Craft beer festivals are popping up all over the country, and it’s no wonder. Who doesn’t love pairing good food, great beer, live music, and a lively crowd?
But a crowded market means the pressure is on to create a compelling event—and attract an audience that will elevate the level of fun. We’ve created a handy guide to help beer festivals get the word out to the folks who will do just that. Here are some highlights:
Handpick your first signups
Offer a pre-sale price to members, friends, and family with first dibs on selective spots. Ali Bowman at Firestone Walker Brewing Company gives a tier of ticket holders early access to the venue, so they can try the beers before the crowds swarm in. Tickets for these exclusive spots cost more, but Firestone Walker offsets any negativity by giving 100% of the proceeds to a scholarship fund. This doesn’t just make the VIP ticket holders feel special—it attracts great publicity for Firestone.
You can use Eventbrite to create a “hidden ticket type” enabling your inner circle to use their email addresses or membership numbers as codes. This makes friends, family, and fans feel special, and can also make your social media followers feel like VIPs.
Craft smart partnerships
Use your sponsors to send the right message to potential participants. Pick and choose your sponsorships wisely, because (ideally) they’ll be part of your promotional campaigns. Take a look at their social media followers and email lists. Who will they be talking to?
Kelly Taylor of the New York City Brewers Guild, for example, had Whole Foods as a sponsor for a recent beer festival and saw a lot of traffic come in from promotional emails Whole Foods sent to its base.
Once you choose your sponsors, work with them to market your event using social media, email marketing, and other channels they’re already tapped into. To gauge how effective their marketing collaboration will be, you can vet potential sponsors by asking them if they’re willing to help market your event—and how big their lists and fan bases are.
Don’t sell yourself short
Think twice before discounting tickets when your sales aren’t going well. “One thing we’ve never done is discount our tickets or work with a deal site,” says Cameron of Brew HaHa Craft Beer Festival. “We only advertise at local breweries that are participating; we don’t advertise to the bar crowd. As a result, we have high quality people at our events that love craft beer.”
Pick your locals wisely
While it’s smart to take advantage of local businesses like breweries or bars to help spread the word, think carefully about which ones you approach. A local brewery with a reputation for quality product and a mature crowd can be a great participant at your event — and an excellent promoter. On the other hand, the pub that just got busted for serving to minors might not be your best venue.
Arm your local partners with flyers, emails, and other promotional materials so they can share your event in your words. Don’t rely on them to sum it up.
Consider your hashtags
Social media is a fantastic way to promote events. It’s also a great opportunity to shape the vibe of your beer festival with keywords and hashtags that will appeal to a spirited but together crowd. Think #seasonalbrew versus #letsgetdrunk.
For more ideas about how to promote your craft beer festival, check out Eventbrite’s Beer Festivals Guide.
