Charly Marritt
Taylor Swift’s award-winning and record-breaking tour, The Eras Tour is landing in the UK. Are you ready for it?
This massive phenomenon is driving economic booms in cities across the globe. New data from Barclay’s reveals:
Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated Eras Tour is predicted to provide a £997m boost to the UK economy, with Swifties forking out £848 on average to see their idol at one of the 15 UK tour dates.
Source
Depending on the size of the stadium, around 50,000 – 120,000 fans will be pouring into your city per day. As a hospitality operator, how can you tap into this passionate ever-expanding fanbase and boost your revenue and footfall without crumbling under the weight of the Swifties?
1. Staff and stock – be dazzling
Swifties will be travelling high and low to attend the Eras Tour, extending their time in cities with a long weekend to make the most of their visit with friends and family. If you’re a restaurant, pub or bar located in a busy city centre or even close to the stadium, prepare for an influx of customers.
Team:
More customers equal more demand. Make sure you have plenty of team members on shift around the days of the concert, ready to tackle their way through queues at the bar and the influx of food orders. Build digital rotas in good time, ensuring enough team members are available.
Stock:
Use your reporting software (often powered by your EPoS provider) to analyse sales volume and item performance around the time of previous popular concerts. This will help to forecast stock quantities, ensuring you’re prepared and don’t over or under-stock on high-demand items.
2. Give your menus a Swift makeover
Depending on how close in proximity you are to the city centre and the stadium, you may want to consider simplifying your menu to keep things running smoothly and quickly when footfall is higher than normal. But, you don’t want to lose out on custom from your regulars, so ensure your most popular items are available too.
Alternatively, consider creating a specials menu inspired by her albums. Swifties love colour-coordinating with their favourite albums. For example, a “Red” menu could feature red foods and heart-shaped desserts, while a “1989” menu could showcase neon-coloured cocktails and New York inspired snacks.
Name dishes and drinks after iconic lyrics or song titles. Picture yourself indulging in “Illicit Eclairs” for dessert. Enjoy “Vigilante Chips” as spicy fries. Try the local speciality, “Welcome to ‘your city’”. Sip on “Bad Blood” sangria. Use edible ink or stencils to write lyrics or quotes on cookies, cupcakes, or coffee foam.
Whilst this is a fun addition for your Swifty customers, it’s also a strategic marketing move. By providing a targeted offering based on strong interests, you’ll be sure to see increased brand reach and exposure from customers posting on social media.
Lastly, how can you do all this?
- Plan your specials menu in advance to attract and engage customers, promoting it on social media and in your venue.
- Designing a creative menu doesn’t have to be a time-consuming or costly activity. If you don’t have an in-house designer, source someone creative and head to Canva.
- Increase ordering efficiency for your customers and your team by using an Order & Pay at Table App, accessed via QR codes on tables. It’ll also reveal out-of-stock items in real time, helping to avoid disappointment.
3. Theme Discounts & Promotions
The Eras Tour isn’t just a concert; it’s a cultural phenomenon. As a food and beverage business, you have the chance to not just benefit from this wave but ride it with style! Forget simple discounts and flash sales; dive into themed promotions that will get Swifties singing your praises long after the last song fades.
Reward their loyalty, Swiftie style. Go beyond the mundane loyalty rewards ‘10% off your next order’. Create a “Cruel Summer” loyalty program where each themed purchase earns extra points towards rewards.
Improve your promotions by offering special deals. For example, you could offer a ‘Buy one Champagne (problems) flute, get one free’ deal. Or offer ‘Get 3 starters for £21’. You could also entice customers with a ‘Enjoy 13% off during happy hour’ promotion.
4. Nurture the Swiftie Spirit
The Eras Tour isn’t just about the music, it’s the experience. So don’t skimp on the fun factor when it comes to venue décor and atmosphere.
Incorporate relevant Swiftie themed aspects into your venue. For example, adorn your outdoor space with era-specific decorations, fairy lights for “Speak Now” or snakes and chains for “Reputation.”
Encourage fan-made signs and contributions. Set up themed photo booths or backdrops with props and quotes. Partner with local artists for interactive murals or installations.
And finally, the main attraction, the music! Get the fans in the mood by curating playlists for each era or featuring Swift’s collaborators. Don’t forget to update them when the latest Taylor’s Version drops.
5. Connecting with the Community
Taylor Swift’s music breeds more than just fans; it fosters a vibrant community. Here’s how your business can tap into that spirit and create lasting connections.
Join the Bracelet Brigade. Let’s face it, trading friendship bracelets is practically a rite of passage at a Taylor Swift concert. If you have the space, consider hosting pre-concert bracelet-making events. This provides a fantastic icebreaker for Swifties without pre-made groups, allowing them to connect and bond before their once-in-a-lifetime event.
Pre-Concert Fun with a Twist. Organise themed watch parties featuring specific eras, host trivia nights testing Swiftie knowledge, or even encourage group singalongs of her iconic hits. Partner with local artists to display their work and run joint social media campaigns or contests to raise the hype and encourage online engagement. But don’t forget about those who missed out on tickets! Swifties will still venture out to themed nights to celebrate their idol, so offer your themed activities throughout the day and night.
6. Track your success, not just sales
Remember, this is more than just numbers. Monitor which themed offerings resonate with Swifties the most. Analyse social media mentions, engagement, and feedback to adapt your strategy and keep the excitement brewing. Promote your offerings through local listings, collaborate with businesses in the area, and leverage social media to spread the word.
Not only will this help you understand the performance of your activities related to the Eras Tour, but it’ll help when planning future activities for other tours too.
I had the time of my life-fighting dragons with you.
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