When people think of plants, they don’t usually think of events. What types of events are being offered at PlantHouse locations?

Ashlyn: PlantHouse is an experience-based terrarium workshop and plant store. We offer a walk-in terrarium building, reservations, and a range of instructor-led workshops. These workshops include terrarium themes like Jellyfish Terrarium and Secret Garden Terrarium to other plant-based activities like Bonsai and Air Plant Wreath workshops.

How are these events driving customer engagement?

Ashlyn: Our goal is to have something for everyone: whether a beginner plant parent or an expert, we offer a variety of activities where guests can have a unique experience. DIY terrarium building and our workshops are a huge part of the customer engagement.

Customer’s love to share their creations on social media and schedule additional time in our stores to shop our selection of houseplants, ceramics, and accessories. 

How were you managing your events prior to using Ample Cloud’s Eventbrite to Webflow and Eventbrite Calendar Apps?

Ashlyn: We were utilizing a platform that was geared towards service-based businesses like salons, not retailers that focus on events.

What were some of the biggest challenges with your previous system for reservations?

Ashlyn: Prior to partnering with Ample our customers could only purchase one workshop ticket at a time. This lead to customer confusion and frustration.

Additionally our previous platform didn’t offer a solution to accept reservations, which many customers were asking for. Ample provided solutions for both of these, and more, for us. 

What was your biggest challenge in finding a new events solution?

Ashlyn: We struggled to find a solution that checked all of the boxes. Having multiple locations with workshop schedules that can vary made it difficult to find a platform that not only ensured a positive user experience, but gave our team the ability to succeed.

There were often workaround options made available to us by other platforms, but we were seeking a true solution to our problems.

What were your biggest concerns in implementing a new events solution?

Ashlyn: PlantHouse’s growth continues to evolve. Since August 2021 we have opened six new locations and have others in the pipeline. We required a solution that was scalable for our future growth and was cost effective, two things Ample has provided. 

Why did you end up choosing Eventbrite?

Ashlyn: Our team liked how Eventbrite’s events were displayed and that it was a platform many people were already aware of. We had a wonderful experience connecting with Eventbrite to discuss if their platform would be a solution for our needs.

They were responsive, thorough, and understood our needs. We also appreciate their 24/7 customer support. 

Has your new events solution had an impact on PlantHouse’s core business? 

Ashlyn: We have seen an increase in workshop sales since implementing Ample. In addition, Ample is more streamlined which has led to less work on our store managers, allowing them to focus on other important tasks. 

How do events impact PlantHouse’s overall marketing strategy?

Ashlyn: Events make up over 50% of our marketing strategy. We share workshop schedules weekly whether it be through print material in-store, organic social media posts, paid content, or community partnerships.

We have learned that many beginner plant parents just need to experience plants in a stress-free, helpful environment and then they’re hooked! Our workshops are a gateway to building long-term relationships with our customers.

How does Planthouse plan to grow its events business in the future?

Ashlyn: Our team has a lot of new workshop ideas to bring to customers. Before Ample, so much of our time was focused on manually managing events that it took away time to be creative and drive more business. When opening a new location we no longer have to stress about how our system will handle the increase in events.