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  • Tasting Room Event Ideas?

    TR Manager here...
    just curious to any events you have done that had a good draw. We tried the trivia route, but didn't see a good enough return for the cost. We also do live music a couple of times a month and do okay, but not consistent with that. Most recently, we did an ice cream float night with a local food truck that makes ice cream with liquid nitro and got a decent draw. Does anyone have any cool unique ideas they tried or want to try? Looking for some brainstorming. Any input is greatly appreciated.
    Paul M.
    Head Brewer
    Launch Pad Brewery
    Aurora, CO

  • #2
    We do well with our family friendly events. Not sure what the laws are where you're at, but in Seattle we're considered manufacturing so kids are OK. I don't have my own kids, but I've noticed that friends who do have them develop a strong desire to be around alcohol and other people suffering from the same affliction right when the kid hits around 2 or 3. So we bring in some kids entertainers, play some kid friendly music and have some activities for them. Things start early and wrap up around 5 or 6, right when the kids start to crash. Perfect for us since the regulars know that it's "safe" to come back around sunset. It's a minimal $ layout for a pretty good return. Plus, it's a good way to let people know that they can have kids there even when it's not family happy hour, so we see a lot of returning customers.

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    • #3
      Food trucks.

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      • #4
        Poker

        Poker tourney. Free to get in. Prize for 1.2.3

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        • #5
          Rent or buy a couple old school arcade games- pinball, space invaders, PAC man

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          • #6
            How about hosting a beer class? Pick a subject (belgian beers, german beers, etc.) and make it a ticketed event. Give participants a souvenir glass as part of the cost. I did one of these for a local brewery last year during American Craft Beer week, and it was a big hit.
            Kevin Shertz
            Chester River Brewing Company
            Chestertown, MD

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            • #7
              Originally posted by ChesterBrew View Post
              How about hosting a beer class? Pick a subject (belgian beers, german beers, etc.) and make it a ticketed event. Give participants a souvenir glass as part of the cost. I did one of these for a local brewery last year during American Craft Beer week, and it was a big hit.
              Love this idea. I did an off-flavor class before GABF, with our brewmaster, in our event room, put it on Facebook a day or two before. I only expected a few to come in and got 17 people. Made it worth the spike kit I had purchased for my Cicerone exam. How long did your event run for?
              Paul M.
              Head Brewer
              Launch Pad Brewery
              Aurora, CO

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Junkyard View Post
                Rent or buy a couple old school arcade games- pinball, space invaders, PAC man
                Solid. I thought about bringing my FC Twin up to play some old NES and SNES games. Trying to keep track of games, how long someone can play, etc. made me second guess it. Like the idea of arcade games.
                Paul M.
                Head Brewer
                Launch Pad Brewery
                Aurora, CO

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                • #9
                  We've got a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) cabinet, with like 80 old arcade games. Local guy collects those sorts of things, he loaned it to us and we split the quarters with him. Shuffleboard and Cornhole are cool too if you've got the space. Personally, I always wanted to put in an archery range.
                  Russell Everett
                  Co-Founder / Head Brewer
                  Bainbridge Island Brewing
                  Bainbridge Island, WA

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Bainbridge View Post
                    We've got a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) cabinet, with like 80 old arcade games. Local guy collects those sorts of things, he loaned it to us and we split the quarters with him. Shuffleboard and Cornhole are cool too if you've got the space. Personally, I always wanted to put in an archery range.
                    The MAME is a killer idea. Not enough room for cornhole or shuffle, unfortunately. Archery! Now that is thinking outside the box.
                    Paul M.
                    Head Brewer
                    Launch Pad Brewery
                    Aurora, CO

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                    • #11
                      Archery

                      Originally posted by ptrain View Post
                      The MAME is a killer idea. Not enough room for cornhole or shuffle, unfortunately. Archery! Now that is thinking outside the box.
                      That's awesome! I'm doing a brewery of which this would fit right in. I wonder what it will add to the insurance...

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                      • #12
                        I know the original poster said he didn't have room, but if you do it's been very successful for us. We have enough room for corn hole boards and we have a Wednesday night league. We have 16 teams of two that play each week. On average there is around 10-15 extra people that come to hang out during the night while their friends play. At an average of $16/ticket it's been very good.

                        Another thing that has been successful for us has been contacting the local chambers and rotary clubs (not joining, that's expensive and we're still new). We've had lots of businesses host happy hours at our tasting room. We've also been successful with large groups (30 plus people). We often get people asking for us to reserve half our tasting room. When they do, we recommend we host the party outside and we request a minimum of $500 tab. If they do that it guarantees that you'll at least make money.

                        Also, if your city has any sports teams that aren't 100% mainstream it's been great to own that. We have Roller Derby and MLS. By courting the organizers of the fan clubs, I was able to persuade them to make our tasting room their unofficial watch venue. We have huge nights when they play.

                        I love the idea of a vintage game night. I think it would be a great idea to do a Vintage NES tournament in the winter. Set up two seats at the bar and schedule a tournament, or maybe even a slow night league? Sounds awesome!

                        An off-flavor class would be a great idea. We have had lots of success with the local home-brew clubs. We've done several brewery tour/tasting with the head brewer that have been very popular.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by ptrain View Post
                          Love this idea. I did an off-flavor class before GABF, with our brewmaster, in our event room, put it on Facebook a day or two before. I only expected a few to come in and got 17 people. Made it worth the spike kit I had purchased for my Cicerone exam. How long did your event run for?
                          With Q&A, if I recall, it went about 90 minutes long, which is consistent with what many conference seminars run, so it's an easy format if you require an outside speaker b/c they'll be used to it.
                          Kevin Shertz
                          Chester River Brewing Company
                          Chestertown, MD

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