Supporting hospitality

THE LAUNCH OF THE BAR MAGAZINE AWARDS MEANS THAT HOSPITALITY’S GREATEST ACHIEVERS WILL HAVE A VOICE AND A PLATFORM TO SHOWCASE THEIR SUCCESSES, AND SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOP (BARS) ABOUT THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS A THRIVING BUSINESS.

The BMAs are bringing hospitality operators together with brands that support them and add to the growth of their revenue and business. One such company is the BT Group, and their brand BT Sport, which provides venues with the opportunity to boost footfall and drive sales by screening live sporting events, such as football, boxing, rugby, UFC and more.

Although it’s widely known that UK consumers are sport-obsessed, a lot of businesses could miss out on revenueboosting opportunities to capitalise on this in their venues. The fact is, if your competition are screening the Champions League Final, and you’re not, then you’re losing out on huge footfall, increased food and drink sales and an atmosphere that will lead to repeat custom for years to come. CGA research shows that nearly a quarter of consumers will visit pubs or bars to watch live sport, and increased footfall inevitably leads to increased revenue!

We’re delighted to announce that BT Sport are sponsoring the award for Marketing Innovation, which will recognise hospitality operators who have excelled in marketing their services, menus or live events to bring more consumers through their doors. John Vincent, Marketing Manager at BT Sport, told us about the importance of venues planning and executing marketing campaigns to let customers know why they should visit, “pubs and bars are such a great place to watch live sport, and we know a lot of consumers prefer watching big sporting events out of home for the unique experience they get. It is essential for venues that show live sport to ensure their potential customers know about it.

“Whether that is on your website or social media pages, we understand the importance of venues promoting this to their local audience – it could be the difference between footfall going to your bar, or a competitor’s. We provide free social media assets to BT Sport customers around upcoming sporting events, which gives you content to use, ensuring that you are the venue of choice for sport-loving customers.”

The Marketing Innovation Award will notice venues who take care of one of the most important, but often forgotten, aspects of increasing footfall: marketing. Regardless of how fantastic your venue’s interior is, how creative the serves on its menu are, or how exciting the upcoming live events might be, if you’re not promoting this to your target audience, then they’re not going to be aware, likely not attending.

There are so many creative ways to market your venue and pull in the crowds. These include everything from budgetfriendly word-of-mouth through social media and existing customers, to working with brands and other local businesses to get your bar in front of the right people.

The BMA’s Marketing Innovation Award is looking for operators who have planned and executed a marketing strategy which has resulted in higher footfall.

Speaking on the BMAs, John told us, “we are really looking forward to attending the BMAs and celebrating the achievements of some great people in the industry. We like to think we are a brand that supports our customers and helps where we can to grow their business via live sport by offering extra support on top of simply providing the live content.”

As a hospitality operator, you should always be looking for brands who work with you, not just those that want to sell you a product. BT Sport fit into this category perfectly, as the service they offer will assist you in handling potential quieter periods. They encourage venues to use their free marketing material to promote midweek sporting events, which makes them the ideal partner for the BMA Marketing Innovation Award.

John also shared some exciting news, that BT Sport have an extra special surprise for all of the hospitality staff attending the BMAs, “we may be bringing something along that attendees will be keen to get their hands on for a photo opportunity!”

Join BT Sport, Ian Burrell, The Drinks Trust, UKHospitality and Licensed Trade Charity at the BMAs in January 2024, by visiting www.barmagazine.co.uk/ barmagazineawards www.btsportbusiness.com