Case Study: How Elusa Winery Tripled Event Revenue & Scaled Monthly Bookings with Tripleseat

Elusa Winery is a premium winery and hospitality destination located in Calistoga, California, that hosts intimate tastings, private celebrations, and curated culinary experiences across multiple on‑property spaces. The team manages both guest services and private events.

Before Tripleseat, Elusa Winery relied on Microsoft Excel and email to coordinate private events. Seasonal constraints (like harvest) made room availability unpredictable, and tracking details such as blackout dates, proposals, and payments across spreadsheets was time‑consuming and error‑prone. The team wanted a centralized, professional system to manage rising demand without sacrificing guest experience.

The Challenge: Spreadsheets, Seasonal Conflicts, & Manual Communication Limited Growth

Elusa Winery’s event volume and ambitions outgrew spreadsheets. Harvest months complicated availability for the Tank Room, causing conflicts and constant back‑and‑forth to confirm spaces and timelines. Manual email threads and document updates increased the chance of missed details and delayed responses.

As the winery expanded its private event programming, the team needed a reliable way to control dates, standardize documents, and present a polished, branded experience to clients—without adding headcount.

Disjointed Event Management

Event details lived in multiple spreadsheets and inbox threads, making it difficult to keep proposals, banquet event orders (BEOs), contracts, and invoices consistent. Version control issues created confusion internally and with clients. Without a single source of truth, the team spent valuable time finding information rather than executing events. New team members faced a steep learning curve due to inconsistent processes.

Seasonal Constraints & Scheduling Conflicts

Harvest put the Tank Room and other spaces in flux. Availability rules weren’t visible at a glance, so the team had to manually check dates and cross‑reference operational timelines. This process led to scheduling friction, potential double‑booking, and reactive communication with clients when plans had to change. Revenue opportunities were left on the table during peak months.

Guest Experiences at Risk

Clients expected fast, professional communication and one place to review details. Without a client portal, updates required email attachments and re‑sending documents, which slowed down decisions. The lack of a consistently branded experience made it harder to convey the winery’s quality and reliability, especially when changes occurred close to the event date.

“Tripleseat really changed our business. My bandwidth was wider, and I could take on more event business – so much so that I could eventually hire an Event Coordinator. We have literally gone from no events to events now being a really important revenue stream for the business.”

Johanna Holm — Director of Marketing and Events at Elusa Winery

Why Elusa Winery Chose Tripleseat

Elusa Winery evaluated solutions that could unify calendaring, documents, and payments while accommodating winery‑specific schedules like harvest. The team prioritized a platform that was easy to adopt and powerful enough to scale monthly event volume.

They looked for branded, guest‑facing tools that would reduce emails and give clients real‑time visibility into event details, documents, and approvals. Revenue operations were also a factor, as the team needed clear invoicing workflows and reminders to accelerate deposits and balances.

Tripleseat stood out for its purpose‑built event management, intuitive interface, and the ability to reflect operational realities (like blackout dates) in a central calendar, all while elevating the client experience.

Centralized calendar with rules and blackout dates for harvest period management
Branded guest portal for professional, on‑demand access to details and documents
Streamlined proposals, contracts, and BEOs with consistent templates
Automated reminders for invoices, deposits, and key milestones
Real‑time document updates that reflect instantly for clients
Clear task management to reduce email volume and manual follow‑ups
Reporting and visibility to track pipeline, pace, and revenue
Scalable workflows to support growth in events without adding headcount

The Solution: One Platform for Calendar Control, Standardized Documents, & a Polished Client Experience

Tripleseat replaced spreadsheets and scattered email threads with an all‑in‑one system that reflects Elusa Winery’s operational calendar, standardizes event paperwork, and gives clients a branded portal for real‑time updates. The team now works from a single source of truth, which means they can move faster from inquiry to signed agreement and payment while keeping every stakeholder aligned.

Standardized Documents & Workflows

Proposals, contracts, and BEOs were templatized to eliminate version confusion and reduce manual edits. Johanna joked that when Elusa Winery implemented Tripleseat, it was basically like an assistant was hired for her: “That’s what it felt like—that someone was now keeping track of all the emails, someone was reminding me that an invoice was due or a deposit was needed.”

Centralized Calendar & Space Management

A master calendar captures venue availability, rules, and harvest blackout dates so the Tank Room and other spaces are scheduled accurately. Conflicts are prevented earlier, and the team can confidently commit to dates. Seasonal programming is planned proactively instead of reactively.

Branded Guest Portal & Communication

Clients review and approve details in a clean, branded environment. Updates to BEOs and documents now appear instantly, reducing long email threads and accelerating decisions. Johanna mentioned, “It helps us give them [the clients] a sense of assurance that we are taking care of them, which we are!”

The Results: More Events, More Revenue, & a Smoother Client Experience

After adopting Tripleseat, Elusa Winery has experienced wins in revenue growth, operational efficiency, and guest confidence.

Event revenue surged following the move to Tripleseat.
Monthly event volume expanded substantially without adding headcount, going from 1‒2 events per month to 6‒10
Email back‑and‑forth dropped as clients used the portal and saw real‑time updates.
The team saves meaningful time per event thanks to standardized documents and automated reminders.
Payments move faster with clear tasks and automated reminders.
Clients express greater confidence in the process.

Lessons for Other Winery Venues

Winery operations have unique rhythms; your event system should reflect them. Elusa Winery’s experience shows how aligning calendars, documents, and client communication in one place unlocks both guest satisfaction and revenue growth.

Map seasonal realities (like harvest) into your master calendar to prevent conflicts before they happen.
Standardize proposals, contracts, and BEOs to speed approvals and reduce errors.
Use a branded client portal to centralize updates and cut down on email.
Automate reminders for deposits and deadlines to improve cash flow.
Track pipeline and pace so you can confidently scale monthly event volume.

Are You Ready for an Event System That Works for You?

If spreadsheets and seasonal conflicts are slowing your team, Tripleseat gives you one place to manage calendars, documents, and client communication with the polish your brand deserves. Move from inquiry to paid event faster, reduce back‑and‑forth, and plan proactively around harvest.

Request a demo today to see how Tripleseat can streamline your event operations.

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