WeddingsBooking™ is a web-based network dedicated to the organization of on-line events, to which it belongs InItalyWedding.com, as dedicated part to foreign couples which want to arrange their wedding in Italy.
Designed on the basis of real requirements of whom intend to schedule their wedding from abroad, the network is the result of the synergies of a specialized group in hospitality which, since many years, organizes weddings for foreigners in Italy and a web based agency, leader in the field of web marketing.
Thus a portal founded on a browser capable of immediately responding whit prompt and pragmatic answers, anticipating wishes and common needs for who intends to plan an event in complete autonomy.
BUROCRATIC PROCEDURES:
Many strangers are frightened from the complexity of the bureaucracy to attend to and from the tedious back and forth among embassies, consulates, vicariates etc. This is why a user friendly customized service, called “ Service no-frills”, has been foreseen to allow our consultants to support WeddingsBooking™ users to the completion of the necessary civil and religious procedures.
COMMUNICATION:
For those who organize their own event on-line, is crucial that they find a portal which gives them a comprehensive response to their needs but, equally important, are the timeliness and completeness of the responses from the contacted suppliers.
Besides it often happens that customers are "disappearing" or, after having flooded the suppliers of questions, they do not remember anymore which one was the last order request.
WeddingsBooking ™, as protection for both, provides a platform for the exchange of emails between clients and suppliers, as well as an archive that maintains traceability of the correspondence, demands and agrees.
Then if an interruption in the communication between the customers and the suppliers happens, WeddingsBooking ™ has an alert system that warns of it, in order to find the possible reasons: maybe an e-mail ended up in spam, customers have turned to other suppliers or the location is "closed for holidays", etc...
Finally, with its Costumer Care Service, WeddingsBooking ™ is also available by phone for any need, both from our customers and suppliers.
TERRITORY:
Common thought is yes that a wedding in Italy means “to match a dream in the Beautiful Country," but in reality the "Beautiful Country" is often limited to the usual cities and the usual places.
This obviously penalizes many areas of potential interest and thus the locations and services found there will suffer in terms of visibility.
This is why WeddingsBooking ™ devotes significant space to the geo-location, indeed the users will see first a list of locations (or services) in the place indicated by him, but then, in ascending order in terms of distance, even all the locations and services up to a radius of 30km from the site initially sought.
Thanks to the mechanism of geo-location, the order of appearance of the locations and services may vary based on the filters - research priorities - used by the customer.
This promotes the visibility of potential suppliers localized in the less popular areas, which are most relevant to your needs though, making them earn ranking.
Moreover, to facilitate the search, the platform WeddingsBooking™ has been structured so that, if a user searches for the location in a particular place, those services will also be automatically present in that place, and vice versa. More precisely the location and services are however linked together in terms of "place – area", although being two different voices in terms of research/list.
COSTS AND ON-LINE PAYMENTS:
Who organize an event has a budget which intends to follow: therefore the customers need to know the costs of each voice of expense.
In Italy, however, is not a custom to put prices online for the location because it is believed that the variables are too many to give a precise fee (depending on whether the event is for 30 or 200 people, if it is a weekend in high season rather than during the week in low season, if the couple just want to rent the facility or to have the catering service included etc.).
In fact, every structure knows from which fee is prepared to rent the location: well, this "from" is the price that will be published and then that will be explained in detail.
A suggestive price policy is as useful to the users as to the structures, especially if it is a particularly elegant one. Often the users, “a priori” believing that the structure they like is economically inaccessible, do not even forward a request.
Among other things, each location may at any time make a last minute and/or a package, in specific sections of the portal dedicated to that purpose.
When the users finally have found the ideal venue, they want to be able to confirm immediately to avoid losing their chance of making a dream become truth. They must be able to use the most convenient and safe payment method, wherever they live: the primary challenge for those who live abroad. This is why WeddingsBooking ™ offers a free online booking system, with payment by credit card, pay pal and bank transfer, directly linked with the location of destination.
CONSISTENCY AND SEMPLICITY OF THE INFORMATIONS:
Fundamental aspects to captivate the users of a portal are: ease of navigation, or rather the users must be able to come up with a simple click exactly what they want, and the optimization of the content, or rather providing accurate and coherent lists to precise researches.
Hence the choice of:
· Do not distract and tire the users with adverts, blogs or articles that talk about etiquette, wedding dresses, wedding favors etc..
· Focusing on only two categories, namely “locations” and “basic services” to organize an event
· Providing essential and standardized informations on suppliers, sorted by each category of interest.
Making some filters available to the users which will enable them to sort the list of proposals by its functional requirements (venue and services) based on specific priorities. These may include:
a) the carrying capacity: the couple may first want to see those venues that can accommodate a large number of guests or, conversely, locations suitable for small receptions
b) the distance: couple want to see first the closest structures from a specific area of interest shown in the research phase: a city rather than a church or town hall, etc.
c) reviews: the list is sorted by the score given by those who have already used the location / service for their event. Location and services will always have right of reply
d) the budget: so the list of locations will be sorted automatically to show first those of lower price
e) the type: you may be concerned primarily with the castles, then the Villas etc.
Site Publishers: Walter Merlo, Verena Merlo
