Where Event Businesses, Venue Owners, and Hospitality Pros Come to Learn
We’re venue consultants who’ve been there, done that — and can teach you what we’ve learned.
Ever hired a business consultant who was all talk and no action? Or worked with an event professional who hyped up their skills but failed to deliver?
Have you watched a course, webinar, or conference that shared inspiring words, but no actionable advice you could use?
We know how frustrating it can be to trust experts with your event venue business (and your money) only to be let down.
We founded Hustle & Gather to give event business owners and entrepreneurs practical, realistic advice that they can implement now. With our expertise in venues, events, and hospitality, you’ll get real talk that gets straight to the point.
We’ll give you that much-needed kick in the pants when you need it, but we’ve also got your back, and we’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines.
If you own a hospitality or event business and are ready to make your work the best it can be…let’s team up. Below, you find THREE ways to work with us.
With Hustle & Gather, you get real talk and actionable tips. No BS, no fluff.
Join Our Next Conference - The Venue Masterclass
For experienced hospitality professionals and event business owners who want education and implementation.
The word “gather” is in our name for a reason. Our Venue Bootcamp gives event professionals, venue managers, and venue owners a chance to connect with each other and learn together in the same space.Inside Venue Bootcamp, you’ll learn best practices for growing and elevating your hospitality or event business, plus get the time to put your education into action.
Come to our Venue Masterclass Conference for:
Practical advice for running a successful venue or event business
Help implementing changes and new strategies now
Support from experts who’ve been in the trenches and built up their own venues
Access to a community of other event professionals like you
Access to our exclusive library of online courses, workbooks, bundles, and more
Education, implementation, support: The Venue Masterclass has it all. Save your spot now!
WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING
“Courtney and Dana were so helpful! I was hesitant in the beginning because it is an investment - but I knew we needed help. We were struggling to book and about to sink a bunch of money into a renovation - thinking that was the issue. I am so grateful I paused, and hired these 2!”
“They were kind, but also very straightforward with what was going wrong. They saved me a ton of money on what would have been an unnecessary upfit. We have since gotten back on track with our bookings, and are finally seeing the profits in the black. Do not hesitate - they know what they are talking about and will be your biggest resource!”
- Owner at Sunset Farms
1:1 Consulting for Venue Owners & Event Professionals
During our VIP Day, we’ll focus on your business’s top priorities, issues, and projects.
Want our undivided attention and total focus on your event business? You got it. Don’t want a tired formula that will “fix” all your business’s problems? We agree. Formulas have no place in what we do because that’s not how this industry works. With our VIP Day, you can expect honesty, encouragement, and a custom strategy for transforming your biz.
Schedule a VIP Day if you need help:
Working through a problem or challenge in your biz
Revamping your client experience or design
Building new processes or systems to increase efficiency and productivity
Recruiting and hiring talent
Diving into market analysis and sales strategies
And more
How does a VIP Day work?
Depending on which VIP Day package you select, you’ll spend 3 or 5 hours with us (in a single day!). To maximize our time together, we’ll send you a questionnaire to fill out before our call. We’ll review your answers before we meet so we can start our VIP Day ready to dive into your specific event business — without time spent learning about it.
After our VIP Day ends, you walk away with key takeaways and changes to implement. If during your VIP day, you choose to focus on client experience, you’ll walk away from your time with us with the specific client workflow already written, drafted email templates, and contractor resources. We’d never leave you empty-handed or holding a to-do list that doesn’t feel like it’ll change anything.
Choose from two VIP Day Options
1/2 VIP DAY
3 hours of 1:1 time with our team. Focus and strategize on 1-2 areas of your biz.
Areas of focus could be:
Client communication
Customer journey
Client experience
Anything else that’s slowing you down!
Investment begins at $2k
Full VIP Day
5 hours of 1:1 time with our team. Focus and strategize on 1-3 areas of your biz.
Areas of focus could be:
Venue design overhaul
Marketing and sales process
Team management & growth
Anything else that’s slowing you down!
Investment begins at $4k
WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING
“We hired Dana and Courtney for a ½ VIP day to help us determine what renovations we needed to do to our space. They were amazing. Not only are they fun and so funny to be around - but they tell you like it is - no sugar coating here! They work well off of each other giving a really rounded view of the problem. They were prompt in their deliverables and created an easy-to-follow design overhaul.”
“They gave us what was mission critical, then what was best to do sooner than later, and then “if you had infina-dollars - this is what we would do.” It was helpful to see it broken up and recognize that not everything was an emergency. If you need help getting out of your head and a second (and third) set of eyes - these are your people!”
-1705 East
Need help with your event business problem - fast?
Don’t need a VIP Day? Let’s get your business on the right path with a 90-Minute Clarity Session.
If you have a challenge you’re facing and are tired of Googling, browsing courses, and asking peers… hop on a 90-minute Clarity Session with us. We can help you work through roadblocks related to hiring and firing, understanding your market, scaling your biz, managing a growing team or large event, and anything in between.
Let’s talk and hash it out. Then you can get back to business.
“I worked with Dana on a clarity session. Oh my goodness was it eye-opening. I had reached out for help with getting my leads to convert to a call. I was getting the leads, and I could book them after the call - but I was struggling to get them to actually get on the call with me. We went through my entire client journey and the emails I send. She walked me through where the holes were, and where I was potentially losing the conversion.
She gave great advice and tips on what I need to change. I am signing up for a ½ VIP day after this because it was so incredibly valuable, that I want her to help me create the actual templates and workflows. If you need clarity - this is 100% the way to go!”
-Sarah, Musician Vendor in the Raleigh Market
Train Your Team
Whether you need to train one department or your entire team, we got you covered.
Newsflash: You don’t have to run your event business on your own. But if you’re leaning on a team for support, that team needs to be motivated. Confident. Skilled. And happy with their jobs.
Venue managers and venue owners: You’re busy. We can step in to help educate and empower your team members so you can get back to what’s most important. We’ll handle the rest.
All of our Team Trainings are tailored to you, your team’s pain points, and your goals. But during a Team Training, we often:
Use personality tests to get to know your employees
Send anonymous surveys to get a feel for office vibes
Host workshops and team exercises tailor-made for your company
Work on communication, collaboration, and expectations
Are you ready for a company culture that honors the people helping you and is productive and drama-free? We can help with that.
“Dana and Courtney led an outstanding team-building activity that transformed our understanding of ourselves and our team dynamics.
Their expertise and engaging approach made the experience insightful and enjoyable. We left with valuable tools to enhance our communication and collaboration. Highly recommend!”
Hire Us to Speak at Your Next Event
Hosting an event industry conference? Need speakers who understand venue & hospitality businesses and speak about leadership, company culture, or management? We’re your gals.
Our real, no-BS, straight-talking approach has been a hit at events like NACE Chapter Meetings, WIPA Meetings, or CORT Team training days. We draw on our personal experiences and success stories in our presentations, individually and when speaking together.
Topics we’ve spoken on before include:
Company Culture
Leadership
Management
Crafting Your Own Path
Being Authentically You
Developing Leaders on Your Team
Using Data to Grow Your Profits
If you don’t see a topic that’s quite right for you, don't worry. We tailor our talks to your audience and your needs.
Are you ready to hire one or both of us to speak at your next event? Want to learn more about our speaking packages and topics? Let’s chat.
I work with speakers every year putting on this conference. It was such a pleasure working with Dana and Courtney. They were very responsive, delivered materials on time, and tailored their talk to the group.
I had heard them give that same talk before and I had requested they geared more towards managers as opposed to business owners - and they did such a great job. It was one of the favorite sessions from the attendees!
- Organizer for ACCP
FAQs
When’s your next Venue Boot Camp?
January 6th 2025 - January 9th 2025, Durham NC! Head over to the Venue Bootcamp page to learn more and apply.
What’s the difference between 1/2 VIP Days and Full VIP Days?
With 1/2 VIP Days, you get a 3-hour session with us. With Full VIP Days, you get a 5-hour session. The three-hour session is enough time to work through 1 - 2 problem areas of your business while actively creating the changes needed. The full day would allow for working on 1 - 3 problem areas, including a more robust update of an entire system - ie. the front-end sales funnel or a design review and overhaul of an entire venue.
Don’t worry, if you’re not sure how much time your problem needs, we can help you make the right selection!
Do you only offer team trainings for the whole company?
Nope! We offer upper-level management training and smaller department-specific team trainings, too.
Some examples of trainings we’ve lead for upper-level management before include:
Understanding your employees
Communicating in a way that is the most effective
How to find their "money"
Creating leaders and buy-in
Setting company culture standards
And for teams we’ve taught:
How to communicate so that your teammate can hear you
How to show gratitude and be genuine
How to get on the same page
How to have expectations and standards for each other without all the arguing
I’m not sure which service is right for me. What should I do?
Reach out to us and we’ll figure it out together!