continued from front page It got people thinking about beer in ways they may not have before: dinner accompaniment, centerpiece of the evening, something worth learning more about, a source of interesting variety in their life. They learned that beer can offer the sophistication and variety of wine at a fraction of the price. Maybe most importantly, they found out that there are lots of other people interested in the broad variety of beer, and lots of places in the area that offer that variety; that's credibility. All that was great, but the truly amazing thing about Philly Beer Week was that this was only the first year. In that sense, it was a home run. It was a huge success by any measure, but I can tell you that there is plenty of room for improvement. When something’s never been done before, you always miss things. 
But that’s good! Information-gathering is taking place, ideas are fermenting, new connections and plans have already been made. Philly Beer Week 2009 will be bigger, better and bring people from all over to your town. The AnglesLet's take a look at all that great stuff and what it can do for you, this year and next. |
If you did get on board with PBW, you’ve probably got an opinion on it already. If it was something you thought was definitely worthwhile, the folks at Philly Beer Week will catch up with you shortly on how to build on that for next year. If you got involved but didn't get much benefit, what happened? Any event needs promotion, and a hook, and a little bit of luck. Maybe there was just too much going on the night you scheduled your event: Wednesday night of Beer Week was pretty crowded with events, for instance. Look at what kinds of events worked and 
what didn’t. Maybe you need a better promotional plan for events at your place of business; one event I did got advertised in an email blast that sold out a 45-seat room in under a week. That last bit, of course, is good advice for anyone. Maintaining a mailing list is a key to making events successful. Building up that list means capturing e-mail addresses, and that means doing events throughout the year. Those can be as simple as a brand promotional night or as elaborate as a hosted beer dinner. Every time people come to an event, come up with a way to get contact information: you can just ask, you can make it a registration for a prize, as a teaser for an invitation-only event, whatever works. |
The real value of these events is establishing or building on a relationship with new or current customers. You want people to discover your place, you want people who already know you to see another side, or burnish your reputation with them. It’s like the gas stations that drop their price one day a week: they just want you to get in the habit of stopping in. 
What that means is that the smart operator, on or offpremise, will keep up the pace. Do events, do promotions, keep in touch with your customers and give them a variety of good reasons to visit. Broaden your selection of beer; stay realistic, but don’t be afraid to expand it a bit. There are resources to help you, including your sales reps, but you know your customers best. Keep things interesting. Then when Philly Beer Week 2009 comes along, you’ll be ready. That’s when you turn up the volume. Don’t be afraid to take on the big weekend events, the festivals and mass tastings: not everyone likes big, crowded events, and maybe they’d like a beer brunch or afternoon tasting at your place instead. Take a look at what was done this year, and think about what you could do differently, something that fits what you are, or where you’re headed. Get on the calendar, and become part of the country's biggest week of beer events. Top: Craft brewers, Rob Todd of Allagash (far
left) and Dogfish Head’s Sam Caligione (second
from right) made special appearances. |