The night-time economy has been one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic- with doors firmly shut for the entirety. This £66bn industry is the fifth largest industry in the UK employing around 8% of the UK’s workforce. A massive 60% of town centre revenue is generated after 6 pm, and for every £10 spent in a live music venue, £17 more is spent in the local economy. Nightclubs, festivals and live music venues like yours are desperate to get back to doing what you do best- creating the best events and experiences. Here is our 5-step guide for reopening.
1. Turn on bookings now. As much as nightclubs, festivals and live music venues are chomping at the bit to open up again, your customers are just as keen to get back to partying. Nothing can replace that feeling of anticipation for a live event, festival or night out, getting it booked and looking forward to it for weeks, and even months. So give your customers something to plan for and turn on bookings. With Booked it’s booking and reservations system, you can take bookings quickly and easily, as far in advance as you like.
2. Build up to the opening. Clubs are set to open again in June. In a normal world, you’re so busy with the day-to-day running of your events, having the time to create truly spectacular campaigns is thin on the ground. But here, you have an opportunity to plan a campaign around reopening, building momentum and excitement for opening day.
3. Start selling gift cards. With everyone locked down for months on end, the one thing people want as a present is an experience. Sure, they can’t experience your venue right now, but what they can have is a gift card to experience it in the future. The gift card market in the UK was worth a huge £7bn in 2019, and the demand isn’t going anywhere soon. With your own gift card, people can buy packages and tickets or just spend it on drinks on their night out. Booked it can help you to introduce your own gift card- improving cash flow now.
4. Listen to customer feedback. Feedback from your customers is some of the very best business advice you’ll ever get. Use the time between now and reopening to review the customer feedback you’ve had over the last few years, sorting through what’s important with what’s not and implementing the relevant improvements.
5. Work on a sustainable model. As well as the reopening, think longer term too. Every nightclub, festival and live music venue will be a sell-out when the doors open, but the challenge for every venue is how to sustain the interest when the buzz of not partying for 18 months inevitably fades. Think about your CRM and loyalty, what will follow your reopening campaign? Answer these questions and you’ll have a sustainable model for the future.
Talk to Booked it today for a range of technology solutions designed for the night time economy.