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Partnerships are Paramount at Shaw Centre

Hands holding gears

Published on May 26, 2017

While providing exceptional hospitality is the side of our business that is perhaps the most evident and memorable, Shaw Centre, like other event venues, wouldn’t be able to dazzle our clients if we didn’t first connect with them via our sales and marketing team. While booking events is one objective when we connect with existing and potential customers, it’s really not our primary objective. Here at Shaw Centre, we’re as committed – perhaps even more so – to building relationships as we are to closing deals.

We truly understand the business adage that it’s far more difficult and expensive to find new customers than it is to retain current customers. That’s why our account managers view their relationships with the centre’s clients as partnerships. They focus on how they can help each and every client meet or exceed the objectives for the event they are planning. As a team, we work to help clients have the most successful event, incorporating as many delegate-pleasing elements as possible. Sometimes this objective means we get involved in helping clients work through a challenging budget; if this is the case, we always approach with offers of solutions, not ultimatums.

One of the many ways we work to make our clients’ planning process more effective is to collaborate with them as their events are in their incubation stage. This is particularly important with first-time conferences; these planners sometimes come to us with many anxieties including contractual obligations, logistical concerns, etc. We work with our clients to craft agreements which are collaborative in approach and also assist in mitigating risk on both sides.
Another key element of our success at building lasting relationships is that our sales team does not work in a vacuum. If needed, they’ll ensure that our experts in the planning and execution stages get involved at the very beginning. By bringing everyone to the table sooner, solutions get developed more efficiently and questions get answered more quickly.

As we work with event organizers to maximize the value they can get for their event’s budget, we also assess if there are appropriate sponsorship opportunities throughout the Centre that we can suggest, including identifying any value-added benefits they can offer their sponsors.
Last but certainly not least are the ways the entire team at Shaw Centre works in tandem to ensure that our clients have a great experience during their events. Some examples include setting up a mini-business centre, creating customized menus or providing a private lounge area – perhaps in our chic crEATe Kitchen – where volunteers, committee members and staff can hang out to unwind and review the day gone by and the day ahead. Because we value every client relationship, we’re always ready to go the extra mile.