News

Livebookings Fall Academy Attended by Top NYC Restaurants

16 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 event was attended by fine dining restaurant operators from across Manhattan who benefited from an insightful discussion on how to turn website visitors into diners.

The Livebookings Academy, which focused on ‘Turning Website Visitors into Diners’, featured discussions by Livebookings’ social media ‘guru’ 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 judge on Top Chef: Just Desserts.

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

• Restaurants should view their website as an e-commerce vehicle and measure its success by the conversion rate of visitors to reservations. ~ Magnus Hultberg
• Engaging guests by using guest photos, interviews (e.g. ‘what’s your favorite dish?’), chef videos, etc., ties guests to your brand and turns them into your champions. ~ John McDonald
• Social media’s 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 can be very effective for restaurants. Try to grab customers’ attention using short, fun, and engaging content, and choose a time that enhances the relevance of your message. 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, Benchmarc Group, Alta Marea Group, and Aquavit among many other NYC-based fine dining restaurants.

“Livebookings is proud to host events for restaurateurs to share best practices and insights on how to leverage a restaurant’s own website to drive revenue,” said Chris Persson, Livebookings’ co-founder and chief sales officer. “With research showing that over 60% of guests rely on individual restaurants’ websites before deciding where to dine, restaurateurs have an unparalleled opportunity to engage directly with their guests and much less need for third party aggregator sites than what is commonly believed to be the case.”

“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

Download Magnus’ presentation on website best practices: http://www.livebookings.us/Events

If you are interested in attending and/or participating in the next Livebookings Academy, please contact jennifer.raezer@livebookings.com