Holding a theme night

A theme night is designed to drum up some excitement on a day of the week, or even a time of year, when business would otherwise be slow. John Porter offers some tips on getting the party going.

Publicans who regularly face a battle with competition for trade on New Year's Eve might disagree, but when you stop to think about it, persuading people to come out and have a drink and a good time on the busiest party night of the year shouldn't be that much of a challenge.

The aim of a theme night, on the other hand, is to drum up some excitement on a day of the week, or even a time of year, when business would otherwise be slow. A pub in an area dominated by holiday or tourist trade, for example, could well find that an off-season Valentine's Day or Guy Fawkes Night party will boost the pub's standing with local customers and help to build stronger trade all year round.

Who you're aiming the event at is a question which goes to the heart of planning your theme night. Is the main aim to attract regular customers on a night when the pub is normally quieter than usual, or is it to attract new customers who might well be converted to regulars once they've seen what you've got to offer?

If, as is likely, the answer is a bit of both, then you need to make sure the event caters for both audiences equally. This may not be as straightforward as it sounds - a pub full of rowdy regulars in party mode may well be intimidating to newcomers, while a room full of strangers in sombreros drinking tequila cocktails will be offputting to any of your regulars who hadn't spotted the poster proclaiming that "Tuesday Night is Mexican Night at the Pig & Whistle". Successful theme nights need careful planning.

The theme​

There is nothing to stop you celebrating anything you choose. How imaginative you get really depends on how far you think your customers and staff will be prepared to go. If you're not sure that enough of them will go for the corsets and suspenders look, a Rocky Horror Show night is probably a bit ambitious.

There are two basic choices - a date from the calendar, such as St Patrick's Day or the Fourth of July, will immediately ring bells with customers. On the other hand, the New Year's Eve factor comes into play and you are unlikely to be the only pub in the area celebrating the occasion. A theme night such as a curry evening or a country and western dance is less likely to be in direct competition with other venues.

Food and drink​

This needs to be at the heart of the occasion, since it is your chance to showcase what you have to offer. Plan the menu carefully, and make sure you have the right drinks to complement it. Many brand owners and suppliers will consider providing promotional stock for a theme night if their product is featured in the right light, and most even have "off the peg" theme night kits ready to roll.

Entertainment​

The club culture has given customers a very high expectation of the quality of live entertainment on offer. A collection of old 45s doesn't make you a 60s DJ - whether it's a disco, live band, or even dancers, it pays to invest in professional entertainment to make the event a success.

Publicity​

You have to make sure people know about what's happening. Posters and newsletters in the pub only tell regulars about the event. To cast your net more widely, you can probably advertise reasonably cheaply in a your local newspaper, and local papers will also consider using a press release about a special event as the basis of a news story. Creating an advance photo opportunity, by persuading a few members of staff or customers to dress in costumes they will be wearing on the night, will help. A weekly paper needs to know in time for the issue which comes out before your event - you should be working two or three weeks in advance.

Checklist for success​

Supplier 3663 suggests the following check list for making your theme night a success:

• Get your staff involved. Discuss your plans with them right from the beginning and ask for their input. You'll probably find they're brimming with good ideas.
• Give yourself plenty of time for organisation. This will allow you to put an effective action plan together and to promote the event to your customers, ensuring they support the event.
• You might have to do a little research for specialist shops and suppliers.
• If your theme night is focused on a particular cuisine or country, use the country's flag colours to enhance the theme. For example use napkins, balloons and bunting in the flag's colours.
• Choose music to match your theme. Local libraries usually have an excellent selection of music from all over the world on CD or tape, which is available for hire. Alternatively try and get a live band for the evening.
• Invite the staff to get dressed up, and encourage your customers to come in fancy dress too.
• Choose drinks and cocktails from the country to match the theme. Many traditional cocktails could have their name changed to match your own event.

Case Study: The Bay Horse​

Steven and Clare Pyke took over the Bay Horse, in Lindley, Huddersfield, in 1997. Although the suburban community pub was doing a reasonable trade, the Pykes saw that there was more potential if the Bay Horse's male-dominated sports-led clientele could be expanded.

Using a strategy which had been successful in their previous pub, they put in place a programme of theme nights with a wide customer appeal. The ideas were developed in consultation with a core group of staff and customers and publicised by developing good links with the local press and radio, as well using clever in-house promotion. A 60s dance night for example, is promoted by displaying 60s music press cuttings, photos and memorabilia around the pub.

The theme nights programme focused on the pub's core offer - its food and drink. This may seem obvious, but as Steven points out, it's easy to get carried away and forget what it is you want people to come into the pub for.

Food and drinks suppliers support the Bay Horse's events with advice, PoS and promotional stock. "By linking our theme nights to products, we have got good support from suppliers," said Steven. "This has served to attract customers to the event, and helped the suppliers to sell and, in some cases, launch products."

Examples include a Mexican night with support from Jose Cuervo, Mardi Gras night linked to Southern Comfort, and a country and western event supported by Wild Turkey bourbon.

As a result, the Bay Horse, a finalist in the Marketing Pub of the Year category at The Publican Awards 2001, has seen its food and drinks sales increase dramatically.