The benefits of the virtual showroom

By Julie Young

Online showrooms offer potential customers the opportunity to preview what a particular event rental business has in its inventory and what it is capable of. John Hutchins IV, vice president of Leavitt and Parris, Portland, Maine, says his company’s new website enables those who know what they want to create their dream without any hassles.

“Our new and improved site has recently gone live and already people have said that they love it,” he says. “We have gotten great feedback from other web designers as well. Through this forum we are able to tell people who we are and what we have to offer in great detail 24 hours a day. It gives our clients time to investigate the items and services we have to offer whenever they please. People place a lot of trust in us to make their event special, so if we can begin building that trust right from the start online, people can be confident that we can make their dream event a reality.”

Steve Card, Classic Events and Parties, West Des Moines, Iowa, says he expects that rental companies will create more online options for customers who may want a packaged product for a smaller event.

“The virtual showroom enables you to change out your inventory quickly, so that is a very good thing for the customer,” he says.

Julie Young is a freelance writer in Indianapolis, Ind.