4. Expanded Feature Catalog (What Buyers Ask For)

These are features COI buyers ask for, drawn from competitor feature lists (10) and the venue workflow. Each is classified with the same honesty as the stated list. Being in demand doesn't mean you should build it. Most of these demands are already met by someone, often for free.

Legend: TS = Table stakes, D = Differentiator, X = Distraction, L = Liability. Priority: P0 = v1 of the venue wedge, P1 = next, P2 = later, — = don't build.

Demand signals are from competitor pages (what incumbents chose to build) and analyst judgment. No venue coordinator was interviewed in this run. Treat every venue-specific demand as a hypothesis for the calls in 08.

A. Collection

Feature	Demand signal	Category	Priority	Notes
Vendor upload by magic link, no account	Every competitor has it (COI File, Billy "no account", BCS app)	TS	P0	Vendors will not create accounts for one wedding.
Requirement letter sent with each request (venue's legal name, limits, AI wording)	Implied by every "requirements template"	TS → D	P0	The free generator is also the SEO hook (see 07).
Event-clock request schedule (T-30, T-14, T-7, T-3)	Venue-specific, unverified	D	P0	The core workflow gap. Renewal-based chasing (30/14/7 days before expiry) is what the others do.
Copy the host on overdue vendors	Venue-specific, unverified	D	P0	The host hired the vendor, and the host has leverage.
Vendor profile reused across venues	Certificial's network idea, applied locally	D	P1	Saves vendors time. Every vendor is a lead for other venues.
Email-forward intake (vendor emails a PDF to venue@…)	Common request	TS	P1	Many vendors will just email the PDF anyway.
SMS requests	Nice to have	TS	P2	US business texting rules (10DLC) add set-up work.
Vendor mobile app	BCS has one	X	—	A mobile browser does the job.

B. Reading and checking

Feature	Demand signal	Category	Priority	Notes
AI extraction from ACORD 25	In every product, including free tiers	TS	P0	Off-the-shelf model, human confirm, capped pages.
Coverage active on the event date	Venue-specific	D	P0	A certificate valid today may lapse before a wedding in 5 months.
Venue named exactly as certificate holder	Common failure (analyst judgment)	TS	P0	Fuzzy-match the legal name, and flag near-misses.
Additional-insured endorsement page present	Jones and illumend push "endorsement review"	D / L	P0	Ask for the endorsement, don't infer it from a tick box. Never state the venue is covered.
Liquor liability for bar and catering vendors	Venue-specific	D	P0	Standard in venue vendor policies (unverified). A missing one is the classic gap.
Limits check against the venue's template	Every competitor	TS	P0
Workers' comp or exemption for vendor staff	Common in templates	TS	P1	State rules vary. Record, don't judge.
Host one-day event liability policy check	Venue-specific, unverified	D	P1	Same engine, different certificate.
Full policy-language analysis (exclusions)	Jones's "Insurance Policy Verification"	X / L	—	Expensive, and a legal minefield for a solo founder.
Live policy status from carriers or agencies	Certificial's model	X for now	—	Needs agency network partnerships you can't get early.
Fraud detection (edited PDFs)	Asked for in enterprise	TS later	P2	Basic checks: altered PDF metadata, call-the-agent prompt.

C. Workflow and view

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
Event list with ready / missing per event	D	P0	The coordinator's daily screen.
Requirement sets per space or event type (wedding vs corporate vs bar service)	D	P1	Venue Pro tier.
Human override with reason, logged	TS / L-shield	P0	The coordinator decides, and the log shows it.
Weekly digest ("3 events next week, 2 vendors missing")	TS	P0	Real-time alerts only for T-3 misses.
Multi-venue group view	D	P2	Group tier, month 9+.
Staff roles (owner, coordinator, read-only)	TS	P1

D. Audit and evidence

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
Per-event audit pack (PDF)	D	P0	For the venue's insurer or lawyer after an incident.
Retention policy (keep 7 years, then delete)	TS	P1	Length unverified; let the venue choose.
Venue's own insurer summary report	D	P2	Only if venues say their insurer asks.

E. Integrations

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
CSV import of events	TS	P0	Works with any booking tool.
Calendar feed (iCal) of events	TS	P1	Cheap and universal.
Booking-software sync (Tripleseat, Perfect Venue, HoneyBook…)	D if the tool has an API	P2	Only for the tool ≥30% of paying venues use. APIs unverified.
Zapier or Make connector	TS	P2	Lets venues wire it up themselves.
AppFolio, Buildium, Yardi, Procore	X	—	Wrong buyer. See 03.

F. Money and insurance

Feature	Category	Priority	Notes
"Get a certificate" link for uninsured small vendors or hosts (to event-insurance providers)	D / L	P2	No commission without licensing advice. A plain referral link with no fee is fine.
Charge vendors a fee to upload	L	—	Vendors will refuse and the venue gets the blame. Billy's free-for-subs positioning shows the norm.
Payments or deposits	X	—	Booking software does this.

G. Other asks you'll hear

Feature	Category	Notes
W-9, business licence, food-handler permits	D later (P2)	Billy collects W-9s and licences. For caterers, health permits are a natural add-on after insurance works.
Vendor ratings or a "preferred vendor" directory	X	A marketplace problem. Venues have their own lists.
Contract generation for vendors	X	Booking and contract tools already do it.
AI chatbot answering "is this vendor OK?"	X / L	illumend's Lumie does this. For you it's a liability without clear value.

4.1 Net effect

Of roughly 40 demanded features, about 10 are real differentiators for the venue wedge, and about 12 belong in v1 (P0). Everything else is table stakes to add slowly, other products to integrate with, or risks to avoid.