Services, Rental Catalog, and Inventory Tutorial realistic workflow image
Eventodesk Tutorials

Catalog and inventory

Services, Rental Catalog, and Inventory Tutorial

Organize what customers can browse and what owners must protect: services, packages, categories, rental items, quantities, pricing units, and reservation context.

What you will learn

By the end, you should understand the difference between service pages that sell and inventory records that protect the business.

Services and catalog items solve different problems. Services explain what customers can hire you for: birthday packages, tent rentals, wedding setups, school events, photo booths, or corporate rentals. Inventory records explain what the business owns, how many are available, and what must be protected from overlap.

A good Eventodesk setup uses both. The public website gives customers enough clarity to request the right thing, while the dashboard helps owners reserve items for booked events and avoid promising the same stock twice.

Services, Rental Catalog, and Inventory Tutorial Eventodesk workflow screenshot
Illustrated Eventodesk workflow view for this tutorial.

Step by step

Use this workflow in order

These steps are written for an owner or office team member trying to finish real work, not for a developer reading feature notes.

  1. Create broad service pages first Start with 3 to 6 services or packages customers naturally understand before adding every small inventory item.
  2. Add catalog categories Group rental items into categories like chairs, tables, tents, inflatables, concessions, linens, decor, AV, or photo booth add-ons.
  3. Add item photos, price units, and quantities Use clear item names, realistic quantities, price labels, and featured status for the items customers should notice first.
  4. Reserve inventory for real events Use date-range reservations or booked-event holds so the dashboard can warn about overlaps.
  5. Review returns and damage notes Inventory protection continues after delivery. Track returned, damaged, or missing items so the next quote is based on reality.

Workflow map

What to look for inside Eventodesk

Service cards

Sell the event outcome and link customers to more detail.

Catalog categories

Make browsing easier by grouping items the way customers think.

Rental item detail

Show photo, description, unit price, quantity, and quote action.

Reservations

Protect items during the full out-and-return window.

Return tracking

Record what came back, what is damaged, and what needs attention.

Why it helps the business

Business value

  • Customers understand what to request without calling for every basic question.
  • Owners reduce double-booking risk by separating browsing from confirmed reservations.
  • Inventory records make weekend planning and return accountability easier.

Avoid these mistakes

Common problems

  • Putting every item into services instead of using catalog categories for browseable rentals.
  • Showing prices without making clear that final availability and delivery are owner-reviewed.
  • Failing to update returned, damaged, or missing status after the event.

Next step

Turn the catalog into a sales tool and an operations tool.

Use services to explain value, catalog items to help customers browse, and inventory reservations to protect confirmed work.