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10:00 Little Acorns
Every space, one diary, everyone looking at it
Whoever takes the bookings, whoever opens up and whoever does the money all see the same diary, on a laptop or a phone. No shared spreadsheet, no paper book on a desk.
- Every room or space in one calendar, by day, week or month
- Clashes refused before they happen, with the booking already there shown
- Regular hirers booked weekly, fortnightly, monthly or on chosen days
- Closures and holidays blocked out once for every space
- The whole diary on the free phone app, iPhone and Android
Who it suits
It was built with village halls, whose committees ask for more than a diary, and it works the same way for any organisation with rooms to let.
Charities and community organisations
A meeting room or hall you let to other groups to cover the running costs, with rates for local groups, charities and private hire.
Churches, chapels and faith buildings
Your own services and groups first, community hire fitted around them, with church groups at no charge or a reduced rate.
Clubs with a clubhouse or pavilion
Function rooms, changing rooms and grounds hired out around your own fixtures and training.
Arts spaces, studios and small venues
Rehearsal rooms, studios and a performance space, each with its own rates, deposits and conditions of hire.
How an online booking works
Hirers do the asking, you do the deciding, and nobody retypes anything.
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1
They check what is free
Your venue has its own booking page, showing when each room is available. No phone call to find out.
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2
They send a request
The hirer picks a date and time and sends their details. It lands in your diary as an enquiry and you get an email.
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3
You accept it
One click confirms it and the hirer gets a confirmation email. Nothing is booked until you say so.
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4
The invoice follows
The price comes from your rate card, and the invoice is raised from the booking itself.
Everything a booking involves
A booking is rarely just a date. It is a space, a price, sometimes a deposit, and a hirer you may want to remember next time.
Rates for every kind of hirer
Hourly or flat-fee prices for each space, with different rates for different kinds of hirer and seasonal prices.
Deposits and extras
Take a deposit when the booking is made and record it coming back. Add equipment and extras at their own price.
Conditions of hire, agreed online
Hirers agree your terms before the booking is confirmed, and you keep the record that they did.
A hirer portal
Hirers see their bookings and invoices and a guide to the building. A key safe code can be released shortly before each booking.
Invoices and card payments
The invoice is raised from the booking, regular hirers can be invoiced monthly, and card payments go straight to your own bank account.
Your calendar on your website
Embed a live availability calendar on your own website with one line of code, on the Standard and Professional plans.
More on the booking system, invoicing and the compliance checklist.
Moving from a paper diary, a spreadsheet or another system
Nobody wants to type a year of bookings in again. Bring across your rooms, rate cards, hirers, bookings and invoices from a spreadsheet or another booking system. You match your columns to ours on screen, and every import has an Undo button.
Still comparing? Read our comparison of UK hall booking software, including Hallmaster, Hall Booking Online and My Hall Wizard, and what booking software really costs.
What it costs
Every plan has unlimited bookings, the public booking page, invoicing and the phone app. Free for 30 days, no card needed.
Community
£12.99 a month
Up to 2 rooms and 3 volunteers
Standard
£24.99 a month
Unlimited rooms, hirer portal, website calendar
Professional
£39.99 a month
Everything, plus the full accounts
Questions people ask
What is a venue booking system?
It is the diary for the rooms or spaces you hire out, kept online. Everyone who takes bookings sees the same calendar, hirers check availability and send their own requests, and each booking carries its price, deposit, invoice and payment.
Is it only for village halls?
No. It was built with village halls, and it works the same way anywhere with rooms or spaces hired out by the hour or the day: community centres, church halls, clubhouses, meeting rooms, studios and small venues.
What is it not for?
Selling tickets to events, booking restaurant tables or taking appointments with a person. It is built for hiring out a space to a hirer for a period of time.
Can hirers book online?
Yes. Your venue gets a public booking page showing when each space is free. A hirer picks a time and sends a request, it lands in your diary, and nothing is confirmed until you accept it.
Does it stop double bookings?
Yes. A booking that would clash with another in the same space is refused with a warning showing what is already there.
How much does it cost?
Community is £12.99 a month for up to two spaces, Standard is £24.99 with unlimited spaces, the hirer portal and the website calendar, and Professional is £39.99 with full accounts. A year costs the same as ten months, and every plan is free for 30 days with no card needed.
Can we import our existing bookings?
Yes. Import spaces, rates, hirers, bookings and invoices from a spreadsheet or another system, matching your columns to ours on screen. Every import can be undone.
Other places that use it
Video guides
See a booking taken
Short guides, most under a minute, with the steps written out underneath.
