All-in-One Rental Management and CRM, Built for the Industry.

What is GoodEvent Business?

GoodEvent Business is a complete event rental management tool for running marquee hire, furniture rental, and equipment businesses. It combines CRM, quoting, stock tracking, invoicing, and online payments in one cloud-based system. Event rental businesses use it to replace spreadsheets, Word documents, and scattered tools with one workflow from enquiry to final payment.

Unlike generic rental software built for tool hire or construction equipment, GoodEvent Business was built specifically for event rental from day one. It understands that event businesses track complex equipment like marquees with components (bays, poles, linings), handle seasonal peaks with limited stock, need visual quotes with floor plans, and work from phones during site visits. Every feature is designed for how event rental actually works.

This tool sits at the centre of your business operations. Enquiries become quotes. Quotes become bookings. Bookings generate load lists and delivery notes. Everything connects. No re-entering data. No version confusion. Just one system that runs your entire event rental operation.

Why GoodEvent Business is Different

Built for events from day one — not adapted from tool hire, construction, or AV rental. Rentman and Current RMS were built for AV and production companies with different workflows. Goodshuffle Pro started with US furniture rental and lacks features UK marquee companies need. HireHop and IntelliEvent are dated systems that haven't kept pace with modern expectations. None were built from the ground up for the UK events industry with marquees, tents, furniture, and the specific challenges of seasonal event rental.

We understand event rental businesses face unique challenges. You can't just track "one marquee" — you track 200+ components that make up different marquee configurations. You can't treat all customers equally — wedding couples need different handling than corporate planners. You can't use desktop-only software — you're on site visits, at events, in the yard. You need tools that work how event rental actually works.

Event rental businesses specifically need:

• Component-level stock tracking (marquee bays, poles, roof sections, linings)
• Automated stock rules ("12x18m clearspan = 24 bays + 48 poles + 96 stakes")
• Visual quotes with product images and embedded floor plans
• Real-time quote updates while on phone with customers
• Mobile access for site visits and on-site quoting
• Sales pipeline showing quote views, margins, and probability
• Online payment buttons (customers book with one click)
• Load lists that update digitally as quotes change
• Integration with Xero for invoicing (not payroll)
• Seasonal demand management and availability forecasting

Features built-in that competitors charge extra for:

• Unlimited users (no per-seat pricing)
• Floor plan creation with drag-and-drop designer
• Online payment processing with Stripe integration
• Stock availability warnings while quoting
• Pipeline reporting with margin and probability tracking
• E-signature capture on quotes and delivery notes
• Real-time collaboration — customers see quote updates live
• White-glove migration service (we set up your account in 3 days)
• Free training and ongoing support

Easy team access:

Office staff, sales agents, and business owners access via desktop or laptop. Field crews and drivers access load lists and delivery notes via mobile phones. Customers access quotes via shareable links — no logins required. Everyone sees real-time data. No version confusion.

Mobile-ready:

Quote customers from your car between site visits. Check stock availability on your phone while talking to customers. Update bookings from tablets on-site. The system works on any device with a web browser. Most event businesses do 60-70% of their work on mobile during peak season.

Why Spreadsheets Fail for Event Rental Businesses

Stock tracking becomes impossible at scale — Excel shows "10x round tables available." But 8 tables are at Saturday's wedding. 6 are at Sunday's corporate event. 4 are being cleaned after last weekend. Your spreadsheet says 10 available. Reality says 0. You promise tables to a new customer. Saturday morning you realise you're 2 tables short. Cost: £200 in emergency sub-hire plus damaged reputation. Stock availability tracking prevents this automatically.

Component tracking doesn't work — Marquee company tracks "12x18m clearspan" as one unit in spreadsheet. Customer books it. But that marquee needs 24 bays, 48 poles, 96 stakes, 12 roof sections, 8 gable ends, 6 doors, 24 groundbars. Each component might be shared across multiple marquees. Spreadsheet can't track this. You end up on-site missing gable ends because they're at another event. Component management tracks every piece automatically.

Version confusion causes errors — Quotev1.xlsx. Quotev2FINAL.xlsx. Quotev2FINALrevised.xlsx. Customer asks "Which quote had the dance floor?" You're not sure. Load list printed Tuesday morning. Quote changed Tuesday afternoon. Crew loads wrong items. Customer's upset. Real-time updates mean everyone always sees the latest version.

Manual calculations create pricing mistakes — Marquee quote in Excel. Labour: £800. Vehicle: £150. Sub-hire: £300. Total costs: £1,250. Sale price: £2,000. Margin: 37.5%. Looks good. Except you forgot fuel, forgot driver overtime, forgot the extra groundbars you'll sub-hire. Real margin: 12%. You just worked for almost nothing. Job costing calculates accurate margins automatically.

Can't work from phones — Customer calls while you're driving between site visits. "Can you add uplighters to my wedding quote?" You need to wait until you're back at office computer to access Excel. Customer says they'll call another supplier who can quote immediately. You lose the booking. Mobile access would have saved it.

No customer engagement data — Spreadsheet shows "Quote sent 5 days ago." Has customer opened it? Are they looking at it repeatedly (ready to book) or zero times (lost interest)? You're guessing when to follow up. Pipeline tracking shows exactly how many times customers view quotes. High view count means call immediately.

Marquee hire companies and furniture rental businesses waste the most time on spreadsheets because their inventory is complex and seasonal. During peak wedding season with 50+ quotes active simultaneously, spreadsheets break down completely. You need purpose-built event rental software.

How GoodEvent Business Works

1. Enquiry arrives → Customer contacts you about event. Create new customer record in CRM. Enter event details, date, and location.

2. Check availability → System shows what equipment is available for those dates. Stock warnings flag items running low or already booked.

3. Build quote → Select equipment from your inventory. Add marquee/tent, furniture, lighting, flooring. Automated stock rules calculate components needed. Product images load automatically.

4. Add floor plan → Use GoodEvent Layout to create visual layout. Drag tables, chairs, dance floor into marquee. Floor plan embeds in quote automatically.

5. Calculate pricing → System calculates total. Add job costing for labour, vehicles, sub-hire. See profit margin before sending. Adjust pricing if needed.

6. Send quote to customer → Click send. Customer receives link to interactive online quote. They view on phone, tablet, or computer. Browse product images. See floor plan. Read terms. Share link with partners or family.

7. Track customer engagement → Pipeline dashboard shows how many times customer views quote. High view count signals they're ready to book. Follow up at the right time.

8. Customer requests changes → Customer calls asking to swap chiavari chairs for ghost chairs. You update quote in seconds. Customer refreshes page. Sees new chairs and updated price immediately. Real-time collaboration speeds up decisions.

9. Customer books → Customer clicks "Pay Deposit" button. Online payment processes via Stripe. Pays with card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay in 30 seconds. Booking confirmed. Confirmation email sent. Stock automatically marked as booked.

10. Generate load list → Week before event, system creates digital load list. Shows exactly what equipment to load. Yard manager checks items off on tablet. Updates sync in real-time. Office sees progress.

11. Create delivery note → Driver receives delivery note on phone. Shows delivery address, customer contact, equipment list, setup instructions. Customer signs digitally on arrival. Signature syncs to office immediately.

12. Convert to invoice → After event, convert booking to invoice with two clicks. Send invoice with balance payment link. Customer pays online. Invoice syncs to Xero automatically if connected.

Complete workflow from enquiry to payment: managed in one tool. No spreadsheet updates. No manual data entry between systems. No version confusion. Just connected, automated processes.

Joel, TL Marquee Hire:

"10x more time to grow the business. The team can access everything they need online from their phone or iPad. Now I no longer worry about the general stresses of running a rental company, such as ensuring jobs are loaded, quoted, and paid."

Core Features That Run Your Business

CRM & Sales Management

Customer relationship management tracks every interaction. Store customer contact details, event notes, site photos, and booking history. See all quotes, invoices, and payments in one place. Track sales probability (Low, Medium, High, Very High). Create follow-up tasks. Never miss an opportunity.

Sales pipeline shows quote views, profit margins, and conversion probability in one dashboard. Sort by margin to prioritise profitable bookings. Filter by event date to focus on near-term opportunities. Track total potential revenue across all quotes. Focus time on quotes most likely to convert.

Modern Quotes & Floor Plans

Interactive online quotes replace PDF attachments. Customers view quotes in web browsers on any device. Click products to see image galleries. View embedded floor plans. Read terms and conditions. Share links with decision-makers. Update quotes in real-time and customers see changes immediately.

Floor plan designer creates to-scale layouts with drag-and-drop. Show customers exactly how their marquee will be arranged. Add tables, chairs, dance floor, bar, and entrances. Floor plans embed directly in quotes. No AutoCAD training required. Create professional layouts in minutes.

Stock Management & Automation

Real-time stock tracking shows exactly what's available, what's booked, and what's at events. Check availability while building quotes. System warns if equipment running low or double-booked. Track equipment location across multiple storage sites.

Automated stock rules calculate components automatically. Set up once: "12x18m clearspan = 24 bays + 48 poles + 96 stakes." System reduces component availability when quote is created. Stock restores after event completed. Rules run automatically. No manual updates.

Stock availability warnings appear while quoting. System alerts if promising equipment you don't have. Works at component level. Prevents double-bookings before they happen. Saves thousands in emergency sub-hire costs.

Invoicing & Online Payments

Professional invoicing converts bookings to invoices with two clicks. Send invoices with online payment links. Track paid, pending, and overdue invoices. Set up payment plans for large bookings. Automatic reminders for overdue payments.

Online payment buttons let customers pay with one click. Accept all major credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Customers pay deposits and balances online in seconds. Payment confirmation syncs automatically. No more waiting for bank transfers. Conversion increases 3-4x compared to bank transfer-only.

Xero integration syncs invoices automatically. Create invoice in GoodEvent Business. It appears in Xero immediately. Two-way sync keeps both systems updated. Note: Integration is for invoices only, not payroll data from GoodEvent Time.

Logistics & Delivery Management

Digital load lists replace printed sheets that go out of date. Yard managers check items off on tablets. Updates sync in real-time. Office sees loading progress. Crew accesses load lists via shareable links on phones. No login required.

Delivery notes guide drivers with addresses, contacts, equipment lists, and setup instructions. Customers sign digitally on delivery. Signatures sync to office immediately. Proof of delivery stored permanently.

Job sheets contain everything crews need: quotes, invoices, stock lists, floor plans, site notes, photos, and delivery details. Access from phones or tablets. Share via links. Everyone works from the same information.

Analytics & Reporting

Business analytics shows profit margins, revenue forecasts, booking trends, and stock utilisation. Track which event types are most profitable. See seasonal patterns. Identify which equipment generates best returns. Make data-driven decisions.

Pipeline reports show potential revenue by probability. See total value of High and Very High probability quotes. Forecast cash flow. Plan capacity based on confirmed and likely bookings.

Margaret, North Down Marquees:

"Tracking stock, orders and availability of kit remotely has made our quoting much more efficient. The software has allowed us to say yes to more jobs, taking a lot less time to plan and organise."

How Marquee Hire Companies Use GoodEvent Business

Marquee hire businesses like TL Marquee Hire use GoodEvent Business to manage complex inventory with hundreds of components. They track clearspan marquees, traditional pole tents, and stretch tents with separate component lists for each structure type.

Example workflow during peak wedding season:

• Saturday morning: Crew loads for three weddings
• System generates load lists for each event
• Yard manager sees "12x18m clearspan (Wedding A): 24 bays, 48 poles, 96 stakes, 12 roof sections, 8 gable ends..."
• Components marked for each wedding separately
• No mixing up equipment between jobs
• Monday: All three weddings return equipment
• Stock availability restores automatically
• Tuesday: New quotes can use that equipment

Stock rules save hours: Without automation, someone manually calculates components for every marquee quote. With stock rules, system does it instantly. Saves 5-10 hours per week during peak season.

Real-time availability prevents double-bookings: Office takes booking for 12x18m clearspan on Saturday 15th. System marks those 24 bays as unavailable. Sales agent quoting for Saturday 15th sees warning: "Bays running low." Doesn't promise equipment that's already booked. Prevents £1,000+ emergency sub-hire.

Mobile quoting wins bookings: Sales agent meets wedding couple for site visit. Builds quote on tablet showing marquee options with photos. Adds tables and chairs. Creates floor plan. Sends quote before leaving client's driveway. Couple has quote in inbox within 10 minutes. Competitor still hasn't responded 2 days later. You win the booking.

Chrissie, DJ Marquees:

"Good Event is a fantastic all round system for not only producing quotes and invoices, but also for the stock management. The stock management resources really help to forecast equipment and furniture shortages."

How Furniture Rental Companies Use GoodEvent Business

Furniture rental businesses use GoodEvent Business to showcase products visually and track diverse inventory. They photograph every chair style, table type, and décor piece so customers see exactly what they're getting.

Example workflow for corporate event:

• Corporate planner requests furniture for 200-person conference
• Sales agent builds quote with conference tables, stacking chairs, staging
• Adds product images to every item
• Creates floor plan showing room layout
• Calculates job costing: labour £600, vehicles £200, sub-hire £400
• Total costs: £1,200. Sale price: £3,000. Margin: 60%
• Sends interactive quote link
• Client views on mobile during commute
• Sees professional presentation with images and layout
• Shares link with manager for approval
• Manager approves via email
• Client pays deposit online
• Booking confirmed same day

Image galleries reduce back-and-forth: Old way: Client asks "What do your conference chairs look like?" You email photos separately. New way: Client clicks "Stacking chair" in quote and sees photos immediately. Eliminates dozens of photo request emails per month.

Margin visibility protects profits: Client calls asking for discount. Before clicking yes, you check margin. Quote showing 60% margin can absorb 10% discount and still be profitable. Quote showing 25% margin can't. Protect profits by seeing margins upfront.

Floor plans increase conversion: Conference planner sees quote text: "20x conference tables, 200x stacking chairs." That's abstract. Floor plan showing those tables arranged in rows with projection screen and staging? That's concrete. That helps them say yes. Floor plans increase conversion 20-30%.

Darren, My Tipi:

"I have already seen the enquiry to sales conversion increase! And the best bit is I am spending much less time doing boring tasks. Customers can click on images to see what stock items look like, rather than emailing me for pictures!"

How Equipment Rental Companies Use GoodEvent Business

Equipment rental businesses use GoodEvent Business for diverse inventories spanning lighting, audio, staging, generators, and portable toilets. They manage different equipment categories with different rental rates and replacement costs.

Example workflow for festival:

• Festival organiser requests full production package
• Sales agent quotes staging, lighting rig, generators, toilets, fencing
• Each category has different daily/weekly rates
• System calculates complex pricing automatically
• Adds sub-hire costs for specialist lighting
• Creates comprehensive quote showing 15+ equipment categories
• Festival organiser shares with festival director and finance
• They review using shareable quote link
• Request changes to generator specification
• Sales agent updates quote
• Changes appear in real-time
• Festival approves and books
• Load lists generated for each equipment type
• Separate lists for staging crew, lighting crew, and generators
• Each crew sees only their relevant equipment

Complex pricing handled automatically: Festival booking might have 200+ line items across 10 equipment categories. Manual calculation in Excel takes hours and risks errors. System calculates instantly and accurately.

Multi-team coordination: Large events require coordinating multiple crews. Digital load lists show staging crew their equipment, lighting crew their gear, generator team their kit. No confusion. No missing items. Everyone knows their responsibilities.

Payment plans for large bookings: £50,000 festival booking requires deposit, progress payment, and balance. Set up payment plan: £10,000 on booking, £20,000 one month before, £20,000 on delivery. System tracks and sends reminders automatically.

Will, Canopi Marquees:

"The system has been intrinsic to our growth and it's been fantastic to see the system develop with us. Just as I need something new from the system you seem to launch it as a new product which is amazing."

Common Event Rental Software Mistakes

1. Choosing software built for wrong industry — Tool hire software built for construction equipment doesn't understand event rental. Equipment rental software built for AV production has different workflows than marquee companies. Generic rental software lacks event-specific features like component tracking and seasonal demand. Choose software built for event rental from day one.

2. Not using stock rules — Manually calculating marquee components for every quote wastes hours weekly. Set up stock rules once. System calculates automatically forever. One hour setup saves 200+ hours per year.

3. Ignoring pipeline data — Customer has viewed quote 15 times. You haven't noticed. You send generic follow-up email a week later. They've already booked with a competitor who called on day 2 when views hit 8. Check pipeline daily. High view counts mean call immediately.

4. Sending PDF quotes instead of online links — You have access to interactive online quotes but still send PDFs because "that's how we've always done it." PDF quotes on mobile phones are terrible. Customers can't click images. Can't share easily. Look outdated. Switch to online quotes. Conversion increases 30%+.

5. Not enabling online payments — Customers want to pay online. You only accept bank transfers because you're worried about card fees. Customer books with competitor who accepts online payment. You lose booking worth £3,000 to save £72 in fees (2.4%). Enable online payments. Revenue increase pays for fees many times over.

6. Forgetting to check margins before discounting — Customer asks for 10% discount. You agree immediately to close the deal. Later discover that quote had 15% margin. After discount, you're at 5% margin barely covering costs. Always check job costing before agreeing to discounts. Protect profits.

7. Not training crew on digital tools — You set up digital load lists but crew still prints paper copies. They don't trust tablets. They're not trained. Digital tools only save time if people actually use them. Train crew properly. Show benefits. Give them time to adapt.

Choosing Event Rental Management Software

Built for Events vs Adapted from Other Industries

Most rental software was built for construction equipment, tool hire, or AV production. Event rental has specific requirements these systems don't address. You need software that understands seasonal peaks, component-level tracking, visual selling, and mobile workflows.

What to look for in event-specific rental software:

• Component-level stock tracking (marquee bays, pole sections, linings)
• Automated stock rules (calculate components from packages)
• Visual quotes with embedded floor plans
• Real-time availability warnings while quoting
• Mobile access for site visits and on-site work
• Customer quote portal (online, interactive, shareable)
• Sales pipeline with engagement tracking
• Online payment integration (Stripe or similar)
• Digital load lists and delivery notes
• Integration with accounting software (Xero)
• Seasonal demand forecasting and reporting
• Built-in migration service (fast setup)

Questions to ask software vendors:

• Was this built specifically for event rental?
• Can it track components within larger equipment packages?
• Does it show stock availability in real-time while quoting?
• Can customers view quotes online and pay instantly?
• Does it work on mobile devices for site visits?
• Can I create floor plans without AutoCAD training?
• Does it track quote views and customer engagement?
• What's included versus what costs extra?
• How long does setup and migration take?
• Do you offer training and ongoing support?

Red flags (software built for wrong purpose):

• "We built this for tool hire and AV rental" — Different workflows
• "Desktop only" — You need mobile access for site visits
• "Per-user pricing" — Costs spiral as you grow
• "No floor plan feature" — Visual selling is critical for events
• "Basic stock tracking only" — Can't handle components
• "Separate payment processor needed" — Integration friction
• "6-month implementation time" — You need to be live this season
• "Self-setup required" — No migration support
• "Training costs extra" — Hidden costs add up

Why event-specific matters for rental management:

Generic rental software tracks "units" — one chair, one table, one generator. Event rental tracks components — one marquee consists of 200+ parts. Generic software assumes predictable demand. Event rental has extreme seasonal peaks (summer weddings). Generic software provides basic quotes. Event rental needs visual selling with floor plans. Purpose-built event software handles these requirements by design.

Event rental businesses using construction rental software (like Rentalman or EZRentOut) or generic CRMs (like Salesforce) end up maintaining parallel spreadsheets for component tracking and manual processes for visual quotes. Data doesn't connect. Processes break down. They switch to event-specific software and wonder why they waited so long.

GoodEvent Business Access & Compatibility

Access from Any Device:

• Works on desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile phone
• Web browser only — no downloads or installations
• Always up-to-date automatically
• Office staff use desktops and laptops
• Field teams use tablets and phones
• Customers access via any device with web browser

Easy Crew Access:

• Share load lists via direct links
• QR codes for instant access
• No login required for crew
• Perfect for temporary staff and seasonal workers
• Everyone sees real-time updates

Integrations:

Xero: Two-way integration syncs invoices automatically. Create invoice in GoodEvent Business and it appears in Xero immediately. Update payment status in Xero and GoodEvent updates. Note: Integration is for invoices only, not payroll data from GoodEvent Time.

Stripe: Powers online payment buttons in quotes and invoices. Accept all major credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Customer clicks "Pay Now" and Stripe processes payment securely. Confirmation syncs to GoodEvent automatically.

Google Calendar: Calendar integration shows event dates, delivery dates, and collection dates. Sync bookings to team calendars automatically. See customer names and event details (pricing hidden from crew).

Google Maps: Maps integration calculates delivery distances and suggests delivery costs. Links to load lists and delivery notes. Drivers get directions to event sites automatically.

Works with other GoodEvent tools:

• GoodEvent Layout — Floor plans embed in quotes automatically
• GoodEvent Time — Schedule crew for event deliveries and setups
• GoodEvent Maps — Plan event site layouts and link to bookings
• GoodEvent Docs — Collect customer forms and site safety checks

Getting Started with GoodEvent Business

1. Start free trial — No credit card required. Full access to all features.

2. Choose setup option — Self-setup in minutes or white-glove migration in 3 days. We recommend migration service for businesses with existing customer data and complex inventory.

3. Migration service uploads your data — We upload your inventory, customers, pricing, and historical data. Set up stock rules. Design branded quotes. Configure components. You focus on running your business while we handle setup.

4. Training session — We show you and your team how to build quotes, track stock, manage customers, and generate load lists. Most teams are confident within one training session.

5. Send first quote — Build your first quote with equipment, floor plan, and pricing. Send link to customer. Watch them view it online. Track engagement in pipeline.

6. Enable online payments — Connect Stripe so customers can pay deposits and balances with one click.

7. Go live — Start using GoodEvent Business for all enquiries, quotes, bookings, and invoicing. Retire spreadsheets and Word documents permanently.

Time to value: 3 days with migration service. Most businesses see conversion rate improvements within first 2 weeks as customers respond to professional online quotes and easy payment options.

Rhys & Tedd, Alpha Hire:

"Today I had 3 site visits. During each site visit, I used my phone to make changes to the customer's quote. In minutes the quote was perfect for their event and all 3 customers paid the deposit there and then! Before Good Event it could take us days or weeks to get clients to pay after their site visit."

Related Resources

All GoodEvent Business Features

• CRM — Customer relationship management
• Modern Quotes — Interactive online quotes
• Stock Management — Real-time availability tracking
• Stock Rules — Automated component calculation
• Floor Plans — Visual layouts for quotes
• Sales Pipeline — Track views, margins, probability
• Invoicing — Professional invoices with payment links
• Online Payments — Accept cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay
• Load Lists — Digital loading checklists
• Delivery Notes — Driver instructions with e-signatures
• Analytics — Business reporting and profitability
• View All Features

Industry Resources

• Marquee Hire Companies — Built for UK marquee businesses
• Tent Rental Companies — US tent rental operations
• Furniture Rental — Event furniture management
• Equipment Rental — AV, staging, production equipment
• Wedding Planning — Tools for wedding suppliers
• Corporate Event Planning — Corporate event management
• Party Hire — Party equipment rental
• Festival Events — Large-scale event operations

Complementary Tools

• GoodEvent Time — Track crew hours with geofencing
• GoodEvent Layout — Create floor plans for quotes
• GoodEvent Maps — Plan event sites and outdoor layouts
• GoodEvent Docs — Digital forms and safety checklists