News

Livebookings Fall Academy Attended by Top NYC Restaurants

29 September 2010

Livebookings, the online reservations and marketing service for restaurants, held its second US Livebookings Academy event last week in New York City. The packed room was attended by more than 50 fine dining restaurant operators, who benefited from an insightful presentations on how to turn website visitors into diners.

The Livebookings Academy, which focused on ‘Turning Website Visitors into Diners’, featured discussions by Livebookings’ Strategic Advisor, Magnus Hultberg; John McDonald, owner of Lure Fishbar and co-founder of Tasting Table; Yann de Rochefort, owner of Boqueria; and Dannielle Kyrillos, editor-at-large of DailyCandy.com and a regular judge on Top Chef: Just Desserts.

Some of the top tips to come out of the Academy:

• Restaurants should look at their website as an e-commerce site and measure its success by the conversion rate of visitors to reservations. ~ Magnus Hultberg
• Engaging guests using guest photos, interviews (what’s your favorite dish), chef videos, etc., ties them to your brand and turns them into your champions. ~ John McDonald
• Social media winning formula: keep your restaurant’s brand top of mind when posting to Twitter, Facebook, and your blog, and when offering deals on sites like Foursquare and Blackboard Eats. ~ Yann de Rochefort
• Email marketing is very effective for restaurants. Grab customers’ attention using short, fun, and relevant information with engaging pictures, and choose an email time when is most relevant. For example, if you’re trying to drive weekend reservations, email guests on Thursday when they are making their weekend plans. ~ Dannielle Kyrillos

The event was attended by representatives from Spice Market, Myriad Group, 21 Club, Rosa Mexicano, Altamarea Group, and Aquavit, among many other NYC-based fine dining restaurants.

“Livebookings is proud to host events for restaurateurs to share best practices and learn how to use their website to drive revenue, said Chris Persson, Livebookings’ Co-founder and Chief Sales Officer. “Research shows that over 60% of guests go to a restaurant’s website before deciding to dine, giving restaurants an unparalleled opportunity to engage guests and confirm their reservation instantly – without the guest ever having to leave the site.”

“It's important to understand that social media is a vital component to business these days. The Livebookings seminars teach both the relevance of social media and provide practical and useful advise on how to get the most out of your viral presence. I'd encourage anyone to go. You can never know too much!”
Jessie Schupack, Director of Communications, Benchmarc Restaurants

“The Academy and presentations were great and very informative. Thank you for putting it together and inviting us!”
Lauren Brody, B. R. Guest Restaurants