). Entities:

Organization · User · Venue · Room · BlackoutDate · EventInquiry · Client · Event · Proposal · ProposalLineItem · Package · Contract · DepositSchedule · PaymentRecord · MenuSelection · RunOfShowItem · BEO · VendorNote · ApprovalDecision · AuditEvent