With the AFL Grand Final and school holidays on I figured it was time to take a week off and enjoy some time with the family. We went down the coast last week for a few nights and the wife and I decided it was time to hit a few local pubs and RSL’s to save ourselves the hassle of cooking for a couple of overly  wound up children. With my feet in both the family camp and the hospitality industry camp I felt I had something of a unique perspective when heading to a pub or club for a family dinner. Over the last ten to fifteen years we have seen a shift as the industry makes a bigger attempt to connect with families. THE BENEFITS OF A COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY Management at these types of venues are endeavouring to stay in touch with the changing needs of those transitioning into family life. For other venues, catering to families can be something of an afterthought with some even making a conscious decision not to pursue this section of the market. It was interesting how quickly I viewed venues differently with the kids in tow. Usually, I’m looking at things like promotions, staff presentation and entertainment offerings. Last week I was on the lookout for colouring books, chicken nuggets and playgrounds! I noticed the venues that were catering to families were enjoying incredible business catering to everyone from the kids to grandparents. I saw tonnes of examples of kids happily playing and making new friends while mum and dad, grandma and grandpa enjoyed a couple of drinks, a nice meal and a brief moment of peace! PROMOTION AS AN INVESTMENT The atmosphere of the whole venue was boosted and bar and bistro sales were booming because these venues had put some thought into how they would cater to families. Below are some good ideas that venues are putting into practice in order to capitalise on the huge family market. Kids dining specials By offering a suitable kid’s meal at a reasonable rate or even for free venues draw families in and create wonderful atmosphere at their venue. Often groups of families and friends come along and enjoy a meal and a few drinks while the kids have a quick meal before settling in at the play area and making new friends. Kids club More and more venues are setting up their own kids clubs. Parents can be kept in the loop on what’s being offered to the kids, holiday programs and even birthday offers. This is a great way for venues to keep in touch with families year round and continue welcoming them back. Holiday events There are tonnes of different events you can offer to families during school holidays. Depending on the season I have seen venues offering face painting, cricket clinics, jumping casltes and even a petting zoo! The old days of a pub or club purely catering to adults are over. Keep this in mind with the summer

We’re now just over a week away from the biggest weekend on the Australian sporting calendar. On Saturday the 29th of September all eyes will be on the hallowed turf of the mighty MCG for the AFL Grand Final. The following day we turn our attention to ANZ Stadium. There’s history to be made in the NRL! Being part of the hospitality industry gives you a unique opportunity to be in the thick of the action. Punters will be pouring through your doors over the next couple of weekends. PROMOTION AS AN INVESTMENT On top of the games there will be live medal counts, highlights and analysis. Plus you will have every patron worth their salt chiming in with their own theories and observations. Basically, over the next ten days, everyone is going footy crazy! This period is an incredible opportunity for your venue. You can broadcast two of the biggest sporting events in the country on consecutive days and reap the benefits of the influx of patrons. Boost sports bar, bistro, TAB and gaming taking. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. DO MORE FOR YOUR LIVE SPORTS WITH SPORTSPICK GAMEZONE In fact, the best venues I have seen take this opportunity to an all new level. They leave no stone unturned in getting the most out of this footy bonanza. Here are just a few ways they capitalise: Cross Promotion Good venues see the Grand Final as more than just a busy day in the Sports Bar. They use it as a chance to promote their poker tournaments and tribute shows. They encourage new patrons to enjoy a meal discount in the bistro. They offer entertainment and games for the kids. Return Patronage With the draw of the footy you will have footy fans in your venue who may never have set foot in the place before. Give away meal and drink specials to encourage sports fans to return to the venue at a later date. Promote and sell tickets to your upcoming venues. You never know who may end up being a regular patron. Pre and Post Match Events It doesn’t have to only be about the footy. With the boosted atmosphere and extra patrons you could consider putting on a DJ post-match. Or have a local band play. You could even consider a Grand Final Breakfast to encourage people to get in early and soak up the atmosphere. Good luck over the next couple of weeks. It’s going to be a heap of fun. Just be sure to make the most of this once a year opportunity!

“Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” What an insightful comment! No doubt the fact that it comes from the world’s most renowned investor, Warren Buffet, adds to the credibility of the statement. I’ve personally noticed that there is a tendency for businesses to focus too much on the price of a product or service rather than adequately assessing the value. It is crucially important for venue managers, in fact everyone in hospitality, to understand value. If promotions and events (as well as all products and services you pay for) are seen purely in terms of cost then the potential for increased patronage and spend is minimised. I’ll use an example of a venue we have dealt with on and off for the past fifteen years or so. The manager of this venue sees promotion purely as a cost, rather than an investment. The whole thing, in his eyes, begins and ends with the invoice we provide him for our weekly trivia event. Eighteen months ago, after hosting our trivia event at his venue for a number of years, this particular venue manager decided he wanted out. He looked at his budget and was convinced he couldn’t justify the weekly cost of the event. Fair enough, these things happen. We shook hands and went our separate ways. The loyal trivia players were disappointed with this venues decision. The weekly event had become their regular night out with friends where they could get together for a meal and a few drinks to enjoy the quiz and a few laughs. We ended up teaming with another venue nearby and a few of the players were happy to make this their new local. Fast forward a few months and the original venue manager called us. There was a big bar and bistro deficit showing up for his Wednesday night trading, the same night he had been hosting trivia. Plus, he had noticed what had been a lively, atmosphere filled night was now a dull affair without the vitality and excitement that his forty regular trivia players had added to the venue each week. I’m not trying to boast. This could have been any type of promotional event, delivered by any provider. The point is this guy saw only the cost and not the value that his weekly event provided in bar and bistro sales and boosted atmosphere. Understanding the value of promotions and your other investments in products and services is crucial in running a successful venue.

I’ve been thinking about feedback a lot lately. It’s one of the most valuable ways to get a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your business, your staff and your leadership. Giving and receiving honest feedback is crucial. But it’s also very challenging. Managing a hospitality venue you have a responsibility to a number of different stake holders. Feedback is the best way to understand how you can best deliver on that responsibility. THE BEST PROMOTERS YOU HAVE The main thing is to understand just how valuable feedback is and have the guts to deliver it and receive it, especially from your staff and customers. I’ll use an example from my days of playing and coaching footy. Receiving honest feedback means your players or coach see potential, places you can improve and an opportunity for the team to develop. Don’t worry about what is said, however honest it may be. A lot can be learned from this type of honest feedback. The second step to good feedback is the message itself. It needs to be clear and considered. If you’re offering it to your staff take your time to think about delivering some constructive criticism which your staff member will feel encouraged by. If you’re asking for feedback give your customers or staff time to think and offer something of value. CAPITALISING ON YOUR ENTERTAINMENT SPEND Finally consider the “feedback loop.” It’s one thing to have the commitment to offer and receive honest feedback but another thing altogether to put that feedback into practise and grow from it. A great starting point in closing the feedback loop is the STOP, START, KEEP process. It’s great because it’s so easy. Consider what you need to stop doing, start doing and keep doing. If you continue to seek and offer honest feedback and work individually and as a team in closing the feedback loop you will begin to see some great results in continuing to move your venue forward. Good luck.

Last week I was out doing the rounds, visiting my venue partners to catch up on the successes and challenges they face in driving visitation and spend at their venue. During one meeting I received an interesting insight from one venue manager. Discussing a competitor just down the road from his venue he said, “their meals are fantastic; we’ve got work to do to get to that level.” I was struck by his positive attitude when dealing with a difficult reality. Quite simply his competitor was besting his venue. But he saw it an opportunity to improve. When was the last time you walked into a competitor’s venue?  THE X FACTOR OF HIGH PERFORMANCE If you’re taking your role seriously and always willing to improve, no doubt it was recently. The hospitality industry is enormously and increasingly competitive. Most pubs and clubs are generally surrounded by a multitude of other businesses targeting a similar customer base. In many cases venues are competing with bars, restaurants and even local cafes. I’ve even heard some managers talking about the effect of Materchef and other cooking shows have had on patron’s expectations of dining offerings. Competition is fierce but the best venues are seeing it as an opportunity rather than a threat. Knowing what the competition is providing allows you to ensure your offer is better or different in some way. It also allows you to keep up to date with industry trends and other venue offerings. You may find it worthwhile to create a written competitive assessment on your local venues. Put some time into analysing: Food and beverage offering Target customers Entertainment and promotional offerings Membership program Marketing strategies Strengths and weaknesses THE VALUE OF A LIVELY VENUE Analyse the above indicators at your own venue then compare them to those at your competitors to see where there may be gaps at your pub or club. As always, it’s important not to lose sight of your own business and the goals you are trying to achieve by constantly being reactive to competitors. However, keeping an eye on what their strengths and weaknesses are and conducting an assessment every now and then is a great habit to get into. Just remember, it’s worth keeping a positive spin on whatever tactics your competitors are taking. Like the successful venue manager I visited last week, it’s always advisable to the competitive nature of the Australian hospitality industry as an opportunity rather than a threat.