Research support for events & hospitality professionals who can't afford to guess

Whether you're sourcing a venue for a 500-person corporate conference, vetting caterers for a destination wedding, or building a competitive rate analysis before a client proposal, the research phase eats hours you don't have. Trusty Oak Executive Assistants handle the legwork — sourcing options, comparing specs, and organizing findings — so you're walking into every decision with solid information instead of a gut feeling. This is especially useful during peak planning cycles when your attention needs to stay on client relationships and logistics execution.

Fractional research support for event and hospitality businesses

How Trusty Oak handles research for event and hospitality businesses

A Trusty Oak EA working in the events and hospitality space typically starts by getting a clear brief from you — event type, date range, guest count, budget parameters, geographic constraints, and any non-negotiables like AV capabilities or catering exclusivity clauses. From there, they work independently using tools like Google Workspace, Airtable, and Cvent's supplier directory to build out structured comparison documents across venues, vendors, or destinations. They cross-reference reviews on platforms like The Knot Pro, Yelp for Business, and TripAdvisor, and will reach out directly to vendors via email to request availability, pricing, and spec sheets on your behalf. You receive an organized summary — usually a spreadsheet or shared doc — with sourced options ranked against your criteria, so your job is to review and decide rather than dig. Your Client Success Manager sets this workflow up during onboarding so the EA understands your preferred formats and client-facing standards from day one.

What your EA takes off your plate

Before handing off a research project, write down the three or four criteria that would actually eliminate an option — things like a room capacity minimum, a hard budget ceiling, or a required in-house catering policy. The most common mistake first-time delegators make is giving a vague brief and then spending as much time clarifying back-and-forth as they would have spent doing the research themselves. A tight brief upfront means your EA can work independently and deliver something you can actually use.

Venue Sourcing & Comparison

Research venues by capacity, location, AV specs, catering policies, and pricing, then compile findings into a side-by-side comparison doc using Airtable or Google Sheets.

Vendor Vetting

Identify and vet caterers, florists, photographers, or AV companies by reviewing portfolios, checking references, confirming licensing, and summarizing fit against your event requirements.

Destination & Hotel Block Research

Research destination options for multi-day events or retreats, including hotel block availability, room rates, attrition policies, and proximity to event venues.

Competitive Pricing Analysis

Gather market-rate data on event packages, catering minimums, or rental fees to help you position proposals competitively or evaluate whether a vendor quote is reasonable.

Permit & Compliance Research

Research local permitting requirements for outdoor events, noise ordinances, liquor licensing, or temporary structure regulations in a specific city or county.

Tools our team works with

We adapt to your existing stack — no forced migrations.

SEMrush

SimilarWeb

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Apollo.io

Statista

...and many more!

Trusted by event and hospitality businesses

Trusty Oak supports event and hospitality businesses including Chava Group, Couret Leadership Lab, Generations Now, and 2 others — handling everything from research to broader operational support.

What research support costs for event and hospitality businesses

Drag the sliders to build a monthly plan that fits your workload.

Executive Assistants

~$35/hour

10 hours $350

Specialists

~$50/hour

20 hours $1,000

Fractional Executives

~$95/hour

0 hours $0

Your monthly budget

$1,350

Starting at $1,000/month. One-time $300 onboarding fee includes your Strategic Delegation Plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Trusty Oak EA reach out to venues or vendors directly on my behalf?

Yes — EAs can contact venues, caterers, and other vendors via email to request availability, pricing, and spec sheets. You'll typically set them up with a branded email alias or they'll reach out from a Trusty Oak address with your context included, depending on your preference.

How does this work if my research needs vary a lot from event to event?

That's the norm in events and hospitality, and it's well-suited to Trusty Oak's hourly model. You brief the EA on each project individually, and your Client Success Manager helps establish a standard intake template during onboarding so that even one-off requests get handed off cleanly without a lot of back-and-forth setup.

Is 36 time entries across all industries enough to know this service works for events?

It's an honest number — research is a supporting service at Trusty Oak, not the highest-volume offering. What it tells you is that EAs are actively handling this work, and the events and hospitality context is a strong fit given how much pre-event sourcing and vendor comparison work exists in this industry. The best way to evaluate fit is to start with one scoped research project during your onboarding period.

Stop losing hours to research you could delegate

Trusty Oak's onboarding includes a Strategic Delegation Plan built around your actual workflow — so your EA is ready to handle venue sourcing, vendor vetting, and more from week one. Plans start at $1,000/month with a one-time $300 onboarding fee.