{"name":"VCMP Encore","publisher":"StartMadeSimple Ltd","reviewedOn":"2026-09-22","source":"https://www.startsimple-vcmp.app/venue-booking-software","questions":[{"question":"What is VCMP Encore?","answer":"VCMP Encore is the venue booking system in the VCMP My Venue family, built by StartMadeSimple Ltd. It brings enquiries, booking details, the diary, area allocation, run sheets and arrival management together."},{"question":"Who should evaluate Encore?","answer":"Bars, restaurants, private-hire spaces and activity venues can evaluate Encore against their booking workflow. Bring your actual rules, areas, handovers and must-have connections to the demo."},{"question":"How much does Encore cost?","answer":"The published limited-time introductory offer is £650 per year, per site, billed annually. Feature scope, VAT treatment, onboarding, migration, integration costs and renewal terms are confirmed in your written quote. Screens are priced separately."},{"question":"Does Encore include venue screens or a till?","answer":"Encore handles venue bookings. My Venue provides screen content and publishing; SOLO POS handles counter sales. These products are priced separately, and any connection or data handover is scoped and tested."},{"question":"Can we keep our website and move future bookings?","answer":"The team reviews the website entry points and agrees a branded booking or enquiry route. Migration starts with an agreed export, a sample transfer and reconciliation of future bookings and relevant notes or balances. Scope and costs are confirmed first."},{"question":"Are deposits, SMS and payment providers included?","answer":"Payment and communication requirements are reviewed during setup. Provider connections, delivery, charges and availability are confirmed and tested within the agreed scope."},{"question":"Can we see our own workflow before deciding?","answer":"Request a demonstration using a representative occasion with made-up guest details. Include your venue type, number of sites, current process and the three requirements that matter most."}],"guides":[{"slug":"bars-and-group-bookings","title":"Booking software for bars and group occasions","summary":"Evaluate VCMP Encore for bar enquiries, group bookings, area allocation and the handover to the floor team.","problem":"A group enquiry is more than a date in a diary. The organiser may change the party size, request a particular area or ask about food before committing. When those details sit in separate messages, the team can lose the reason for the booking. Encore brings enquiry ownership, visit details, a venue diary and run sheets into one workspace. Use a demo to follow one realistic group from the first request to arrival.","steps":[["Capture the occasion","Bring the requested date, time, party size and preferred area into the enquiry. Agree who owns the next reply and what needs confirming."],["Agree the booking","Check the diary and allocation with the organiser. Distinguish a request from a confirmed booking and test how a later change is handled."],["Prepare the shift","Review the booking notes, selected extras and arrival time in the run sheet. Check that the team can find the latest agreed details."],["Welcome the group","Find the party and walk through arrival management. Agree who handles late arrivals, a smaller party or a request to change areas."]],"checks":["Ask to see a party-size change after the initial enquiry.","Check how your actual areas and operating rules would be configured.","Agree the payment and messaging connections before relying on them.","Compare the whole annual quote, including setup and renewal terms."],"example":"Illustrative demo: a Friday birthday enquiry for 18 guests changes to 22 and needs a different area. Ask the demonstrator to show the enquiry, diary and team handover for that change. This is a test scenario, not customer performance evidence.","question":"Can Encore manage group bookings for a bar?","answer":"Encore is designed for venue enquiries, booking details, the diary, area allocation, run sheets and arrivals. For a bar, demonstrate your group-booking rules and any deposit or messaging requirements before agreeing the setup.","url":"https://www.startsimple-vcmp.app/venue-booking-software/bars-and-group-bookings"},{"slug":"restaurants-and-private-dining","title":"Restaurant bookings and private-dining enquiries","summary":"Evaluate Encore for restaurant booking details, private-dining enquiries, diary planning and service preparation.","problem":"A private-dining enquiry often involves more decisions than a straightforward table request: the room, occasion, timing, guest requirements and the person making the arrangements. A useful buying test follows those decisions into the service handover. Encore organises booking and guest details alongside the diary and run sheet. It should be assessed against your actual operating rules, including what must be confirmed by a member of staff.","steps":[["Record the request","Start with the date, party size, preferred room and organiser’s requirements. Identify what is still provisional."],["Review the service","Check the venue diary and areas against the request. Demonstrate how the team reviews an alternative time or room."],["Confirm the details","Agree the visit details and capture relevant guest notes. Decide which dietary or accessibility information staff need, and how it will be checked."],["Prepare the handover","Walk through the run sheet with the host and service team. Make the source of the latest confirmed details clear."]],"checks":["Test a room change and a revised arrival time.","Agree how staff distinguish provisional and confirmed arrangements.","Confirm payment, messaging and till requirements individually.","Use made-up guest details in demonstrations."],"example":"Illustrative demo: a company dinner for 16 guests needs a private room and an earlier arrival. Ask to follow the revised timing into the diary and service handover, then check how the team sees the relevant notes.","question":"Is Encore a restaurant reservation and private-dining option?","answer":"Encore covers venue booking organisation and guest details, with diary, allocation, run-sheet and arrival workflows. Confirm the restaurant-specific rules and integrations you need during a demonstration; do not assume automatic table optimisation or a particular payment provider.","url":"https://www.startsimple-vcmp.app/venue-booking-software/restaurants-and-private-dining"},{"slug":"private-hire-and-events","title":"Private-hire booking and venue enquiry software","summary":"A practical evaluation guide for event-space enquiries, booking requirements and team run sheets in VCMP Encore.","problem":"Private hire starts with a conversation: an organiser has an occasion in mind, while the venue needs to understand the date, space, expected attendance and practical requirements. A date alone does not make a usable booking. Encore gives the venue a place to organise enquiries and visit details before handing the plan to the team. Evaluate it using the decisions your staff make every day, rather than a list of generic software features.","steps":[["Qualify the enquiry","Capture the occasion, preferred date, attendance and requested space. Give the enquiry an owner and a clear next action."],["Review the requirements","Walk through the diary and discuss the requested area, timings and extras. Record what needs approval before confirming."],["Prepare the occasion","Bring the agreed booking details and notes into the operational handover. Check how staff find updated requirements."],["Rehearse the change","Use a realistic late change to test the workflow: a different arrival time, attendance or room request. Confirm who updates the plan."]],"checks":["Agree which details belong in the booking record and which remain in separate documents.","Check how future bookings and important notes could be transferred.","Confirm deposits, balances, cancellation handling and provider charges in the quote.","Agree training, access and the support arrangements for launch."],"example":"Illustrative demo: an organiser enquires about an evening reception, then asks to move the arrival time and add an extra requirement. Follow the request from enquiry ownership through to the team’s run sheet.","question":"Can Encore replace a spreadsheet for private-hire enquiries?","answer":"Encore brings enquiry organisation, booking details, a diary and run sheets together. A move from spreadsheets should begin with an agreed field mapping, a sample transfer and reconciliation of future bookings. Import scope and costs must be agreed.","url":"https://www.startsimple-vcmp.app/venue-booking-software/private-hire-and-events"},{"slug":"activity-venues","title":"Booking software evaluation for activity venues","summary":"Evaluate Encore for activity-venue enquiries, group details, area planning and arrivals, using your real operating rules.","problem":"Activity venues may combine sessions, groups, spaces and a hospitality offer. Those constraints need to be demonstrated rather than inferred from the phrase booking software. Encore supports venue enquiries, booking details, diary and area views, run sheets and arrivals. Start with one representative occasion and establish where that workflow fits. Ask explicitly about any session-capacity, equipment, waiver or ticketing requirement that is essential to your business.","steps":[["Map one occasion","Describe the group size, arrival time, activity time, required area and any food or hospitality element."],["Test your constraints","Ask how the proposed setup would represent your areas and booking rules. Bring a conflicting request to the demo and review how staff resolve it."],["Prepare the team","Check the run sheet and booking notes against what your hosts need before the group arrives."],["Agree the boundaries","Document which requirements Encore covers, which need a connection and which remain in another tool before committing."]],"checks":["Do not assume equipment inventory, waivers or ticket scanning are included.","Demonstrate overlapping requests against your actual capacity rules.","Confirm payment and messaging scope and any third-party costs.","Agree what a staff member does when the plan changes on the day."],"example":"Illustrative demo: a group requests an activity followed by a reserved social area. Ask to see the booking details, relevant diary views and staff handover, then test a change in attendance.","question":"Is Encore suitable for every activity-booking model?","answer":"Suitability depends on your rules. Encore’s published venue workflow covers enquiries, booking organisation, diary, run sheets and arrivals. Session inventory, equipment allocation, waivers and ticketing need separate confirmation; bring those requirements to the demo.","url":"https://www.startsimple-vcmp.app/venue-booking-software/activity-venues"}]}