It’s easier than ever to book a Timaru District Venue from today with the launch of a new online booking platform.

The new booking site at Timaru.govt.nz/venues offers straightforward and flexible online booking and payments for council venues from the Caroline Bay Hall and Soundshell to sports fields and the sculpture garden.

For the first time it also enables you to see existing bookings to allow you to better plan your event.

The service is available at Timaru.govt.nz/venues, those wanting to book in person will be able to use a self service kiosk but we’ll have staff on hand to show you them how to use it.

All existing bookings have been already transferred over to the new platform, and all those bookers have been notified.

Beth Stewart-Wright, Group Manager User Experience and Community Engagement said that the launch of the new platform was a major step in simplifying the process to hold an event.

“Before today we had a manual diary and cumbersome paper forms, and those trying to book an event had no idea what existing bookings were in place across our venues,” said Beth.

“The new system enables people to pick a venue, see what facilities it offers, when it’s available and then book and pay for it all online.

“The system is flexible and filters out unnecessary paperwork, so someone booking a morning tea for a crochet circle will only provide a minimum amount of details compared to a large licensed event where you will need to do a bit more info.

“Getting the service live is the first stage of the project, but we’re actively looking at ways that we can further streamline the booking process. We’re keen for people to have a go and come back to use with any feedback and suggestions how we could improve the system.

“We’re confident that the launch of this platform will increase the visibility, accessibility and use of all the great venues we have to offer and help bring more events to our district.”

The booking service has been developed in partnership with specialist events solution company Attekus and is used by councils throughout Australia. Timaru District Council is the first to introduce the service to New Zealand.

For more information, and to make a booking visit Timaru.govt.nz/venues

© Scoop Media