Nightclub Marketing www.nightclubmarketing.co.uk

Additional cash income with no investment

2008-12-20T16:25:00.000-08:00

We came across this interesting income generator for nightclubs, sports bars and clubs, bars and live music venues.

Click on the photo for more information!

Marketing in tough conditions

2008-12-05T12:39:00.001-08:00

Nightclub marketing in the downturn!

By John Hicks of Headline Promotions, Press & PR

In these dire economic times with despondency over the credit crunch, lower spends per head and job losses it would be easy for nightclubs, bars, live music venues and restaurants to lose their way with marketing and promotions. It is too easy think to think that competitive edge can be gained by simply running a giveaway promotion, sticking some ads in the newspapers and shoving up some posters.

No, this is the time to be creative. Yes, it is so competitive out there right now and margins are tight so give your business the edge by sitting your team down and brainstorming ideas.

Firstly, think about gaining some press coverage. Why not organise a party for the local Childrens' ward at the hospital (a little late now but worth thinking about, I have had huge coverage in the past with this), run a joint promotion with the local cinema, offer the newspaper and radio station a voucher or competition prize, issue a press release about a new menu, run a contrived let evening such as Hairdresser of the Year, run a mid-week charity night with a local band (they bring followers!) etc etc.

Secondly, get some flyers printed (there are some great deals out there for printing at the moment) and get some attractive, smart and branded staff out in the town handing them out. Get them to hit your target audience with the flyers and chat to people about what you are offering.

Thirdly, build upon your existing networking contacts. Give them a call or pop in to see them - check if they have any last minute Christmas leaving parties they want hosting. See if they want to do any joint promotions or competitions together. For service industries and retailers working through December, invite them into a special Christmas Party in January. This is what you should have been doing all year so don't stop now!

Finally, look at your budgets. Can you squeeze out some money for a celebrity personal appearance. It's late but can be done (if you are stuck for contacts this late you are welcome to drop me an e-mail at john@headlinepromotions.co.uk as I may be able to help).

Please do not forget to think about the customer experience when you are successful in getting the customer in the door. At the very least you want to hang onto them for as long as possible and not encourage them to wander off to another venue. At best, you want them to be unpaid ambassadors going out telling people what a great place you have! Double check that your staff are looking their very best and in good spirit. Check your Christmas decorations are clean and look fresh even though they have been up a while. Double check your maintenance list is sorted. Check your stock to make sure you are not going to run out of product or toilet rolls. Check your DJ's are fired up, looking great and playing the right party music. Check your menus are spotlessly clean. Check your kitchen is spotlessly clean despite the pressure from busy trading sessions. Again, this is what you do normally - but can be put aside when we get stuck into the busy festive season.

I will not wish you good luck. We make our own luck! But, I do wish you a great Christmas and New Year.

Top ten tips to maximise your marketing impact in a recession

2008-10-28T02:39:00.000-07:00

Even the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is now using the “R” word. Yes, Recession is here!

I fully believe that, because of it, just about every business and organisation out there is having to cut back on expenditure in some areas of activity, become more efficient, and more effective with their spend.

It’s nothing new, we are always being asked to do that, but this time it’s serious. It hasn’t been this serious since the 2001 Dot Com bust.

I was with a client earlier this week and we were brainstorming a marketing strategy for this recession and I was asked for my top ten ideas for marketing through these stormy seas. Whilst this article was penned for general business use, some of the ideas are ones we can relate to in our industry so I thought I would share this with you.

1. Existing customers are key: In times of economic uncertainty, when budgets are getting cut back, people buy from who they know. This means you’ve got to engage with the customer base more frequently and deeply than ever before. Look at your communications strategy for customers remembering that it is far more expensive to attract new customers than it is to retain existing ones.

2. Supplier relationships. You will have already looked with your suppliers at ways of cutting costs and/or improving service. You will have already reviewed your purchasing policies and procedures to ensure maximum value. Now look for opportunities to work with them on joint promotions, joint marketing and advertising including newspaper and radio advertorials, links to and from their website or other ways in which you can help each other. These other ways might include attending trade fairs together or setting up regional/local seminars, workshops or exhibitions. Now is the time to be creative whilst limiting exposure to costs!

3. Joint ventures. Try and look for new working relationships. I was talking to a manufacturer who was seeking marketing advice. I talked myself out of the job because the solution was actually to go out and license the product to an existing High Street retailer who has the outlets and sales volume. I was lucky enough to develop a working relationship with a management consultancy and they introduce clients to me, and vice versa. No cost to either of us!

4. Measure Everything: Know what works, and what doesn’t, and stop what doesn’t. We do this in normal times but the pressure is now on to do it as effectively as we possibly can. I was working with my client Sunset Lingerie http://www.sunsetlingerie.co.uk/ and during the last few months we found that 36,000 hits were from people in the US. Result? We established a US mirror image site with US graphics, US sizes and priced in dollars. A low cost attempt to capitalise on the reality of who is using their website meant that they have an additional income stream.

5. Invest in Communications: Communications becomes a high ROI tactic in tough times. Use it! Make sure your PR firm is using all the social media tools at your disposal to get your message out. If you don’t have a PR firm then start a FaceBook page, start a blog, brand a You Tube channel, create a corporate page on Next2Friends http://www.next2friends.com/ and develop some viral content. Its low cost and it works. Use your PR firm to also push out some articles across the web to help raise your profile and make it easier for people to find you. And, do not forget to get out there! Be seen at trade fairs, have a stand at the local xmas fayre, donate a prize to the childrens ward xmas party, whatever is appropriate. It needn’t costs much money at all. Look at the Chicago Rock Cafe promotional car in the photograph above, this cost nothing! Yet, the profile of the venue was raised significantly over the twelve months of the sponsorship deal from the local Chrylser dealership!

6. Data is king. Review both your data and the way it is collected and maintained. Ensure that the collection system is comprehensive and that it is kept up to date. Unless you are a government agency or department, where it is normal to lose confidential data on a train or left in a highly visible briefcase on the back seat of our car ready to be easily stolen by the first thief walking past, you must ensure that we comply with the strict requirements of the Data Protection legislation. Do not abuse that data. If you need more data, for direct mail shots or telesales campaign, buy some in. It is not that expensive and is an invaluable tool.

7. Your website. Increasingly, customers are using websites to find suppliers and find the best deals. Look at your website with fresh eyes, does it work, does it say what you want it to say, do you need special offers at this time, are your Unique Selling Points prominent? Also review with your webmaster is the Search Engine Optimisation is working its best. Check if you have plenty of links to and from your site. Look at opportunities to generate new income from affiliate scheme or advertising. I sold some adverts on some of my websites for $30 a year, not big bucks but that is money I didn’t have before and it took me five minutes to drop them into my sites. In addition, I now have another new business contact that I might be able to develop a new working relationship with.

8. Internal communication. When senior managers are under pressure, it is too easy to stop listening to colleague or communicating back to them. Make sure that your internal communications, even if just using simple email systems, are working. In particular, make sure you are listening to customer facing staff so that you are hearing the feedback they are getting from your customers.

9. Have a Strategy. Strategy is about sacrifice and if everything is a priority then nothing is a priority. Make it a living, breathing, document that you share widely with colleagues even if some commercially sensitive areas are withheld. Let the staff feel part of this process. Revisit it regularly and update it in the light of practical experience.

10. Business networking. I hate business networking events, even the better ones from Business Link, as I have never met anyone either sensible or someone I really would like to business with. They wasted my time. The best forum for meeting like minded business people that I have found is online at We Can Do Biz http://www.wecando.biz/ and membership is free. I guess what I like about it most is that the business people on there are friendly, helpful and business community minded!

And remember to create your own networks. The photo above was taken at a Recruitment Fair for Chicago Rock Cafe in Yeovil. I simply went round the town inviting retailers and other employers to have a free stand at a recruitment open day. The local newspaper sponsored it and gave us plenty of free advertising as a result. The exhibitors put out flyers in their stores or factories so Chicago Rock received plenty of positive PR. I made new business contacts. Chicago Rock also won some Christmas party bookings from the exhibitors. Cost? Nothing!!!

I’m sure there are lots of ideas about marketing in a recession. Please share a few with me as I surely could use all the help I can get, and let’s share it with others!

But, more importantly, have the faith to remember that these things are cyclical. Those of us with grey hairs have seen this before and prudent financial and business planning now will put us in good stead to be there at the end ready for the upturn.

You can read John’s blog on marketing for small businesses at http://www.headlinepromotions.blogspot.com/ or visit his website at www.headlinepromotions.co.uk

Bartender scams

2008-10-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

By John Hicks of Nightclub Marketing
- a specialist division of Headline Promotions, Press and Public Relations

I was once called in to a nightclub where profits had dropped dramatically over the previous twelve months trading period.

Oddly enough, the manager had just resigned and taken off in his new yacht to sail the seven seas, Not a bad result for someone on his wages! But he had left and profits were still underperforming so, naturally, there was a large degree of suspicion falling on the staff in general.

The immediate task was to hold some unannounced stock checks, till crashes mid shift and post-delivery spot checks to ensure deliveries of stock were correct.

Bartenders are generally a nice bunch of people, but temptation sometimes gets the best of them.

Here are some examples of what they might do to “get ahead in life.” There are variations on many of these themes, so don’t by any means consider this a comprehensive list:

1. Overpouring to get a larger tip.

2. Underpouring to build a bank of liquor, which the bartender will later sell and pocket the difference.

3. Bringing in his own liquor from the supermarket, taking advantage of their cheap prices, and pocketing the sales from that bottle

4. Comping drinks to get a bigger tip.

5. Giving free drinks to friends.

6. Ringing bottled beer as draught and pocketing the difference.

7. Ringing a sale on the comp or “no sale” key, then pocketing the difference.

8. Ringing drinks at happy hour prices, allowing the bartender to pocket the difference.

9. Abusing your promotions by ringing up more expensive drinks that contain the same amount/type of liquor as the promotion, and pocketing the difference.

10. Leaving the cash drawer open after ringing the sale, which gives the bartender a chance to make a few sales without you knowing it.

11. Claiming someone walked out without paying, when the bartender is actually pocketing the difference.

12. Selling a sample drink and pocketing the difference.

13. Faking a broken bottle, then selling the contents of the bottle and pocketing the difference.

14. Making and logging a drink wrong, then selling it to someone else after it’s returned and pocketing the difference.

15. Circumventing a pouring spout control system by bringing in his own spouts, leaving spouts off certain bottles, putting electronic spouts in the microwave to fry them (really!), or dozens of other ways that have been devised to beat spout systems.

16. Pocketing unrecorded sales of sodas or juices, which are seldom inventoried, or ringing them as a liquor sale to pad previous unrecorded liquor sales.

17. Z’ing the register an hour or so before quitting time, at which point all subsequent sales can be pocketed.

18. Pretending to make a mistake while ringing up a sale, then using a makeup ring to cover the “mistaken” ring. For instance, ringing a 5.50 drink at 1.50p, then pocketing the four pounds and, if questioned, saying the under-ring was a makeup for a previous sale that they had mistakenly mis-recorded.

19. Over-estimating the wastage in line cleaning and pocketing the difference - or selling the last few pints out of the system.

Many of these scams can be revealed, and thus deterred, by good management practices. Of those, the most important is thorough inventory control, including taking regular physical inventories and tracking receiving and empties. Simply relying on your EPOS system or pouring control system will not take the place of regular, thorough physical inventories.

So the choice is simple: keep a handle on things – or contribute to your bartenders’ early retirement.

What was wrong in the club I mentioned in the introduction? Well, I had people observe staff working, crashed their tills mid shift and reviewed the CCTV footage over many long and arduous hours. Nothing found!

Then on a busy Friday evening I was in the restaurant area with my Director bemoaning the fact that we had not found the problem. I called for an X reading from the till and it looked quite promising. The drinks sales were good. Door takings were fairly typical for a Friday night. Cloakroom sales were not brilliant but ok.

But hand on! Door takings typical??? The club was packed to near its 900 capacity. Door takings, when you divided the money by the admission charge, was only 400 or so people! We crashed the tills and found double the money on the X reading.

Then it dawned on us. There were two tills on the door but only one was connected to the EPOS system, one lot of takings were never recorded. The staff had known the manager was on the take so, when he left, they just carried on and split the takings.

The Police were called and head office started legal proceedings against staff for recovery of the money. And I got brownie points!

Valuing the time spent on social networking sites

2008-10-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

Popular social networking sites, including the giants of these, MySpace and Facebook, have undoubtedly changed the human fabric of the Internet.

Largely the domain of a predominantly youthful user base, they are also well supported by older users. There is also a firm base of professionals using it for business purposes also - from advertising to networking.

You will know the names: LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook, Next2Friends, FastPitch, Ecademy, Photobucket as well as the plethora of blogging and photo sharing sites.

Time is precious to everyone, none more so than to a small business owner like me. Over the past few years I have joined many, often following an invitation by a friend, colleague or business acquaintance.

The trouble is that I now find that I do not have the time to use them to full advantage and my inbox is inundated every day, especially as those creative geniuses at Facebook devise ever increasingly obscure ways to persuade members to spend time not only theirs but, by spreading the web, encouraging me to spend my time too.

This week alone, I received two more invitations to join new social networking sites! So, I have decided to cull my memberships of these sites. It was an interesting exercise so I would like to share this experience with you.

My interests divide into four key areas: business (networking and blogging), personal and music (live music being my passion).

Music was easy. Of all the memberships I have, MySpace is the most dynamic and user-friendly. I have maintained old relationships and made lots of new ones through MySpace and, especially as I rarely get e-mails from them, I am keeping my page (www.myspace.com/headlinepromotions).

Business more difficult to weed out. Of all the networking sites I belong to for networking, only one has actually generated any business contacts - either suppliers or customers. That is WeCanDoBiz (http://www.wecando.biz/). I do like this site and it has proved successful business-wise. It was very simple to register and is free.

Blogging was not an issue. Blogger dotcom (hhtp://www.blogger.com) is no useful and so easy to understand that I would not for one moment consider changing. Some of my blogs are well read (such as my Headline Promotions, Press & Public Relations blog site: www.headlinepromotions.blogspot.com) so that speaks for itself. Others are actually the website content for my domains (e.g. my world record attempt resource http://www.worldrecordattempt.co.uk/) so are effectively free hosting sites and, because of their ease of use, avoid the employment of webmasters to maintain them!

For personal contacts, because of the sheer number of contacts I have on there, I have to remain with Facebook, annoying though that is. It is peoples’ obsession with inviting me to play bingo, or poker or hangman that cheeses me off. Just recently, spammers have got in there and I now receive misspelled invitations to see myself on friends videos; clicking on the link reveals that it is spam with viruses so I hope that Facebook take urgent action to stop this. I am aware that I can reduce the volume of daily e-mails by changing some of my notification options and I am going to do this very shortly to ease the burden on my inbox!

I did actually look at Facebook for advertising but the sheer volume of targets and the time it took to try and work out what and how to maximise the impact of any campaign outweighed any advantage over my existing and effective PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns on Google. For nightclubs, bars and restaurants it is true that the ability to able to communicate with a number of customers holds particular appeal - but I think you are the only sector to have taken advantage of this, and I am not sure there are many other sectors which Facebook can help in this way.

Somewhere in between business and pleasure is a relatively new social networking platform called Next2Friends. I have not yet fully grasped the full potential of this site either for business or pleasure but I am sure it is huge.

I have created a corporate page for Headline Promotions, Press & PR and am working my way through the site to try and grasp how I can use it best. But the ability to video events (whether business or personal) and share them in real time or as video for later access by people I choose to allow, is enormous.

Take, for example, Sunset Lingerie (http://www.sunsetlingerie.co.uk/) for whom I am organising a fashion show. I could video that on my mobile phone and it will appear in real time on Next2Friends and be retained for people to see later. I could, in fact, have it showing live on their website or mine. Similarly, if one of my world record attempts is taking place, then I can show that live or recorded. This is something I definitely wish to explore further.

So, will it save time? I think it will. This means I can focus my attention on the sites I have chosen to continue to support to my advantage and theirs!

Personal reflections but with a marketing message

2008-10-18T02:32:00.000-07:00

I received a letter this morning from Premier Travel Inn at Yeovil. It thanked me for leaving a feedback form and expressing their thanks for making positive comments about the Travel Inn and the Airfield Tavern pub next door.

The feedback I gave was very positive. The standards in both the hotel and the Airfield Tavern were superb and the staff in the pub and hotel were very hospitable. The food, from their extensive Table Table menu, was excellent both in terms of quality and price.

All this made the weekend very enjoyable. Yeovil holds such fond memories for me even though I haven’t been back there for years.

Working with some fantastic people - from the wonderful Dudley and Aileen Miller at The Foresters’ Arms in East Coker in my younger days through to that larger than life character, Adrian Hopper (now Marketing supremo at Yeovil Town Football Club and whose hospitality, when I popped in, was up to his usual standards) who rather foolishly encouraged me to be the editor of the business and the leisure & entertainment sections of his Clarion Newspaper.

It was in this beautiful country market town in rural Somerset that I first got the buzz from marketing and public relations, that buzz still giving my life a sparkle even today. Yeovil has given me some amazing memories. Let me reminisce for a few moments.

I was so lucky to work with the legendary Bruce Welch of The Shadows. Bruce had just come back from Cliff Richards’ birthday cruise with some wonderful tales of that trip and “the good old days” when he and Hank Marvin established the band. We put together a charity Shadows reunion show at the Westland’s Sports and Social Club, a magnificent live music venue, well worth visiting if you are down that way. The sponsors were Vale Motors of Wincanton, the local Subaru and Hyundai dealer. It was a magnificent show and Bruce was brilliant to work with.
Another of my memories was holding a motor show for, coincidentally, Vale Motors in the aforesaid Westland’s Sports and Social Club. It was a terrific event and Bryan, the Dealer Principal, pulled off real coup when he persuaded Hyundai to let us launch the new Hyundai Sonata at the event. It was well supported and the bottom line was that cars were sold as a result! I would mark it as an eight out of ten. It would have been a ten out of ten if two little mistakes had been avoided.

Firstly, the Mayor of Basingstoke - a wonderful man called Councillor John Cruddas, well loved by the townsfolk - unveiled the new Hyudai Sonata. Bryan’s guests included the government Trade & Industry Minister and a senior executive from Hyundai. It was unfortunate, therefore, that the Mayor announced that he was unveiling the new HONDA Sonata. An “oops moment“!

The second “oops moment” came when the fanfare sounded. Imagine the scene. The lights in the main hall were dimmed and the spotlight fell on the car on the stage which was shrouded in a cover. The whole room went hushed and then the big fanfare sounded - it was the Space Odyssey theme tune - one of those nerve tingling moments.

Sadly, the track was from a cheap CD I had picked up in Woolworths for a few pennies. It sounded fine on the car CD player. Imagine my horror when it went out at ten thousand watts through the house PA system as the most awful crackly and unmelodic offering ever heard. The strobe lights flashed all round the building as the wires lifted off the cover to unveil this magnificent car. But the sound was awful and, still reeling from the Mayor’s mis-branding, I was just wanted to go in a corner and fade away. Luckily, the client saw the funny side of it and no harm was done!

Of course, my introduction to the nightclub and leisure scene, which stood me in good stead for the rest of my career, was leaving The Clarion to join Chicago Rock Café Yeovil as its Marketing Manager. General Manager Lynn Bowler and Area Manager Abbie Bassir gave me the freedom to try all sorts of initiatives and develop new skills. They made marketing and PR fun - but they were results orientated and I have never forgotten the lesson that there has to be a “bottom line” outcome of all the activity we undertake.

But, boy, did we have some fun. We had some great parties at Chicago Rock. An Elvis Night with sixteen Elvis impersonators all on stage at the same time making me cry with laughter, terrible local bands in a “battle of the bands” contest emptying the building making me cry in despair, Yeovil Carnival childrens’ parties, YDRfm local radio parties - they are all fond memories.

Two events there stick out in my mind though. Firstly, was the world record attempt by DJ Danny D. playing the longest live DJ set in a nightclub using only vinyl records. The photo above shows Danny and I, covered in champagne, after he reached 120 hours non-stop playing. DJ Tony Temple of YDRfm and I stayed up all week with Danny (I couldn’t do that now!).

We gained some good media coverage and Alex of AFH Web Design broadcast the whole 120 hours live on the internet (apart from the inevitable little hiccups when service went down for short breaks) and attracted 11,000 listeners from across the globe. In those early days of the Internet that was a staggering number!

Secondly, YDRfm launched a promotion night at the club. The theme was “cops and robbers” and customers were invited to come in fancy dress for free admission. I was there with my camera waiting for the radio station presenters to arrive dressed as cops so I went outside at the agreed time only to find policemen and pretend drunken revellers struggling on the pavement. The police were outnumbered so they were handcuffing people to the railings outside the club. I was busy snapping away taking photographs, dashing between all the actors, thinking how realistic they all were and impressed that Tony T had laid on such an elaborate show for the onlookers.

Imagine my horror when Tony and his colleague Rob Denslow appeared around the corner wearing silly plastic imitation police helmets and carrying water pistols. They were dumbstruck at what was going on and I suddenly realised that this was no publicity stunt. It was the real thing! And at that moment, a riot van arrived and out piled a team of officers followed by a K-9 unit.

Drunken revellers from some event in the town were involved in a real-life fracas with the police. Another “oops moment”! I really wish we had then the technology we have today - wouldn’t it have been awesome to have video’d all that on my mobile phone and posted it on Next2Friends like I could do today!

There is a third of my two memories. I persuaded J2O to sponsor the launch of a Christmas anti-drink drive campaign at the club. I also persuaded the actor from The Vicar of Dibley of (“No, no, no, yes” fame) to endorse it. The PR and marketing success came when the regional bus company kindly agreed to take the poster and put it in every bus! The impact was huge! TV coverage was wonderful because they managed to get the Mayor of Yeovil to be filmed being breathalysed outside the club by traffic cops! What a wonderful image that was!

Well, the real point of this article was to congratulate Premier Travel Inn on taking the trouble to write to me. It was a good marketing ploy as I was delighted to receive it. If they were my client, which sadly Whitbread plc are not, I would have recommended enclosing a voucher for a discount on my next visit. I would have certainly used it!

I guess that had my response to the feedback form been negative then I would have received a different (apologetic?) letter. Either way, the lesson for marketers and PR people is, firstly get that all important data, and, secondly, never to waste a good opportunity to communicate a positive message to existing customers.

ShotPak banned by Portman Group

2008-10-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

The makers call it a "party in a pouch but ShotPak, a line of alcoholic beverages that come in shot-sized, laminated-foil plastic pouches that are reminiscent of the drinks children pack in school lunches, has been banned because it appeals to children and encourages excessive drinking, according to the Portman Group.

The Independent Complaints Panel of the drinks watchdog moved to ban ShotPak sachets, imported from the US, following a complaint from MP Sally Keeble.

The Labour MP recently unveiled her own alcohol sales bill proposing minimum pricing.

The pre-mixed vodka drinks are produced in four flavours — Apple Sour, Lemon Drop, Purple Hooter and Kamikaze.

There are also full-strength vodka, rum, tequila and whisky versions which are primarily marketed as STR8UP but which feature ShotPak branding.

The Panel decided that the drinks could be mistaken for soft drinks and that the packaging encouraged consumers to drink them in one go.

The Panel also decided that the names Purple Hooter and Lemon Drop would appeal to under-18s and that Kamikaze could incite excessive drinking.

“These drinks may be acceptable in the States but their marketing falls well short of the standards that UK producers have set themselves," said Portman chief executive David Poley.

"Some of their names will be particularly popular in the playground. Kamikaze is a blatant breach of our Code for its association with bravado and danger.

"These drinks do not spell out their alcoholic content and the images of fruit add to the confusion over what is in them. They cannot be easily re-sealed and their soft packaging makes it hard to stand them up.

"That’s why the Panel decided that this packaging is encouraging consumers to drink rapidly. Sally Keeble’s complaint will prevent these imported drinks from getting a foothold in the market.”

John Hicks, of the Nightclub Marketing resource website (http://www.nightclubmarketing.co.uk/) said: “I haven’t seen this product in UK venues but was, however, aware of its launch in the US and was quite impressed by the claims that its sealed packaging meant that it could be tampered with or spiked. It also boasts a lower alcoholic content than usual so, again, this was of interest.”

“But, whatever their merits, the product is now banned so operators should clear their shelves of this product.” added John.

Further information can be obtained from The Portman Group website: http://www.portman-group.org.uk/

Aspects of licensing

2008-10-09T05:35:00.001-07:00

Aspects of licensing
By John Hicks

As I travel the country, visiting venues and meeting operators in the field, I detect an increasing concern about licensing issues.

These range from technicalities such as how a juke box is classed in the music section of licenses (and what happens if you then convert it to a karaoke machine when you suddenly add a “live music” element) to the threat of imposition of plastic glasses in town/city centre venues.

Over the years, I feel that we have gone from the heavy “get down on your knees” approach of the 80’s, when we spent many tense hours sat outside the Magistrate’s Court, through the more relaxed 90’s and then the current heavy-handed licensing officer approach.

You need to look at each individual venue’s issues when they arise, but are there some general pointers which might help operators? A couple of things spring to mind.

Firstly, think about your neighbours. I remember at club at Salisbury where we faced an elderly persons’ home where complaints about late night noise, not always emanating from our venue, regularly attracted the attention of the Council and Licensing Inspector. Over a period of a couple of months, we regularly invited residents and wardens into the club for afternoon tea and a Christmas Party. We ended up with good rapport and, whilst they still had grumbles, they brought them to us and we could smooth them out.

In the context of today’s no-smoking situation, where venues can upset local residents through the music noise escaping, litter and chatter of the smokers outside, building relations with your neighbours is back on the agenda. Is this issue is one for you, give it some thought and add it to your overall public and media relations planning.

Secondly, try and keep on the good side of the licensing officers at the Council and Police. I always encourage DPS’s to attend Pubwatch meetings and “play the game” by enforcing local bans on troublemakers. When the Council hold meetings for licence holders, try and get there and do remember to sign the attendance register as there is little worse than sitting through a boring hour-long meeting and your name doesn‘t appear on the list of attendees! Review your CCTV every few months with managers and your head supervisor. Ensure that you regularly review your complaints/incident books and obtain good media coverage for your charity work.

I was also going to add that you should ensure that your door staff are properly licensed and that your duty manager checks on every shift that they have signed in a register of attendance and are displaying their badge. But, of course, you do that anyway.

As a last resort, talk to your peers at local venues to get to know which Solicitor has sound experience of licensing issues!

And, please don’t forget that the week-long dedicated venue Mentoring Scheme from Nightclub Marketing (www.nightclub marketing.co.uk) encompasses much of what is discussed here.

Selling premium drinks in your bar or club

2008-10-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

Extending the premium drinks range - the answer to our prayers?

By John Hicks of Headline Promotions
http://www.headlinepromotions.co.uk/

I do not know if you are experiencing this as well but several operators have told me that the drinks wholesaler and manufacturer representatives are pushing premium brands as a way of helping to beat the current “credit crunch”.

Premium brands are being represented as one way to increase profit margins and, by increasing customer choice, raising footfall and keeping them in the venue longer.

As I write this article, I have BBC News 24 in the background with the Chief Executive of M&S talking about keeping most customers through maintaining quality and price. He accepts that many cash-strapped customers are turning to Lidl and Aldi but he is hanging on to his wealthier younger and older customer base.

I suspect there is a lesson here for us. Let’s keep our standard brands and house special offers well displayed but have premium brands on the back bar, equally well publicised, with a price differential (and margins) which reflect their brand equity.

I say back bar because part of the premium brand customer experience is about the theatre of a more personal service, great POS, special service (using ice, lemon, lime, long glasses, umbrellas or whatever it takes to make that drink special - even cherries if you must!). That isn’t to say that you have to go down the cocktail route but even that is an option if you can ensure staff training will enable you to deliver consistent standards.

Before you launch your premium brands, do listen to the customers to see what particular products they wish to see you stock. I would even consider a simple questionnaire - with the hook of an invitation to a launch party (maybe sponsored by the drinks supplier) when you introduce the new ranges. In this way, you can reasonably ask for their contact details for your database (oh, I do like that!).

When you launch them, ask your supplier about staff training opportunities, incentives and sampling support. Irrespective of that support, do hold a training session with your staff anyway. Not only is it good for morale but you can enthuse your people to up sell and raise their standards. Get them to think about how they can promote the new products, generate high impact displays and understand the products.

The launch is a chance for you to hold a party night in your venue to raise footfall, raise awareness and demonstrate to your suppliers that you are serious (especially important if they give you good support). Maintain customer awareness through good POS and promotions in your newsletters or advertising.

Finally, please do not forget to review your offering every few month’s to ensure that the objectives are being met. Look out for supplier special promotions and incentives but don’t get carried away with them!

Christmas is coming, this maybe just the time to do something special!

Photo courtesy of Global Brands Limited who have recently announced the launch of a specialist Premium Drinks division.

Government Christmas 2008 drinks campaign

2008-10-09T04:49:00.000-07:00

The Government has abandoned plans for a centrally-led Christmas alcohol crackdown for 2008 targeting sales to under-18s and drunks.

Instead, local councils and police are to target priorities in their area, with the focus not necessarily on the trade. Grants of up to £30,000 are available per police force, with the Home Office investing £1.5m overall.

The Home Office says bids may 'build on' previous ones involving Government-led crackdowns on sales to minors and people who are drunk. I guess this means that we have not seen the end of “sting” operations cracking down on under-age drinking or sale to those who have had enough already!

And in a new move, bids for funding to cracking down on proxy sales of alcohol are being invited to support local problem-solving projects, which can address local priorities that stem from alcohol-related issues. Hopefully, this will also target the off-trade as well as licensed premises.

Successful bids must address one or more of the Government¹s three-part "delivery strategy" for reducing alcohol-related harm. The first part targets rogue alcohol retailers. This could mean action against sales to under-18s and drunks, and other issues such as disorder and flouting licence conditions.

The other parts focus on supporting and acting against heavy drinkers who cause problems, and actively promoting responsible drinking in the wider community.

So, as operators focus on promoting events and activities over the festive season, a key element will be refreshing their staff training on controlling the door, identifying under age drinkers and managing guests who have consumed enough alcohol at any point during the trading session.

National Minimum Wage

2008-10-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

Avoid the pitfalls of underpaying your staff

by John Hicks of Nightclub Marketing.co.uk

Approximately one million workers benefitted when the national minimum wage (NMW) increased to £5.73 per hour on Wednesday 1 October – but the legal penalties for employers who fail to pay the correct wage rate are serious.

So, I suggest that you quickly double-check your next payroll run to make sure everything is in order.

The 3.8 per cent increase in the NMW (from £5.52 to £5.73) will be the ninth increase since it was introduced in April 1998. Over the last nine and a half years, the NMW has increased by 59.2 per cent, compared to a 44.2 per cent growth in average earnings.

If you have any queries on the rate, your local Business Link is a good first contact.

Binge drinking claim refuted!

2008-07-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

British pubs, bars and nightclubs are allegedly "actively encouraging drunkenness", says a UK Government report into binge drinking.

It condemns licensees for promoting cut-price offers and serving people that are "already drunk".

The critical report questions the role pub, bars and nightclub in binge drinking and why they continue to serve people who are either drunk or underage.

The Home Office commissioned gravy train specialists, consultants KPMG, to write the report, A Review of the Social Responsibility Standards for the Production and Sale of Alcoholic Drinks, in February.

It was due to be published in May but it is understood to have been delayed because it raises the question whether deregulation has fuelled underage and binge drinking.

A team of researchers visited nearly 600 pubs, bars, nightclubs, off-licences and supermarkets in England over a five-day period. The locations visited included Coventry, Hackney, Harrogate, Manchester, and Swindon.

All inclusive admission and drinks offers have largely been stamped out by Licensing Officers and common sense and "happy hours" are mainly confined to small pubs now.

Service of people already drunk is already an issue monitored very closely by bar managers and door staff - with strict legal penalties if a bar tender is caught. Customers buying drink for other people who are drunk is more of a practical problem and there is no easy way round that one. But for the report to rely upon amateur anecdotal evidence from survey staff, sorry I meant "
consultants", is extremely irritating!

Wait for it folks! The most amazing bit is that the report also adds that most supermarkets are complying more fully with the industry standards, by displaying signs encouraging sensible drinking. Nonsense! I have never seen such cheap booze offers as supermarkets are currently running. Even my local corner shop was offering 2-4-1 on cider recently. I had a party at home recently and it was cheaper to buy from Tesco than it was from my trade cash & carry wholesalers.

The increasing "nanny state" tendencies of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government knows no limit but when it relies upon consultants who take huge chunks of public money to tell the government what it wants to hear then its low credibility rating sinks further into the mire!

PLEASE REDIRECT TO OUR NEW WEBSITE

2008-07-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

This blog was the original foundation of the Nightclub Marketing resource service, now visited by up to a thousand people a week.

To improve our service, we launched our new-look website in July 2008 and we would love to see you there at

www.nightclubmarketing.co.uk

sponsored by luxury lingerie on-line retailer

SUNSET LINGERIE

www.sunsetlingerie.co.uk

whose nightclub and bar celebrity launch parties are legendary!

Nightclub Marketing is a resource from Headline Promotions, Press & Public Relations

http://www.headlinepromotions.co.uk/

Nightclub marketing and promotions get helping hand

2008-06-25T02:31:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE
26th June 2008
Basingstoke, England

Nightclub marketing and promotions get helping hand

Nightclubs, late night bars and restaurants, cue sports bars and live music venues are all facing a difficult time as the UK economy falters.

Basingstoke Public Relations consultant, John Hicks of Headline Promotions, Press & PR (http://www.headlinepromotions.co.uk/), deals with this particular sector and is confident that effective marketing and promotions will enable them to keep their head above water until times get better.

Back in 1969, John established an on-line resource site for owners, operators and managers in the hospitality and entertainment industry. This offers advice and information about all aspects of the business sector, from marketing through to the use of celebrities for special events.

John’s background is that he has worked in public relations, marketing and promotions for many years, across many sectors. He specialises, however, in the leisure, internet radio broadcasting, hospitality and entertainment sectors.

He formerly operated a busy 750 capacity 24/7 snooker and pool hall, Chinese restaurant, sports bars and live music venue in the south of England - in addition to previously being a national promotions manager for a division of Europe's leading late night venue operator and a promotions manager for a global drinks manufacturer.

Now, John has re-launched the Nightclub Marketing website with a new-look design, in the format of a book with chapters on specific topics including new developments such as “running your own radio station”.

The re-launch coincides with the introduction of his new Mentoring Scheme.

The mentoring programme, allows for a venue management team to have in-depth support from John for a week. During that time, they will work together to devise a SWOT and competitor analysis, a marketing and PR programme, training needs analysis and a customer relations strategy.

After the week, John will remain available for telephone support for a period year for the management team. This transfer of knowledge will enable the team to manage their own destiny and help prepare newer staff for future management roles.

Of course, effective marketing and promotions will not ensure business success on their own. They have to accompany high standards of customer care and service. The new website and John’s unique mentoring service will give them the edge however.

Further details can be found on John’s re-launched website http://www.nightclubmarketing.co.uk/

ENDS

Further information can be obtained from:
John Hicks
Headline Promotions, Press & Public Relations
Basingstoke, England
john@headlinepromotions.co.uk
Mobile: 07771 575 654

You can read John’s occasional blog at: http://www.headlinepromotions.blogspot.com/

John has worked in public relations, marketing and promotions for many years, across many sectors. He specialises, however, in the leisure, local radio broadcasting, manufacturing and entertainment sectors. He formerly operated a busy 750 capacity 24/7 snooker and pool hall, Chinese restaurant, sports bars and live music venue in the south of England - in addition to previously being a national promotions manager for a division of Europe's leading late night venue operator and promotions manager for a global drinks manufacturer.
John also writes for several UK and US newspapers and blog sites as well as having contributed to a number of published works. He has also acted as an occasional advisor to City funds and investment banks with interests in the UK leisure sector.
His principal business is Managing Director of Headline Promotions, Press & PR but he is also heavily involved in internet radio, a performer management agency and leisure property development. Not much time then for his passion for live music!

Keywords: nightclub marketing, late night bars promotion, John Hicks, advertising restaurants, promoting cue sports clubs and live music venues, internet radio stations, mentoring for nightclub managers, Headline Promotions

This press release has been distributed by the Press Release Writing Service

Distributed globally on Press Exposure - view here

New product - cigarette disposal for pubs, clubs & restaurants

2008-06-19T03:19:00.000-07:00

We have come across a new idea which appealed to us.

Butz is a revolution in the messy world of cigarette butts.

A cigarette bin like no other, it is a disposable container, neatly dealing with your used butts. No more messy emptying of the disgusting bin contents. Simply slide the Butz container from the backing plate, dispose of it and slip in a new one. Its simple, clean, safe.

By changing your Butz everyday your work place will be a cleaner environment for all, with no overfilled containers. With Butz you are providing a clean, safe way to extinguish and dispose of cigarette waste. Your Butz will always look smart and clean, unlike some bins that quickly look shabby.

Find out more on their website, just click here.

Gaining free publicity from a company anniversary

2008-06-12T04:02:00.000-07:00

A client asked me for small business public relations advice for his retail store in relation to their 10th anniversary of trading. I thought that I could usefully share my thoughts with you.

Whatever the nature of your organisation, company, small business or retail store the fact that it is celebrating its 5th, 10th or 20th anniversary it is important to you so, naturally, you want the world to know. But if all you do is call the reporter at your local newspaper and announce the anniversary, don’t be surprised if the reporter says, “Who cares?” You need a clever hook to get free publicity if you're celebrating an anniversary.

Here are several ideas to get you started:

1 Sponsor a contest in honour of your anniversary. A men’s clothing store can have an Ugly Tie Contest, put the entries on display and ask customers to vote for the ugliest tie. Create your own day, week and month of the year.

2 Call the local radio station and donate prizes for their presenter to give away. Tell them they can have the prizes to give away however they wish, as long as they mention your store and your anniversary.

3 Take a poll or survey and announce the findings on your anniversary date. A bookstore, for example, can poll readers on the one book they would most like to have with them if they were stranded on an island.

4 Sponsor a free class at your store. A gourmet food store can invite patrons to a free class on cooking with wine. You might even invite a local celebrity chef to be the teacher. Be sure to hand out free samples of the food.

5 Ask customers to explain in 50 words or less the most unusual or outrageous way they have used one of your products or services. The winner gets a cool prize.

6 Team up with a local school or charity such at the homeless shelter, and donate products or services they can use. Ask them if they will work with the media to try to get free publicity for the donation.

7 Try and tie-in any anniversary announcement with news of a successful bid for new work, or get a testimonial from a long-standing customer (especially if that customer was with the business right from the early days!).

8 Ask your local newspaper if they will feature a competition for which you will supply the prize. If you are a club or bar, call a party! That is what you are good at so invite your regulars and get a supplier to sponsor some product to give away. It always worked for me!

9 One of my favourite stunts was to celebrate the anniversary of a restaurant. Chef baked an enormous cake and iced it in the shape of the company logo. We then took large chunks round to the local elderly persons' homes - the press loved it and we received great newspaper and local radio coverage

10 Invite a celebrity in to sign a few autographs. It costs a little but is worth every penny! There are loads of agencies you can contact or I can always put you in touch with one (see my e-mail address below).

In terms of free space in the local newspaper, you could always consider a special feature where your suppliers are all contacted and asked to support an advertising feature. The newspaper then provides you with editorial coverage and a photo. I am sure you have seen the sort of thing I have in mind. Newspapers call these “advertorials” and, basically, the suppliers pay the costs. A good photo and a good supporting photograph can make these very readable and interesting. Poor copy and a poor photo will consign your advertorial to the dustbin of history so consider spending a few pounds with your local PR consultant to make sure this is a success.

One final pointer is to remember to plan well ahead. You need to talk to suppliers well in advance, especially if they want to be involved in launching one of their new products in association with your event. Also, you need the time to make sure your advertising and marketing budget allows for special initiatives and special offers to tie-in with your anniversary.

I hope this is helpful. You are welcome to send me further ideas and, maybe, copies of your media coverage for your latest anniversary. My e-mail address is john@headlinepromotions.co.uk and you can read my blog at http://www.headlinepromotions.blogspot.com/

This article was first published on the Amazines dotcom article database - June 2008

Sutcliffe: Get your act together

2008-04-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

Licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe held out a sliver of hope to the trade this week, when he said the Chancellor might re-think automatic duty rises in the next four Budgets.

But only if industry lobbying “gets its act together”.

Asked by the Morning Advertiser if lobbying on duty was now a waste of time, following the inflation plus 2% formula announced in last month’s Budget, Sutcliffe said: “You say that, but we’ve had examples like the fuel levy where the impact on a sector has been massive — and the decision has been deferred.

"I’m not saying that will happen, but that’s where the trade needs to focus the basis of its argument.”

He added: “I think the industry’s right to be upset. We, and I speak as a champion of the pub trade, want the Chancellor to change his mind.

"The next opportunity will be the pre-Budget report in November. But the industry has seriously got to get its act together in working out what its priorities are.”

Sutcliffe said the trade is letting itself down on lobbying: “The industry’s problem is that it’s not united. My message is: sort yourselves out.

"If all that’s said is, ‘Woe is me, everything’s bad, the rise has made it worse, and we’re all going to die,’ that is not the way to do things.

“What the industry’s got to do is say, ‘That wasn’t helpful, but if we do this and this and become more proactive, and more positive, we’ll get where we need to be.’

“The important thing is: what is the industry’s plan for development? People’s drinking and lifestyles are changing. What’s the industry doing about that?”

Sutcliffe also challenged the trade to question if the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is the right sponsoring body for brewers.

“I think the beer lobby may sit better elsewhere.”

On polycarbonates and the Association of Chief Police Officers’ drive to impose a blanket ban, Sutcliffe said: “There should be no blanket ban nationally. This should be part of local discussions."

Article courtesy of Morning Advertiser

Christmas Eve treat for Windsor clubbers

2007-12-12T05:14:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's not a Wednesday, but WOW! Wicked on Wednesday season at Chicago Rock Cafe Windsor ends the year with news that hearthrob PC Will Fletcher from The Bill, is to see his Christmas Day in at the popular nightclubs and bar.

Well, actually it is actor Gary Lucy, a firm favourite with fans who have followed his TV career right from "Hollyoaks" through "Footballers' Wives" to his current success in ITV's hit series "The Bill".

He will be joining customers at Chicago's on Christmas Eve to help everyone get into the festive mood, complete with a disco through til 2am.

We hope to see you there!

Media enquiries to Headline Promotions, Press & PR

Corporate Killing – the new law from April

2007-11-27T04:29:00.000-08:00

The purpose of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 is quite straight forward and is intended to find corporate organisations guilty in respect of deaths caused by their negligence.

It removes the onerous requirement of the current law requiring proof of personal and individual guilt of manslaughter of one of the “controlling minds” of the company. This requirement had always made it notoriously difficult for medium to large sized organisations to be held properly accountable for deaths occurring in the course of their employment.

Its provisions will not come into force until the 6th April 2008 and operators of nightclubs need to reflect on its implications.

The new legislation poses no additional regulatory burdens upon organisations. It simply changes the way in which blame is apportioned and broadens the categories of those who may be prosecuted. Under the old common law offence of manslaughter only individuals and corporate bodies could be prosecuted. The new offence extends to partnerships, trade unions, employers bodies, police forces and government bodies but that is of academic interest to operators.

The new offence will be committed by an organisation “if the way in which its activities are managed or organised a) causes a persons death, and b) amounts to a gross breach of a relevant duty of care owed by the organisation to the deceased”.

Operators need to realise that the organisation will in fact mean the “Senior Management” of that business, although the legislation is a bit vague on what exactly this expression will mean. However the new legislation will clearly not apply to deaths which are caused by the negligence of co-workers, for example

Of particular interest is the fact that the legislation does not require proof that any individual is guilty of an offence (as was the case under the old law) but simply allows the tallying up of a series of management errors which demonstrate that an organisation was criminally negligent.

The test will be whether the conduct alleged is a gross breach of any civil duty of care i.e. that the breach falls far below what can reasonably be expected of the organisation in these circumstances.

The possibility of an unlimited fine or conviction is unattractive enough. In addition, the court may make a “publicity order” requiring the convicted company to publish details of the offence and the penalties. Whether naming and shaming will help anyone remains to be seen!

The new legislation does not alter the position with regard to individual liability for Directors or anyone else in the organisation. They may still be prosecuted as before if gross negligence can be established in the conduct of their individual roles.

Operators will need to decide what steps – if any – they need to take to protect themselves from what is perceived by many as a legislative change making it easier to secure convictions against the corporate entity.

This article is not intended to be a definitive guide to the law. We thought that it might be helpful to remind us operators that it would be a good time to reflect on our staff training (of existing as well as new employees), our internal procedures and our insurance policies.

The new licensing legislation in England and Wales

2007-11-19T12:15:00.000-08:00

We have received several enquiries from students who asked for help in understanding the new licensing legislation in England and Wales.

Our simple explanation is as follows:

A Personal Licence is required by an individual in order to sell or authorise the sale of alcohol. This is granted to the individual (not to the business) and therefore ‘travels’ with them if they move on. The Personal Licence relates only to the supply of alcohol under a Premises Licence. It is valid for 10 years and can be renewed for further periods of 10 years.

A Premises Licence is compulsory for licensable activities (i.e. the sale of alcohol) to be undertaken by an outlet. This may be held by an individual (e.g. the owner or lessee) or a company (e.g. Pub Management Company).

The Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) is a person nominated to be in day-to-day control of the premises and the single point of accountability for any problems which may occur on the premises. This is a key change to the Licensing Act, as every outlet must have a single DPS who is also the holder of a Personal License. Any premises selling alcohol without a DPS will be in breach of licensing law.

Licensing Objectives:

The prevention of crime and disorder

Public safety

The prevention of public nuisance

The protection of children from harm

We hope this is helpful as an introductory guide.

Photo: courtesy of WOW! Wicked on Wednesday (www.wickedonwednesday.com)

Natalia - rising star to watch!

2007-10-07T04:57:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure to meet a terrific young performer, Natalia, and to see her perform before a packed house at The Academy in Basingstoke.

Natalia performed a range of songs from her forthcoming Album (due for release on Upper 11 records in February) which went down well with the mixed age-range audience. Her single is definitely one destined for the Top Ten or I will eat a whole box of Jaffa Cakes!

What was most impressive was her stage presence. She had the audience eating out of her hand!

Check Natalia's MySpace page here.

By the way, no I haven't put on even more weight. Natalia is tiny! Honest!

New technology to control access to our venues

2007-09-21T13:37:00.001-07:00

As we decorate our venues for Christmas, as discussed in my previous article, venue operators must also think about the wider management issues.

According to Home Office figures in February 2006, 6000 test-purchases took place in the run-up to Christmas resulting in 800 summons for serving under-age. A charge that carries up to £5000 fine, on the-spot-fines, 6 month imprisonment and the revocation of the DPS licence. Repeated offences could call the licence in for review.

The government, the media and numerous other authorities are constantly examining the relationship between alcohol (both underage and irresponsible consumption) and anti-social behaviour.

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has sent a letter to London MPs with the latest statistics from Camden and Westminster council, published as part of a consultation on revised licensing policies, which show a decrease in crime rates in the first year of the new Act. I may be cynical but I worry if this is just an industry smokescreen based upon some selective figures. I may be wrong but my perception isn’t this!

But it’s not just about crime on the street, under-age drinking or drink-driving, there are also issues about protecting staff and our property. Maybe, we need to think more about who we let into our premises in the first place and what technology is available to help us.

I came across a new product called clubscan VIS (Visual Identification System) - a complex piece of programming and hardware which is simply installed at the entrance to your venue which will verify and collect data from Customers ' personal ID such as Passports, Driver's Licences and Student IDs.

It processes all IDs placed through the scanner in seconds and uses OCR to extract all the data from the card and put it into a database. The information is then ready for you to analyse and use as you see fit.

I have seen a piece of kit like this in the US but it is the first UK product I have come across. If you are using it please drop me a review and I will include it on my site.

Website for clubscan is: http://www.idscan.co.uk/

Sampling in bars and nightclubs

2007-09-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

How often has a drinks manufacturer come in with a bottle of their latest product and asked us to stock it? They ask us to sample it and, if we like the concept, we order some in to try and sell them.

If we do, the sales representative will usually organise some point of sale (POS) material and maybe some free stock to help things get going.

Mind you, I have even known for none of this to happen. We order some and no POS turns up.

If the manufacturer or supplier has their wits about them they will organise a sampling team to come around but, because of the costs involved, this is happening less and less. More often, they will offer us some free stock so we can do it ourselves.

I like sampling. It gets the product before the customer and onto their lips but it also allows the sampling team to interact and quickly build up a rapport with my customer; this works especially well with outside teams coming in rather than using my own staff.

It is all about getting the customer to try and then buy - it is not about a free drink between rounds, so the campaign has to be carefully thought out. Some managers get difficult about sampling and say it takes sales away from the bar but that is not my experience if the sampling is carefully thought through. What it can do is to retain customers for a longer period than they originally planned!

The worst case scenario is the big multiples whose head office direct their venues to "must stock" new lines without any POS or promotion. It just appears on shelves and then the manufacturer wonders why there is no repeat order - it's because it hasn't sold! And that is because there was no promotion!

My advice? Use sampling and use it well. Play games like the Corky's team are doing in the photo above - make the experience fun, maybe give away some badges or tee-shirts. Get the DJ to join in the fun and hype it up. Whatever it takes to get the product off your shelves in a way in which customers enjoy the experience and come back to your venue for more!

Deposits on beer kegs on the horizon

2007-09-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, I received a letter from my brewery telling me that they had seen their kegs used as bbq's and as rafts in charity boat races. They cost a lot of money so implored their customers to ensure their safe return.

Regional brewers are coming round to the idea of charging licensees deposits on kegs, under a proposed scheme that could start in 2008.

That is according to the British Beer & Pub Association’s (BBPA) brewing director David Long, who heads the BBPA-backed working party looking at the idea.

Plans to charge licensees deposits of up to £50 per container were raised last year in response to a spate of thefts. The BBPA has sent out questionnaires to brewers asking their views on details of the scheme. Last week, the working party made a presentation about keg deposits to council members of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).

Smaller brewers had expressed concern about the costs of implementing and operating a deposit system.

My view is that this is yet another burden on small businesses. The breweries have detailed statistics on each customer's purchases so they know who has had what number of kegs and returned how many.

It would not be rocket science to charge those that have failed to return them rather than Breweries take money from the rest of us and hold it in their bank accounts until such time as they see fit to return it.

John Hicks

Half year results from Luminar Leisure look promising

2007-09-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

Nightclub operator Luminar has reported that the expansion and growth of its ‘branded destination’ business is progressing well.

From a single venue to a FTSE250 listed Company in less than two decades is an impresssive achievement for the dynamic and larger-than-life Steve Thomas. This is the force behind such brands as Oceana, Liquid, Lava & Ignite and Life, they're the largest operator of licensed late-night venues in the UK today.

They have announced that trading performance for the half year ended 31st August 2007 has been satisfactory.

A statement released said: “We have continued to enjoy the positive trend in the Branded Dancing Division with like for like sales 13.4% ahead. Overall company like for like sales improved 4.1% for the half year ended 31st August 2007."

“As anticipated, gross margins have fallen to a level slightly below last year due to the tactical promotional investments made during the quieter summer months of July and August.”

“As part of the company's commitment to return cash to shareholders, the company has acquired 1,815,422 shares for cancellation representing £13.3m in cash and over 2% of the issued share capital. This was carried out predominantly between May and July 2007.

“The Scheme of Arrangement, to enable a further return of capital to shareholders is progressing to plan and is expected to be effective in October 2007.

“During the second half of the financial year the company will continue to focus on its core strategy.

“The company is implementing clear operational plans for the key trading periods and the 2007/8 opening programme remains on track.

“At this early stage the Board continues to be optimistic of the outlook for the year as a whole. The company will report its interim results for the period ended 31st August 2007 on 30th October 2007.”

Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America publishes "Smart National Alcohol Practices" policy

2007-09-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

WSWA CALLS FOR "SMART NATIONAL ALCOHOL PRACTICES"

By John Hicks

The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America has announced the release of its "Smart National Alcohol Practices" policy statement. I think that it has some interesting lessons for us here in the UK.

“WSWA's policy statement is designed to promote smart national alcohol practices, help shape legislation in the states and guide legislators and regulators to enact effective and commonsense laws related to responsible access and consumption of alcohol,” WSWA President and CEO Craig Wolf said. “And WSWA members are committed to advocating and lobbying for these important policies nationwide.”

According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths appears to have inched up for the first time in 15 years.

"We must continue to educate people about the dangers of driving while intoxicated and do everything we can to prevent underage access to alcohol,” Wolf said. “The alcohol industry has a unique and special responsibility to encourage and support government and community programs that inform everyone about the dangers of unregulated access to and over-consumption of alcohol.”

Beyond continued education, we must be sure there is also effective treatment for offenders—and when warranted—those who fail to follow the law must be held accountable and punished for their actions, Wolf said.

WSWA urges others in the industry to join with them to help put these commonsense policies into practice and on the books in every state.

WSWA Policy Statement to Promote "Smart National Alcohol Practices" says:

Media Supporting Enforcement: Support public education campaigns educating the public on the dangers of DUI, underage access and the penalties associated with them.

Administrative License Revocation (ALR): Support laws that provide for the prompt administrative suspension or revocation of a DUI offender’s drivers license for either failing or refusing a BAC test.

Graduated Penalties for Repeat Offenders: Support increased penalties for offenders who violate DUI laws more than once.

Ignition Interlock: Support laws requiring the installation of a device that integrates a breath-alcohol test into a vehicle and requires a zero BAC for engine start, for repeat offenders (2+ offences).

High BAC Penalties: Support laws that provide for increased sanctions for DUI offenders with BAC levels above .15.

Increased Penalties for Driving While Suspended (DWS): Support increased penalties for offenders who are caught driving on a license suspended as the result of a prior DUI conviction.

Increased Penalties for People Who Cause Injuries: Support laws that increase penalties on those who commit bodily injury or death while under the influence.

Mandatory Alcohol Screening: Support mandatory assessment of DUI offenders prior to conviction or sentencing to determine the potential for alcohol dependency or abuse and to make the appropriate treatment referrals.

Comprehensive Drinking Age Laws: Support drinking age laws that prohibit the purchase, attempt to purchase or possession of alcohol, or the use of fraudulent identification by an individual under the age of 21; as well as the sale of alcohol or provision of alcohol to an individual under 21. Including increased penalties for parents who unlawfully provide alcohol to minors, and carriers who deliver alcohol to minors.

Designated Driver and Safe Ride Programs: Support programs that promote the use of sober designated drivers and sober safe rides, and make sober safe rides available as an alternative to prevent impaired driving.

Fake IDs: Support increased penalties for those who use or manufacture fake IDs.

Law Enforcement Funding: Support state programs that track underage access.

Alcohol Education: Support mandatory alcohol orientation for all college freshmen and mandatory alcohol education for college offenders.

AWOL Machines: Support bans on AWOL machines (see picture above)

Drunk Driving Hotlines: Support hotlines that motorists can use to report drivers operating vehicles while under the influence of alcohol.

There is talk of raising the drinking age to 21 here in the UK. Personally, I would support this move but I cannot see it happening.

This AWOL machine concept is rather disturbing. As you can see from the photo, the customer takes in the alcohol directly to the lungs. It is said to avoid hangovers but means that you cannot be breathalysed by the police at the roadside. I am note sure I like this concept!

WSWA is a national trade association representing the wholesale tier of the wine and spirits industry and supports government policies that ensure sales and deliveries of alcohol are conducted only by those licensed by the state and in compliance with state and federal law.

Reminder to operators of new legislation from 1st October 2007

2007-09-19T15:23:00.001-07:00

Operators of nightclubs, bars, pubs, clubs themed bars and late night venues in the UK are reminded of imminent changes to the law

Raising the minimum legal age for tobacco sales:
From 1st October 2007 you must not sell cigarettes, cigarette papers or any other tobacco products to anyone younger than 18.

To comply with the law, signs must be displayed which are at least A3 in size and with lettering no less than 36mm in height.
In retail premises: “It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18”
On vending machines: “This machine is only for the use of people aged 18 or over”

From October 1st 2007, selling tobacco products to someone under 18 from could lead to a fine of £2,500 and failing to display the statutory notice could result in a fine of £1,000.

John Hicks, operator of a major live music venue in the south of England, suggests "Staff training is essential to ensure compliance with the regulations as even the sale of cigarette papers to under 18's will now be illegal. I also recommend that you check that your cigarette vending machine is close to the bar so that staff can observe it's use; if there is a risk that under 18's can use it without being noticed by staff this could expose you to prosecution."

New national minimum wage rates
From October 1st, eligible workers must be paid the following;£5.52 an hour to adult workers aged 22 and over£4.60 an hour to workers aged 18 – 21£3.40 an hour to workers below 18 who are no longer of compulsory school age

John Hicks reminded operators that where accommodation is provided for employees, the maximum amount you can offset against the national minimum wage is a total of £30.10 a week.

Increase in statutory holiday entitlement
From October 1st 2007 the statutory minimum holiday entitlement will be 4.8 weeks (24 days) which can include bank and public holidays. (This will increase to 28 days from April 1st 2009).

Employees will not have to work a qualifying period to be granted this entitlement but you can restrict the rate at which they take leave in their first year.

Part-time workers must receive annual leave equal to 4.8 times their usual working week.

Coming soon, the resource for all nightclubs, late bars and venues: http://www.nightclubmarketing.co.uk/

Safe use of Christmas decorations in nightclub and bar marketing

2007-09-19T15:12:00.001-07:00

Safe use of Christmas decorations in nightclub and bar marketing

By John Hicks

It’s that time of year when late night bars, nightclubs and restaurants, having started their Christmas and New Year promotions, think about decorating their venue ready for the festive season.

Many businesses make more profit over Christmas and New Year than they do over the whole of the rest of the year so this is critical to their profit and loss account!

Decorating your venue is a key component to customer satisfaction, generating business and upselling. Yet so many managers will leave this to new and junior members of staff with little or no guidance.

I cannot help with the artistic guidance but I can share some practical health and safety tips to ensure that this experience does not lead you into insurance claims!As always, the exercise must start with PLANNING.

Walk round the venue and sketch out your ideas on paper and ensure that you make good use of the materials you have; this saves you problems later when you find the fixings are in the wrong place or electrical power can only be supplied by using extension leads. I always then take out all my decorations and place them around the venue before I start putting them up. Remember for maximum impact it is best to block all your displays together rather than spread them round sparsely!

Inevitably, it seems, staff will try and put up decorations at height using the nearest available chair or bar stool rather than get out the stepladder and work with a buddy for safety. As a manager, cover yourself legally by reminding all staff that they must take care when working at heights; insist that they work in pairs and use a stepladder. Tell them that if it is too difficult to fix a display at height do not do it because not only will it be unsafe now but it has to be taken down next January when it will be just as difficult or unsafe!Tell them not to fix decorations near naked lights or other sources of heat, over air intakes or ventilation and air con grilles or over Emergency Exits which must remain clear at all times. In particular, no emergency signage should be obscured.

From an operator’s viewpoint, walk round to see their handiwork when completed. Ensure that the decorations do not obscure your promotional signage or product displays. Also, I have found over-enthusiastic staff plaster the back bar with displays which causes problems when serving on busy nights so check practical issues.

They are also keen to use extension leads for lights which are okay by themselves but check that the leads are not wound up so they can overheat. I always use external lighting kits even indoors as my gut feeling, rather than scientific fact, is that they are safer in an environment which can get very dusty and, maybe, wet sometimes. Make sure that trailing leads are secure and taped down if necessary to avoid trip hazards. Make sure that all lighting decorations and disconnected from the mains at closing time.

Come January, make sure that staff take down decorations in a safe manner and store them in their boxes in a dry store. A lot of money is wasted by businesses every year when careful storage will render the decorations good for many years service!

In the meantime, have a busy and profitable Christmas and New Year.

For my part, I have planned a tremendously busy period of Christmas and New Year parties with a vibrant programme of live music in my venue so am taking a couple of weeks off before kick starting my intense promotional programme!

This article was first published in John's Telegraph blog - September 2007

Small business public relations & marketing: How to get your site indexed on MSN

2007-09-19T15:08:00.001-07:00

Small business public relations & marketing: How to get your site indexed on MSN

Small business public relations & marketing: Top Tips of Ways to Promote Your Business

2007-09-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

Small business public relations & marketing: Top Tips of Ways to Promote Your Business

Small business public relations & marketing: Nightclub marketing at the sharp end!

2007-09-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

Small business public relations & marketing: Nightclub marketing at the sharp end!