Our village halls and community centres, across the UK, are the cherished hearts of our neighbourhoods. They host countless coffee mornings, committee meetings, birthday parties, and yes, the occasional bingo night! These traditional uses are vital, but as our community’s needs evolve, are our halls equipped to attract the diverse range of activities people are looking for today?
The reality is, there’s a whole new wave of potential hirers searching for accessible, local spaces. But if they can’t easily find what they need or book it online, they might just scroll past.
Meet the New Generation of Hall Users
Think about the possibilities beyond the usual bookings:
- Wellness Warriors: Yoga teachers needing calm spaces, Pilates instructors looking for suitable flooring, mindfulness leaders requiring rooms for workshops.
- The Flexible Workforce: Freelancers and remote workers seeking occasional ‘hot-desk’ space or small teams needing local venues for hybrid meetings away from the main office.
- Creative Souls & Skill Sharers: Artists running workshops needing good light and sinks, craft groups, pottery classes, coding clubs, language tutors.
- Experience Makers: Pop-up chefs needing kitchen facilities, groups hosting talks needing AV equipment, specialised fitness classes like Tai Chi or even dog training needing specific indoor/outdoor access.
These groups bring fresh energy, new faces, and different revenue streams into our community spaces. But are we making it easy for them to choose our hall?
The Online Barrier: Why They Might Not Book (Even If Your Hall Is Perfect!)
Here’s the challenge: many traditional booking methods — relying on a basic webpage with a phone number, email enquiries, or even a manually updated shared calendar — often fall short for these modern hirers.
- The Information Void: How does that Pilates instructor know if your floor is suitable, or if there’s enough natural light? Can the business running a hybrid meeting easily confirm you have reliable, fast Wi-Fi and a projector? A simple listing saying “Main Hall available” doesn’t cut it. These hirers need specific details, photos, maybe even floor plans, easily accessible online before they even think about booking. Phone calls to ask basic questions are inefficient for everyone.
- The Digital Expectation Gap: Many of these potential users, particularly younger people or those booking for business purposes, live and work online. They expect to find services, check real-time availability, make a booking request, and ideally pay, all through a seamless online process — just like booking a hotel or train ticket. If booking your hall involves downloading a form, making phone calls during limited volunteer hours, or posting a cheque, it feels outdated and inconvenient. They’ll likely click away to a venue offering a smoother experience.
- Lack of Instant Gratification: In today’s fast-paced world, waiting 24–48 hours for an email confirmation about a booking request can feel like an eternity. Modern users often expect near-instant confirmation.
Are You Hiding Your Hall’s Best Features?
Your hall might have fantastic kitchen facilities perfect for a pop-up foodie event, superfast broadband ideal for co-working, or beautiful natural light perfect for art classes. But if your website and booking process don’t effectively showcase these specific assets, you’re essentially hiding them from the very people looking for them!
Unlock Your Hall’s Full Potential
Modern online booking systems are designed to solve exactly these problems. They allow you to:
- Create detailed listings for each room/space with photos, lists of amenities (Wi-Fi, AV, accessibility features, kitchen equipment), and specific descriptions.
- Display a live, public calendar showing real-time availability 24/7.
- Enable potential hirers to submit booking requests online, anytime.
- Automate confirmations and reminders.
- Offer secure online payment options.
This makes your hall visible, attractive, and incredibly easy to book, opening the doors to a whole new range of users.
Time to Welcome Everyone?
Let’s ensure our valuable community hubs are truly serving the whole community. It’s time to look beyond the traditional bookings and consider who else could benefit from our spaces. Reviewing your online presence and booking process through the eyes of a new potential hirer — someone running a wellness class or needing a co-working spot — is crucial.
Is your hall truly open for business to everyone, or is an outdated booking system unintentionally keeping new opportunities away?