From the first enquiry of the season, the phone at a marquee on Rashid Minhas Road, a banquet hall on Shahrah-e-Faisal or a lawn in Lahore's Canal Road area rings with the same question: is the date free? Families come to see the hall, ask about menus per head, and promise to call back. Some pay an advance at once, some never return, and some return a week later to find the date gone. Meanwhile the booking register, the menu file and the advance receipts sit in three different places.
A calendar of halls and slots
Most venues sell a hall for a lunch slot and a dinner slot, and some have more than one hall or a lawn beside the marquee. The software shows a calendar with each hall and slot. A tentative hold, given while the family decides, is shown in a different colour and expires on a set date. A confirmed booking needs an advance. No one can book the same hall and slot twice.
Enquiries: the CRM side of a marquee
In wedding season, a family visits several venues. The one that follows up politely, with the menu they discussed and the date still on hold, often wins. A simple enquiry list does that: name, phone, function type, dates asked for, guest count, menu discussed, who showed them the hall, and the next follow-up date. Venues that cook in-house share many needs with restaurants. Our guide to CRM for sales teams on WhatsApp explains how to log those chats, and our CRM vs Excel guide helps if you are deciding whether a spreadsheet is enough.
| Step | Recorded | Common problem without software |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry | Family, date asked, guests, menu discussed | Number written on a slip and lost |
| Tentative hold | Hall, slot, expiry date | Hold forgotten, date given to someone else |
| Confirmation | Advance, receipt, final menu and per-head rate | Menu agreed verbally, disputed later |
| Changes | Guest count, added dishes, decor items | Extras served but not charged |
| Function day | Actual guests, extras, balance collected | Balance left for later and never paid |
Menus per head and guest counts
Halls that cook in-house sell menu packages per head. Each package lists its dishes, and the booking stores which package, which changes the family asked for, and the agreed guest count. The kitchen gets a function sheet a day before; the accounts side sees the bill. If the hall uses an outside caterer, the same sheet goes to them. Caterers should read our guide to catering software, which covers the costing side.
Advances, instalments and the final balance
Weddings are booked months ahead, and families often pay in parts. Each booking carries its own ledger: advance, later instalments, extras added on the day, and the balance collected in cash, by bank transfer, JazzCash or EasyPaisa. A list of functions this week with balances still due is the report the owner checks every morning in season.
Check the calendar
Open the date and see which halls and slots are free, held or booked.
Place a hold
If the family wants time, place a tentative hold with their number and an expiry date agreed with them.
Fix the menu and guests
Choose the package, note the changes and record the expected guest count and per-head rate.
Take the advance
Record the advance and its payment mode, and send the receipt on WhatsApp.
Set the reminders
Add dates for the next instalment and a final confirmation of guest count a few days before the function.
Busy months and quiet months
Bookings bunch up in the wedding months and thin out when families avoid functions, such as during Muharram and Ramadan. A report of booked, held and free slots for the coming months shows where to offer a lower rate early and where to hold firm. It also tells the kitchen and staff manager which weekends need every hand.
For event planners
Event planners book venues, decorators, photographers, caterers and sound for each client. Their software needs the same calendar and ledger, plus a list of vendors per event with what each is owed. That is closer to a small ERP than a booking app, because money flows both ways.
When you do not need it
A single hall booked a few times a month runs fine on a register and a WhatsApp group. Software pays off with several halls or slots, staff taking bookings, and a season when every evening is sold. Hotels with halls should also read hotel management software.
Operix builds CRM software in Pakistan from Old Clifton, Karachi, and installs on site for Karachi venues. Book a CRM demo and bring this season's booking register.
Questions people ask
Can two people book the same hall and date by mistake?
Not on a shared calendar. Once a hall and slot are held or booked, nobody else can confirm it, and holds expire on the date you set.
Can families get receipts on WhatsApp?
Yes. Each advance or instalment can produce a receipt that staff share on WhatsApp, with the booking details and the balance still due.
Is this a CRM or an ERP?
For a hall, it starts as a booking calendar with a small CRM for enquiries. If you also run a kitchen, staff wages and full accounts, it grows into an ERP.
Do you serve marquees in Lahore and Islamabad?
Yes, online. Operix has no office outside Old Clifton, Karachi; venues elsewhere are set up and trained online, with visits when the project needs them.
