Industry: Caterer | Hospitality

Focus: Business Development and Lead Generation | Office Catering | Conversion Strategy

Project Duration: June 2021 - December 2021

Background

Holistic Hospitality, a Brisbane-based catering service, specialises in providing office catering solutions from team lunches and dinners to on-site office and event catering. Our focus was to identify and engage local companies in East Brisbane for on-site office catering opportunities, with a specific focus on minimising travel and offering catering solutions for in-office gatherings post-pandemic.

Engagement

The goal was to expand the office catering business segment by tapping into Holistic Hospitality’s local footprint of East Brisbane. SJA Consultants engaged and found opportunities within local businesses and firms seeking catering services for teams needing a solution. We found opportunities within office buildings specifically within the CBD location, manufacturing and industrial offices, and technology parks not as accessible to catering facilities specifically during the early stages of the pandemic. The approach was ‘we would come to you’. 

Strategy & Execution

• Targeted Outreach: focused on local footprint outreach contacting companies within the vicinity of Holistic Hospitality to explore opportunities for office catering.

• Sample Box Conversion: Qualified leads were sent sample boxes, a strategy that significantly boosted conversion rates and fostered long-term business relations.

• Diverse Client Engagement: Successfully catered to a varied client base, including a young and dynamic marketing team, leadership teams across tech and industrial sectors, Co-working spaces requiring preferred catering solutions, and a notable radio station that offered airtime in exchange for catering services that led to ongoing business engagement.

Results

Throughout our partnership with Holistic Hospitality, we had the pleasure of converting a number of opportunities, and to this day continue to evolve. Some of the key highlights of the project were:: 

• Establishing key relationships and connections across a variety of industries.

• Contracting catering arrangements for small logistics and tech companies through to establishing a mutually beneficial trade arrangement with a local Brisbane radio station.

• Collaboration with a prominent co-working space has resulted in Holistic Hospitality becoming their preferred catering supplier for meetings and networking events and providing awareness and other collaboration opportunities within the corporate world. 

• We built strong ties with the EA/PA sector in CBD office blocks seeking catering solutions when cafes and other on-site hospitality venues and services found staffing and catering obstacles. 

• Opportunities were also sourced to provide essential support to schools and their canteens for event catering

• Catering services offered and solutions sourced for local council venues and community halls seeking outsourced catering solutions 

• Real Estate Agents and serviced offices seeking alternative solutions for catering. Partnerships were formed, and catering is still ordered for meetings in this space today. 

• Competitor analysis -  all while keeping a pulse on the competitors to stay ahead in the ‘catering’ hospitality industry.

Challenges and Resolutions

Due to the knock-on effect of COVID-19, we found the opportunity to have catering delivered to an office was incredibly opportunistic. However, as the community started to ‘open back up’’ The shift towards offsite meetings and tightening business budgets posed new hurdles.

In Summary

Despite a variety of shifts within business practices and budget constraints of clientele, the work executed significantly carved out a niche in office catering within Brisbane. While the sample strategy became untenable due to evolving business circumstances and ongoing recruitment challenges, the established connections continue to offer opportunities, demonstrating the lasting impact of strategic business development efforts.

Testimonial

"Sarah has been pivotal in forging sustained business relationships for Holistic Hospitality. Her dedication has unlocked continuous opportunities for my Brisbane-based catering business, which would have been unreachable otherwise. As a small business owner deeply involved in operational tasks, having Sarah work on expanding my business was invaluable. Her flexible, professional, and reliable approach, paired with a genuine interest in my success, has made our collaboration not just effective but also enjoyable. I highly endorse her services to any small business seeking growth and success."