Another trip around the sun almost completed, and it’s time to start thinking about one of the most important (and profitable) days of the year for bars: New Year’s Eve.
Of course, this year, as with the year previous, presents its own challenges for public gatherings and celebrations. But as the late singer Jimmy Dean once said, “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” There’s still the opportunity to throw a fantastic, successful New Year’s Eve party at your bar or restaurant, if you can make it worthwhile for people to come!
So, with that in mind, here are some helpful tips to make the most of the 2021 ball drop:
Come up with an engaging theme!
Throwing a New Year’s Eve party is one thing, but how do you differentiate yourself from every other bar and restaurant celebrating the new year? Instead of a plain old party with champagne and noisemakers for your guests, don’t be afraid to make it a theme party! This encourages your guests to really get into the spirit, and in a year where you might have to do some extra convincing to get people out of their houses, gives them a justification for spending some money on a special night out.
Give them a chance to spend some money!
Speaking of spending money, New Years Eve is THE night you need to be upselling. Research by Eventbrite shows that your guests are willing to spend 3 times as much money on New Year’s versus any other night of the year. Eleven percent of people polled even said they’d be willing to spend over $200 just for a ticket to a great New Year’s party! So don’t be afraid to offer lots of options to upsell your guests. VIP tickets with extra perks like a complimentary glass of champagne, VIP entry, or bottle service are all great ideas your guests will be willing to consider!
It’s never too late to promote!
Haven’t started promoting your event online or elsewhere yet? No problem! That same Eventbrite research shows that a whopping 46% of customers wait until the very last minute to decide on their New Year’s plans. That means between Christmas and New Year’s is the perfect time to really push your search engine and Facebook marketing. Top of mind awareness in that period could earn you a significant amount last-minute attendees.
Make the countdown count!
New Year’s Eve is all about making a memorable night for your guests and making sure every bit of their experience is special. And the whole night leads up to midnight, when the clock strikes 12, 2022 begins, and for those in Times Square that world famous ball drops. But you can recreate that special moment for guests right there in your bar. Control Play has a New Year’s countdown available for all customers, and all you have to do is opt in. You may have noticed when starting up your Control Play player a little pop up window when it starts up every morning reminding you about the New Year’s Countdown. This countdown plays updates throughout the day on December 31st, reminding you and your guests how long it is until midnight, until we reach that point in the night and you’re greeted by a montage of the year’s biggest music hits, a finale 10 second countdown, and the playing of Auld Lang Syne to ring in the new year. It’s an easy and fun way to spice up your event for the most important part of the night.
Have questions about the NYE Countdown and how to make sure it’s playing in your venue? Just get in touch with us here, we love to help!
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