Entertainment on the Rocks
Tobias Taminiau, Het Land van Ooit, Holland

Ever since I was a teenager, I have wanted to be a bartender: cool, confident, well dressed, and well coiffed (think: a mane akin to the Lion King). I would run my own cocktail bar, a place heaving with customers. And I would be mixing, shaking, and serving like a champion. Singapore slings, Cuba libres, melon balls, and Bloody Marys. My shaker and I, what a team!

Success Is All in The Mix
As you can see, successful bartending is much like pulling off a great live performance at a park or concert hall—it’s all in the mix.

To a certain extent you can rely on the classic four Ps of success—product, place, promotion, and price—in order to attract guests to a certain show. But to make a difference you have got to combine the various components of a live performance in the right way, much like a mixed drink. What I’m talking about is beefing up the four Ps. Why not put some experience into the “product” and shake it up a bit? Let your guests experience your operation. Let them become a part of your attraction. Let them feel it, live it, and breathe it. Set the classic mix aside, and think: cocktail! Think in terms of color, flavor, and presentation. Bring your attraction to life, literally. Make it 4D by adding emotion. Unlike a regular visit, an experience is preserved much longer in the guest’s memory. Creating an experience is thus creating a memory. And the cherry on top of the cocktail is that people become a part of your experience. They are able to get involved.

One of the most effective ways of creating a memorable experience is through live entertainment. Not just live music or other performances on a stage. Think broader; think interactive. Think about the bartender and his shaking “performance.” Live entertainment can draw your guests into the experience you have created, and thus it puts them in the leading role. One excellent example of this type of interactive entertainment is a show at Madame Tussaud’s in Amsterdam that has just begun a live-entertainment experience. The show is like a labyrinth of Amsterdam streets circa the 17th century. Dark, foggy, and creepy. The streets are being brought to life by various characters, including beggars and drunks. While making their way through the streets of old Amsterdam, audience members run into these people, and it makes for a very scary experience. This offering has proved so effective that Tussaud’s Amsterdam has produced this feature in a 4D format.

After putting some experience into the product, just imagine what could happen when you mix a little more of that into the remaining three Ps. And then shake it up again. Picture this: My imaginary bar was not located on the best street in town. But the place was a must to visit. To make sure they could get in, guests had to order their cocktails in my virtual bar days in advance. In other words, the experience of being in my bar was the attraction itself. And just as with marketing entertainment, you must offer such an added value to your attraction that, as in my case, people were willing to drive down this long, winding, and unlit road, just to experience something exclusive.

In my bartender fantasy, I would shake my mane of hair and roar like a lion, expose my six-pack abs, dance Ravel’s Boléro, all while shaking and mixing one cocktail after another. It would be fine entertainment, and great content for promotion. So, in this case, as in yours, the entertainment itself becomes a communication vehicle.

So what about price? Well, it’s all a matter of supply and demand. Make the experience a must, and you will be able to charge accordingly. In simple terms it is very much like a Cartier watch, for example—it is an exclusive item. And its status allows it to command a high price. Don’t get me wrong here. Adding experience to your mix should not automatically lead to high pricing. But, it may help you to keep the pressure on the ticket box and enable you not to have to give away too much margin through low-price offers.

Adding Value
In my bartending fantasy, I also capitalized on my bar’s popularity by selling merchandise—
T-shirts, keychains, pilsner glasses, buttons, bumper stickers, etc.

The more memorable the experience the better the foundation for themed merchandise. Consequently, merchandise in itself becomes a marketing tool. Just remember: Retail can be a tricky business. Make sure you find yourself reliable partners who deliver your inventory on time.

Let’s recap: When launching new live entertainment, try adding a unique experience into the formula. If you don’t have the in-house expertise to help execute such a plan, find a consultant who could help you brainstorm ideas. In the end, you want to create an experience that is a must. When you do, you will find that your visitors will want to get involved, and that they’ll come back for more.