Pub Foyer - Christmas Street Scene!
To launch the Christmas Fayre menu at this particular Wirral pub I created a festive street which would greet customers as they enter the pub's bar area. From the floor to ceiling it measured around 8 foot tall, and was divided into 3 units. Two would stand together forming a the scene while one of the units would stad in the doorway visible from the exterior.
Having spent several years creating stage scenery I was able to base the design on things I had built many times over.There's something about Victorian street scenes, that when done colourfully, just cry out Christmas.
Once I arrived at the venue putting it up was pretty straight forward as I had made it modular, with the ability to fold away for storage. Erected in no time at all it already made for an amazing feature within the pub.
Next was the quick job of laying down the snow, which for economy reasons was made of huge sheets of white paper.An artificial tree was placed at the end of the set, and I had cut out a couple of carol singers standing under a streetlamp.
The pub already had a green coloured partition which we were able to put in place to keep children from entering the set.
A few feet away, facing the main double doors of the pub, was placed the final set-piece.
Coloured in green and red, with snow on the sills, it really put across that Christmassy feel!It not only welcomed customers as they came in, enticing them to try the Christmas Fayre menu, it also served to attract passers by. People, curious to take a closer look were brought into the doorway, and many would take away a menu/booking form!
While each pub is unique in terms of where such a feature could be installed, these units were made to be adaptable for any venue, since they would in future be taken by the managers to any future pub they might run.
Costing a couple of hundred quid, it more than paid for itself in year one in terms of increased bookings! And stored properly, it will last for years to come enabling the pub to create that same impact year after year, all at no additional cost.
Why not see if you can come up with something extra special for your venue. If you are in NorthWest England why not email me to discuss what I can do for you.
If you are based elsewhere you might still get help locally. Why not contact some local amatuer dramatics groups to see if there are any scenic artists who could assist.
It looks great after all!
Christmas Menu Muralised!
The idea was simply to turn an existing bare wall into a giant chalkboard which could be utilised to advertise the Christmas Fayre menu. It was created in September so as to get a start on those early bookings. It also served to bring forward a part of the pub's dining area, which being so far from the bar, the area lacked that 'inclusive' feeling during quiet times.
Work in Progress:
Straight after Christmas the mural would be turned into a large chalkboard illustrating the main menu.
The Finished Mural:
The expectation is to make it an annual event - something to get the customers talking - wondering how this year's Christmas display might look. For this year at least, I chose my usual 'Snowmen in the village' scene which appears on many of my current Christmas chalkboard illustrations.
Do you have a spare wall in your pub which could make a feature of? Know of a local artist who could do something similar? It shouldn't cost more than £100. It can provide a massive return in terms of customer response. As well as paying for itself, it also helps to give your venue an added flair!Christmas Advertising - Chalkboards!
While bookings for Christmas should be well underway by now, I'm still coming across an ocassional pub that has yet to start advertising! I have been pushing Christmas since mid August. You simply have to."The customers don't like it!" I hear as an excuse. Well that isn't a reason to lose your business. And it depends on how you go about it. And these customers who aren't ready to face the coming season are generally the same customers who phone in December wanting to book a table for 8!
To put it as simply as I can: If you don't start advertising in August, the office parties will have already booked elsewhere that did start in August. So how late you start depends on how much trade you are happy to lose.
And certainly, customers might get wearisome when they see you installing a 16 foot banner promoting Christmas Fayre while they are enjoying a BBQ in your beer garden...but their groans more reflect the retailish nature of the promotion tools handed out by head-office.
Although it has been known for independents to go down the awful banner route.
I can't stress it enough - you are far better simply writing a chalkboard as neatly as you can simply stating that bookings for Christmas are underway. If you can find an artist willing to help then this would indeed help.
Customers never moan about having Christmas forced upon them when the message is handpainted and creative. Make it quirky. I have sometimes drawn a snowman, wearing Burmuda shorts and sun glasses on a palm beach, looking at his watch, with the message "It will be here before you know it - book early to avoid disappointment!"
If you can find a chalkboard artist in your area this is a great opportunity to use one to change the emphasis of your advertising from Summer to Autumn. Halloween is nearly here and Guy Fawkes. Children in Need also come November. All should be planned by now. Just bear in mind that its a busy time of year for chalkboard artists so do book in advance. After all these years I still find it incredible that managers phone up expecting you can get to them within a week!In short - do what you can but do it quickly. And by October at the latest, try and arrange a Christmas display by the entrance. Even a small table arranged with crackers, champagne glasses, holly and tinsel with your menus fanned across can help sell the concept and get those customers booking.
