We have always encouraged reserving equipment if a customer got far enough in the sales process online that it was worth working with them and trying to make the sale. Many people that didn't have the time to do that, have instead chosen to setup their process to be more of a first come, first served style. While this can be effective, it may result in missing out on larger events if smaller ones book first.
Now, you can get the best of both worlds by reserving the equipment and later expiring that reservation after a couple warnings that will hopefully get you the sale.