Charting Eventful Horizons: Realizing Revenue at Your Venue

Events, particularly corporate ones, are proving to be reliable traffic drivers and money makers for restaurants and hospitality venues delivering up to 20 percent higher margins than a la carte dining, according to Tripleseat data. 

Across the event management platform’s 19,000+ locations, corporate event revenue grew 14.6 percent in 2025 which is 1.5 times faster than weddings at 9.3 percent. The data saw strong growth in mid-tier occasions such as happy hours, holiday parties, graduations and birthdays. 

“We see that as a shift toward more frequent, smaller-format gatherings that are a natural fit for most hotels and restaurants,” explained Michelle Fischer, CEO, Tripleseat.”This mid-tier event expansion shows venues are creating many more incremental, repeatable revenue occasions, not just one-off big events.”

Fischer believes the data underscores business events’ growing importance to the venue revenue mix. At the same time, average on-prem event counts and average event revenue increased in last year by more than four percent, showing venues are both booking more events and capturing higher per-guest spend.

The Predictable Appeal of Packages

Customers are bundling spend for food, beverage, room rental, A/V, and add-ons into pre-set packages that make revenue and cost much more predictable. Tripleseat’s data shows the average customer’s event revenue rose 4.4 percent last year, while catering revenue alone grew by almost $400 million, a more than 20 percent year-over-year climb

“This is the proof that events are driving measurable top-line growth for venues,” said Fischer.

Beyond revenue, events reduce operational waste and improve inventory planning by allowing venues to sell predefined F&B packages and forecast needs more accurately. This creates margin protection with things like predictable pricing and known guest counts.

“Ultimately, we’re seeing teams that are able to focus on delivering great hospitality and memorable guest experiences instead of managing the complex tasks.”

Private events are one of the most effective levers to monetize slow periods with venues that opened their calendars to recurring mid-tier events and automated booking saw significant gains, Fischer pointed out. In 2025 Tripleseat customers booked more on-prem events across more months versus 2024, while automated bookings increased substantially in slow months. For example, Q4 saw a 60 percent lift in on-prem direct bookings, and December delivered a 79 percent jump in large party reservations. They also saw the pickup/dropoff/catering mix increase by >35 percent percent YoY in 2025 as venues expanded beyond the four walls.

Creating a Dependable Revenue Engine

“Those numbers show that underutilized capacity can be turned into dependable revenue when paired with simple, bookable products and the right tech.”

The most effective ideas tend to be simple and repeatable as even modest mid-week demand moves the needle, Fischer pointed out suggesting:

• Mid-week dinner series such as a chef’s tasting nights

• Lunch networking or working lunches for nearby offices

• Holiday or neighborhood packages

• Off-prem catering/pickup for corporate clients and community events

To determine what types of events are authentic to a brand, Fischer recommends to start by looking inward as the strongest event programs are extensions of what guests already value about your brand; whether that’s the cuisine, atmosphere, service style, or your role in the neighborhood. 

“The best place to start is your own demand: Look at your data to see which event types guests are already requesting, which packages convert, and which show repeat business. Tripleseat data shows that venues that lean into the event types they already do well are more likely to scale events successfully.

Testing new ideas has proven to be successful for some, Fischer added. 

“We hear ideas from our customers about how they like to pilot small, brand-aligned variants of successful formats. A chef’s tasting happy hour is one example, if your core is an elevated dining experience.”

Make it Worth It

Guests are increasingly looking for outings that feel truly “worth it,” Fisher said, adding they are drawn to experiences that feel more curated, more personal, and more social. 

“Private events give venues more control over the full experience end-to-end from the menu, to service, the ambiance, and add-ons. This boosts perceived value and creates those memorable moments that drive repeat business and word of mouth. Tripleseat is highlighting personalization and guest experiences as central themes this year.”

The data suggests technology is already reshaping operations and guest acquisition in ways that directly increase event profitability. With AI taking center stage, AI-enhanced operations are redefining the way administrative tasks are handled. They  are already seeing teams automate admin tasks, such as  drafting response emails and expect adoption of agents to assist with lead follow-up, direct bookings and automated ordering to continue to increase. Data-driven pricing and packaging for events is another area Tripleseat sees AI leveraging historical data to help event teams create packages that protect margin and are simple for sales to sell. 

“This automation enables venues to streamline operations that opens up more time for event teams to focus on delivering a great experience for guests.”