Is this normal in the event industry? I would love a planners perspective
I recently took a position as a Sales and Event Coordinator for a historic mansion after a long career in luxury retail. I'm new to the events industry, but with years of sales experience under my belt, I'm noticing that client behavior is pretty consistent across industries.
My question: is it normal for venues to comp add-ons after the contract is signed?
I have a client who received a significant discount on her contract price for a beer, wine, and champagne wedding — 50 guests, 5 hours. Since signing, she's increased her guest count, added two hours to her event time, and added signature drinks (two of which include alcohol), none of which were part of her original contract.
We notified her of the additional costs, as expected, and she wasn't happy about it. However, a recurring line from couples is some version of "other venues would have just included all of this."
So I'm curious — is that actually normal practice? If anyone in the industry is willing to weigh in, I'd genuinely like to know what's standard versus what this couple might be assuming.