DIY Setup Guide

Your BrandWave system is already built. Now let's make it yours.

Everything is pre-configured, including workflows, templates, automations, calendars, and the core pricing engine. Your job is to personalize the system with your venues, pricing, calendars, contracts, and templates so it runs as your own from day one.

What you'll personalize

  • Account settings & branding
  • Venue names and pricing
  • Add-ons and pricing
  • Calendar availability
  • Contract & email templates

Estimated time: 60–90 minutes start to finish.

Prefer it done for you? Book a Setup Call

Your 5-phase setup path

  1. Phase 1Account Setup
  2. Phase 2Venue & Pricing
  3. Phase 3Calendars
  4. Phase 4Contracts & Emails
  5. Phase 5Test & Go Live
Phase 1

Account Setup

Get the basics in place so every email, text, and invoice goes out under your venue's name.

Step 1.1, Update Business Information

What to do

  1. 1Open Settings → Business Profile.
  2. 2Replace the placeholder business name, address, and phone with your venue's real details.
  3. 3Upload your venue logo (square format, transparent PNG preferred).

Critical rule

Your business name here appears on every invoice, contract, and automated message. Make sure it matches your legal/operating name exactly.

When this step is complete

Your venue's name, logo, and address now appear across the entire system.

Step 1.2, Connect Your Sending Email

What to do

  1. 1Go to Settings → Email Services.
  2. 2Add the email address you want clients to receive messages from.
  3. 3Verify the domain by adding the DNS records shown.

Critical rule

Do not skip domain verification. Without it, automated emails will land in spam and your booking funnel will break.

When this step is complete

Automated emails send from your venue's domain and reach client inboxes reliably.

Step 1.3, Set Up Your Phone Number

What to do

  1. 1Go to Settings → Phone Numbers.
  2. 2Claim a local number that matches your venue's area code.
  3. 3Complete the A2P registration form when prompted.

Note

Phone numbers carry usage-based charges (per text and per minute of voice). See usage charges.

Already have a number you want to keep? You can port it in. Email support@meetbrandwave.com and we'll walk you through it.

When this step is complete

You can send and receive texts directly through the platform with a number clients recognize.

Phase 1 complete. Your account is connected and ready to send emails and text messages under your venue's name.

Phase 2

Venue & Pricing

Add your venues and add-ons as records, then align your Booking Details Form so pricing flows from one central place.

Step 2.1, Add Your Venues

What to do

  1. 1Go to Settings → Objects → Venues.
  2. 2Click Add Record.
  3. 3Enter the venue or room name exactly as clients should see it.
  4. 4Enter the daily rate as a number only.
  5. 5Save, then repeat for each venue.

Critical rule

The venue name must match the Booking Details Form option exactly, capitalization, spacing, and punctuation included.

When this step is complete

Your venue pricing is stored in one central place.

Step 2.2, Add Your Add Ons

What to do

  1. 1Go to Settings → Objects → Add Ons.
  2. 2Click Add Record.
  3. 3Enter the add-on name exactly as clients should see it.
  4. 4Enter the daily rate as a number only.
  5. 5Save, then repeat for each add-on.

Critical rule

The add-on name must match the Booking Details Form option exactly.

When this step is complete

Your add-on pricing is stored in one central place.

Step 2.3, Update the Booking Details Form

What to do

  1. 1Go to Sites → Forms → Booking Details Form.
  2. 2Update the Venue dropdown options to match your Venue record names exactly.
  3. 3Update the Add-ons checkbox options to match your Add On record names exactly.
  4. 4Save and preview the form.

Critical rule

The form option labels must match your Object record names character for character.

When this step is complete

Your booking form is connected to your pricing records.

Phase 2 complete. Your pricing, add-ons, and booking form now reflect your real offerings.

Phase 3

Calendars

Set your real availability so tours and events only book when you can host them.

Step 3.1, Configure Your Tour & Event Calendars

What to do

  1. 1Go to Calendars → Tour Calendar → Settings and set your tour availability windows (days, times, and duration).
  2. 2Adjust buffer time between tours and the minimum scheduling notice.
  3. 3Go to Calendars → Event Calendar → Settings. This calendar is your internal source of truth for booked dates, holds, and event availability.
  4. 4Block out dates that are unavailable or already booked, and set your standard event duration and turnaround buffer.

Critical rule

Set a realistic minimum tour notice (typically 24–48 hours) so you're never surprised by a same-day tour.

When this step is complete

Tours only book when you can host them, and your Event Calendar accurately reflects booked dates, holds, and availability.

Phase 3 complete, your calendars now reflect real availability for tours and events.

Phase 4

Contracts & Emails

Personalize the pre-built contract and email templates with your venue's voice, terms, and policies.

Step 4.1, Customize the Contract Template

What to do

  1. 1Go to Payments → Documents & Contracts → Templates.
  2. 2Open the BrandWave contract template.
  3. 3Review every section: deposit terms, cancellation policy, alcohol/insurance clauses, and signature blocks.
  4. 4Replace placeholder language with your venue's actual policies.
  5. 5Confirm the dynamic merge fields are in place: venue name, add-on summary, days booked, total price, deposit amount, and balance due.

Critical rule

Have your attorney review the final contract before going live. The template is a starting point, not legal advice.

When this step is complete

Your contract reflects your venue's real terms, pulls dynamic pricing details, and is ready to send to clients.

Step 4.2, Customize Email Templates

What to do

  1. 1Go to Marketing → Emails → Templates.
  2. 2Open each template (inquiry response, tour confirmation, post-tour follow-up, booking confirmation, deposit reminder).
  3. 3Adjust the tone, signature, and any venue-specific details.
  4. 4Send a test of each template to yourself.

When this step is complete

Every automated email sounds like your venue and contains accurate information.

Phase 4 complete, your contracts and emails are personalized, accurate, and ready for real clients.

Phase 5

Test & Go Live

Run the full client journey end-to-end before pointing traffic at the system.

Step 5.1, Run a Full Booking & Payment Test

What to do

  1. 1Submit the Booking Details Form using a personal email.
  2. 2Move the opportunity to Ready for Contract.
  3. 3Confirm the pricing calculates correctly from your Venue and Add On records.
  4. 4Confirm the contract is generated and sent with the right merge fields.
  5. 5Sign the contract, then confirm the opportunity moves to Deposit Pending.
  6. 6Manually create and send the deposit invoice.
  7. 7Simulate payment on the deposit invoice.
  8. 8Confirm the opportunity moves to Confirmed and the booking confirmation emails are sent.

Critical rule

Use a real personal email, not a test address. Invoices are created manually in this workflow; do not assume they generate automatically.

When this step is complete

You've validated the full booking → contract → deposit → confirmation flow with real pricing pulled from your Custom Objects.

Phase 5 complete, your system is tested end-to-end and ready for real clients.

You're Live

Your system is running. Here's what it now handles for you, and what your day looks like from here.

What the system handles

  • Captures every inquiry and routes it into your pipeline
  • Sends tour confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups
  • Calculates pricing automatically from your venue and add-on records
  • Generates contracts with the correct dates and pricing
  • Tracks deposits and final payments
  • Keeps every lead, tour, and booking organized in one place

Your daily workflow

  1. 1Open your dashboard and review new inquiries.
  2. 2Confirm tours and respond to any direct messages.
  3. 3Send contracts to clients ready to book.
  4. 4Review the pipeline and close out completed events.

Common Issues

Hit a snag? Most setup questions fall into one of these buckets.

Want this done for you?

Standard Setup is $1,500 one-time + $100/month. We handle the full configuration, custom values, calendars, contract personalization, email templates, and end-to-end testing, so your system is ready to take real bookings without you touching a setting.

Book a Setup Call