The one-woman show behind it all
Jenniâs background in hospitality made her the perfect person to shape the events operations at SouthPark Church. âI worked at Marriott for about 18 years, and I was a Senior Events Manager,â she shared. When Jenniâs family grew, she stepped away from hotel lifeâand later, the responsibility of building her church events program landed in her lap.
âWith my knowledge of Marriott and being able to sell space, food, and plan events, I kind of just fell into it naturally,â Jenni said. But stepping into a brand-new venue with no existing systems was a different challenge entirely. âPlanning an event at a church that has zero rules, regulations, groundworkâanythingâit was very challenging. I had to create my own event packet. I had to make processes and things for people to follow.â
One of the biggest hurdles for SouthPark Church was managing contracts and payments. Jenni wrote every contract from scratch in a Word document, which quickly became overwhelming as the number and variety of events grew.
Payments were just as challenging. âI was relying on an accountant at our church,â Jenni explained. âShe has like eight filing cabinets of actual paper.â Tracking down payments felt like a never-ending scavenger hunt. âWe might have the wrong address or what have you, and [the payment] could take days and days to get here,â Jenni said. It was clear this process wasnât sustainable.
This is a subheading
Eventective is the platform for event pros who want more leads, easier bookings, and less busywork (without paying for enterprise software). This is the platform for event pros who want more leads, easier bookings, and less busywork.
The solution that âsolved hoursâ
Jenni knew something needed to change. So, she hired a hospitality consultant who introduced SouthPark Church to Eventective. "Our consultant was amazing. She found Eventective. She goes, âI think this is going to solve a lot of your problems.â And it literally solved hours.âThe consultant helped set up SouthPark Churchâs Eventective account, but from there, Jenni took the lead and began working closely with her account manager, Sophie. âWe had our initial call, and she showed me a couple quick things,â Jenni said. Whenever a question came up, Jenni would email Sophie. âI feel like I should be giving her a gift,â she laughed. âThe fact that I can email Sophie and pretty much have an answer back by the end of the day is life-changing. Especially in this day and age where [customer service] doesnât exist in a lot of places.â ⨠â¨As a part-time staff member juggling tours, bookings, and Sunday morning services, Jenniâs time is valuableâand Eventective gives her more of it back.
âHaving Eventective take care of the paperwork side of it makes things easier for me. Iâm able to focus more on the details,â Jenni shared. âAlso, it makes me more efficient, which I count as detail because I just don't have the hours between booking the events, trying to be at church, and giving tours. Thatâs why Eventective has been such a gift because it has just saved hours of time for me that I donât have.â
This is a subheading
Eventective is the platform for event pros who want more leads, easier bookings, and less busywork (without paying for enterprise software). This is the platform for event pros who want more leads, easier bookings, and less busywork.
âThis has saved me an easy 10 to 15 hours per week.â
Jenni McKeown
Hospitality & Events Director, SouthPark Church
Managing more in the years ahead
Looking ahead, Jenni is excited about whatâs next for SouthPark Church. The church is preparing for an expansion: a brand-new, 22,000 square-foot event venue that will open on their property in the coming years. âI would use it whenever I have an event too big for the church space,â Jenni shared. Itâs a huge step forward, and Jenni envisions Eventective playing a key role in helping her manage both spaces with the same efficiency she relies on today.
Jenni is also focused on hosting more weddings at SouthPark Church. âThatâs an ongoing goal of mine because weâre a simple destination for weddings. Weâre a one-stop shop,â she explained. âYou can get married here and have a full reception with everything. Itâs not an old-fashioned church where you do fruit punch and cake. You can have the whole bar, you can have a DJ, you can do all of it. We just need more traction for weddings.â Jenniâs eager to refresh the churchâs Eventective profile and utilize Eventectiveâs Lead Market to reach more couples.
With 10-15 hours saved every week, seamless contracts and payments, and a responsive partner by her side, Jenni now has the support she needs to bring her Marriott-level expertise to a community she loves. And as SouthPark Church continues to growâwith new spaces, new events, and new opportunitiesâJenni is confident Eventective will support her every step of the way.
This is a subheading
Eventective is the platform for event pros who want more leads, easier bookings, and less busywork (without paying for enterprise software). This is the platform for event pros who want more leads, easier bookings, and less busywork.
