The 3 BIG Fall Promotions in Your Bar This Year
Sports – The key behind a successful sports promotion is to build a community around the sport. Whenever that sport is broadcasted, people come to your bar because that’s where their community is. If it was just about watching the sport, let’s be honest – most people would stay home. But when people go to a bar to watch sports, it’s because they want to be around other people. The most basic way this is done, is when the bartender, manager, server or anyone on staff, can sit and talk sports with the person who is watching it. Every sports fan loves to just sit and talk all day about sports with someone else who is equally as passionate about it. For bars that utilize newsletters – the bar owner can write articles about their favorite sports teams or athletes, which builds rapport and stimulates conversation with guests when they come. Other ways to build community about sports include having pools, contests, gift giveaways and hosting celebrity athlete appearances. Fall is the greatest season because the big spectator sports are now in full swing. The NBA, NHL, NFL and UFC are great events you can make a fortune off of. But the key is to build a community of fans and constantly be talking sports.
Corporate Christmas Parties – Christmas parties are a big opportunity for bars and restaurants. Companies budget for Christmas parties every year to build morale on their teams and to impress clients. If you have a venue that is top notch, you need to have a process to book these parties. Here is how it’s done: Everybody in the bar and restaurant business inevitably meets people who give them business cards. Each one of those business cards is a potential lead for a corporate party. If you stay in front of these people over time using a newsletter or email newsletter, and throw in a phone call in November/December – there is a high probability they will book a party with you when Christmas arrives. If you want a lot of these cards, put a fishbowl at the front door and offer the chance to win a free $50 gift certificate for dropping off a business card. You will be drowning in contacts before you know it.
The Big Holidays – Halloween and New Years Eve are two of the biggest events of the year. To throw a successful event, find entertainment that is unique, get some sponsors and market it like crazy. Many operators struggle with these holidays, when they just expect people to show up without doing anything special or making a large promotional effort. The truth is – although Halloween and New Years Eve are big holidays, they are also very competitive in the sense that ever other bar also has something going on. In order for your Halloween and New Years Eve party to truly shine, you need all the ingredients: a unique theme, sponsors to help with production costs, and a plan to get the word out.
By Kevin Tam
Kevin Tam is specialist in liquor inventory control who serves as an advisor to bar, restaurant, night club and hotel operators. Along with providing weekly on-site audits, he also provides remote auditing services and consulting internationally for bar and restaurant owners who reside outside his home of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is also a published author, speaker and trainer. His book – Night Club Marketing Systems: How to Get Customers for Your Bar, was published in Fall 2011 and is available on Amazon.com. Send hime an email to [email protected] or visit www.nightclubmarketingsystems.com.
