Guide
Event Pre-Order Management
Event pre-order management is the process of collecting every guest’s food and drink choices before an event, so the kitchen preps against confirmed orders and service runs without surprises. For decades venues did this with emailed spreadsheets. Pre-order software replaces that with guest self-service: each guest receives a branded link, picks their courses, declares allergies, and optionally pre-orders drinks, and the venue’s reports build themselves.
Creventa is the event pre-order platform trusted by leading premium UK hospitality brands and multi-site groups, processing over 2 million festive dishes at Christmas 2025 across events from 4 to 2,500+ guests.
Why pre-orders matter
The kitchen preps with certainty. With confirmed choices in advance, purchasing and prep match actual demand. Venues using Creventa see around 20% less food waste for exactly this reason, a result reported by a global hotel chain using Creventa.
Revenue arrives before the event. Pre-ordering is a selling moment. Guests choosing drinks in advance trade up to premium bottles and packages, and venues see a 251% uplift in wet spend, a result reported by a Holiday Inn hotel using Creventa. Deposits and payments can be collected at the same time.
Allergen compliance is built in, not bolted on. When each guest submits their own dietary information against their name, the venue holds a documented, compliant record rather than a note in a spreadsheet cell. Read the full guide to allergen tracking for events.
Service is faster and calmer. The food pass shows every guest, in seat order, with their choices and allergy flags. No table interrogations, no guessing.
How guest self-service pre-ordering works
- The event is created in the platform, automatically if the booking comes from your booking engine, PMS or an enquiry won in CreventaFlow.
- Guests are invited by personalised, venue-branded email, or via a link or QR code the host shares on WhatsApp or Teams. Guests never create accounts or log in.
- Guests order. They choose courses from your menu (1-1-1, 2-2-2, or any structure), declare allergies and dietaries, and pre-order drinks. Three automatic reminders (at invite, 7 days before, 2 days before) chase non-responders so your team does not have to.
- The host manages their group. A delegated host can add guests, import a guest list, submit choices for anyone who cannot self-serve, and arrange the seating plan by drag and drop.
- Reports generate themselves. Chef report, food pass, run sheet, front of house report, guest list, drinks orders, function sheet and place cards, all from live guest data, all updated automatically when anything changes. After the event, post-event feedback is collected automatically, building repeat-guest insight for your next season.
Pre-orders for every event format
Choice menus. Guests pick each course; the chef report totals every dish with allergy flags.
Set menus. No choices to make, but allergies and dietaries still need collecting. One of the largest banqueting operations in London uses Creventa this way for 2,500 guest dinners.
Weddings. The couple manages their own guest list and table plan; guests submit choices themselves. Tottington Manor prepares a 70 to 80 guest wedding in 30 minutes instead of several hours.
Christmas and joiner parties. Many small groups share one night. Each booking flows through the same pre-order process, and the venue sees everything consolidated. The Kingfisher cut Christmas party prep from a full shift to about an hour.
Ticketed events. Guests buy a ticket and pre-order in one flow, with sales through your own website and social channels.
What to look for in pre-order software
Guest self-service with no logins or apps. Branded, white-label guest experience. Allergen capture per named guest, separating medical allergies from preferences. Automatic reminders. Drink pre-ordering, not just food. Live-updating reports rather than exports. Delegated host access so clients do their own admin. Integration with your PMS and payment provider. Migration and training included.
Creventa does all of the above, from £74 per month per venue (see pricing). It integrates with Delphi, Opera PMS, RezLynx (Guestline), iVvy and SevenRooms, with payments through Stripe, Adyen and Planet Pay.
Frequently asked questions
What is pre-order management?
Collecting guests’ food and drink choices, allergies and dietary requirements before an event, so kitchens prep accurately and service teams know exactly who ordered what.
What response rates do venues get?
High, because guests are motivated to have their dietary needs met. Three automatic reminders chase stragglers, and the venue always sees who has not responded.
Can pre-orders work without food choices?
Yes. For set menus, the same flow collects only allergies and dietary requirements, and still produces the full allergen report, food pass, seating plan and place cards.
Related reading
- Pre-order management for corporate events
- The smartest Christmas pre-order system for hospitality
- Automated guest reminders
- Creventa table management
Last reviewed
Reviewed July 2026. Creventa results such as wet-spend uplift, time saved and reduced food waste are typical outcomes reported by customers and vary by venue and event.