EventUp Venue Spotlight: Strock Enterprises, Inc.
Location: Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Team Member: Kurtis – Operational Support/Owner
Venue Name: Strock Enterprises, Inc., home of three renovated old barns into modern event venues!
EventUp Listing: here!
What is the best part of your job?
Family. Working with families to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other life milestones and being part of creating new families or bringing them together with weddings and baby showers and treating employees & customers like family, giving them a home away from home. Last but not least, working with family because we are a small business on a farm which has been in our family for over 100 years.
Tell me about your venue – the story behind it, the menu, the location, the decor.
Believe it or not, our venue and catering business started as a pig & turkey farm! My Dad built his first custom charcoal hog roaster about 40 years ago, cooking for local friends & family. Without any advertising, the pig roasting business grew and grew organically, by word of mouth.
Over time, and thanks to my Mom also running retail meat & deli, they added homemade sides to the pig roasts – mac & cheese, pasta salad, coleslaw, etc. Again, it just grew on its own. Eventually, they added other meats and even more sides, and it became a full-blown catering business.
Around ’08-’09, the wedding catering business rocketed in popularity. As they were traveling around the area, cooking for all these other venues, the old renovated building trend started to rise. So, in 2013, the old barn on our family farm was renovated into a fully heated & airconditioned event venue with modern amenities but with a rustic, old, family-owned farm feel and country charm.
In 2016, as the business continued to grow, we renovated another old building, the Corn Crib, to accommodate smaller events like baby showers, bridal showers, dinners, etc., for up to 65 people and host wedding ceremonies of up to 140 people. In 2020, due to the pandemic, we now have an open-air, covered venue to seat up to 300+ people!
We’ve literally catered and/or hosted thousands of events over the years and have pretty much seen it all!
What types of events are commonly held at your venue, and why is your space perfect for these types of events?
Any type of life milestone event!! You name it; we’ve most likely hosted it!
Weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, birthdays, retirement, graduation, sweet 16, bridal shower, reunions, family gathering, Quinceanera, bar mitzvahs, prom, etc.
Our spaces are casual enough for a t-shirt, country enough for cowboy boots, but also beautiful enough to be dressed like royalty!
We also host a lot of local businesses for their employee picnic, holiday party, customer appreciation, corporate meetings, and team building. Weekdays are perfect for company events!
What makes your venue special or unique?
Our small farm atmosphere with friendly, helpful staff, ready to help when needed and who treat you like family! Along with down-home country cooking, generous, delicious sides, and plenty of fresh, charcoal-grilled meats… you’ll leave with a full belly and a full soul!
How long have you been using EventUp & How has EventUp improved your job and events at your venue?
Ever since, we’ve been using Tripleseat as our event management software which has streamlined our customer relations, booking, and catering processes.
Tell me something about your venue that I would only know if I visited in person.
We are not just an event venue but also a working farm.
What event trends are you seeing this year that you love? And what event trend do you wish would go away?
The first trend is a smaller wedding ceremony with only close friends & family, then a bigger reception after that. The ceremony is the people who will be there through your entire life, walking with you, no matter what. I like that. We are also seeing special events booking much faster than in the past, sometimes even before a venue tour!
I’d like to see some of the wedding “buzzwords” go away—terms like shabby chic, boho, non-traditional, and a few others. I heard “garden wedding” a couple of weeks ago, and I just rolled my eyes. Just do what you want. Make your wedding yours. Don’t pick a trendy theme or scheme.
Grab a quote that best represents your venue.
“We are family.” I can’t point to just one person who said it because I’ve heard it so many times.
What was your favorite event to execute and why?
I usually come back to the Halloween-themed wedding we hosted a few years ago because the couple really leaned into it. I remember spider webs, skeletons, a sign that said, “Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake,” and someone in a Jason costume walking her down the aisle.
What would you say to someone considering EventUp to help them connect with new leads and grow their events business?
The more opportunities to get more leads, the better off you’ll be, typically. It never hurts to at least give it a shot and take a risk!
Anything else you want to add?
Tripleseat has been a fantastic tool for us, for everything from inquiries & leads, through contracts, our calendar, and gathering event final details.
Book Your Next Event at Sprock Enterprises, Inc.
Are you ready to schedule your next event or wedding at Sprock Enterprises, Inc.? Check out their EventUp listings to connect with Kurtis and his team to request an event quote.