We’re right in the middle of summer and the heat is on! Capturing the attention – and dollars – of summertime bar and nightclub guests means busting out your best promotions. Whether you decide to focus on a specific spirit or cocktail, feature a locally sourced product (or products), attract sun lovers to your roof, patio or other outside area, or bring the pool party to the evening hours, drawing customers through your doors and building guest loyalty means delivering on your summer events.
Here are 6 of our favorite bar and nightclub summer promos.
Dutch Courage
Gin is light, refreshing and botanical, making it the king of summer spirits. There are plenty of trends gaining traction this summer but they’ll be hard pressed to dethrone gin. The Farmhouse Tap & Grill, a gastropub in Burlington, VT, is well aware of this. Their annual Dutch Courage gin event features flights, cocktails, and juniper-friendly dinner specials. Guests will have the opportunity to taste multiple styles of gin: Genever, Old Tom, London Dry, New Western, and Plymouth.
Celebration of Summer Tomatoes
Locally sourced is a hot trend that every operator should leverage. Odds are that there’s at least one local food item, beer, spirit, wine, or even condiment that you can feature on your menus. The Farmhouse’s Celebration of Summer Tomatoes is taking advantage of local heirloom tomatoes this summer. This Vermont gastropub is tying their wine list into this promotion with what they’re referring to as “red wines that can take a chill,” pushing Gamay, Zweigelt, and more.
Nightswim
When it comes to Las Vegas nightlife the only thing better than a nightclub is a dayclub, so the only thing that could possibly be better than a dayclub is a nightclub that highlights daytime pool elements. That’s exactly what partygoers get at XS with their Nightswim promotion. The relaxed dress code encourages guests to party at the posh nightclub in their swimwear, enhancing the sexy with plenty of skin. Partying in a nightclub’s water feature is rather uncommon, so Nightswim stands out in the world of nightlife. Add top talent like Flosstradamus, Marshmello, DJ Snake, Diplo and Major Lazer, subtract the usual nightclub dress code, and you get a summer promotion that can’t be beat.
Summer at Space
If any US city can rival Las Vegas’ daylife scene, it’s Miami. The venue to do it is obviously the 2016 Nightclub & Bar Dance Club of the Year Award Winner Club Space, a club destination known for many things, one of which is their habit of keeping the party going from the night through the following afternoon. Party maniacs who also worship the sun will want to check out Summer at Space on The Terrace. The party starts at 11:00 PM and goes to 4:00 PM with a relaxed dress code, and house and techno music. And yes, you read those hours correctly…
Full Moon Night Swim
Not every poolside daylife bash needs to mimic the vibe of a high-energy Vegas or Miami nightclub. At The Broken Shaker at Freehand Miami – this year’s Nightclub & Bar Cocktail Bar of the Year winner – people were given the opportunity to throw on their swimwear for #FreeSwim2016. There were pop-up shops by Plume, MALU Designs, No More Drama, BohéMæyim Jewelry, and more, along with Casamigos drink specials. Downtempo, to be sure, but sometimes a loungey, relaxed vibe is perfect for poolside sipping and mingling.
JetSet Series
Rio. Saint-Tropez. Bangkok. Ibiza. Those are 4 of the top international party destinations, but not everyone has the time or the means to visit them. Enter: ROOF on theWit in Chicago. Why not bring (in)famous party cities to your guests? ROOF’s JetSet Series began in May with Rio Carnival (Destination 1), was followed up by Saint-Tropez in June (Destination 2), will lead to Bangkok (Destination 3), and will culminate with Ibiza (Destination 4).
Each event was and will be themed to capture the vibe of each destination. For example, the Saint-Tropez party was white and gold themed and called for guests to show up in their most fashionable Saint-Tropez-inspired swimwear. The Bangkok event asks that guests wear their most festive ensemble and enjoy a weekend of sunny and sensual partying. Using the hashtag #jetsetwithroof, guests can participate in the Jetset Series Contest, which includes a grand prize of a two-night stay at theWit for the Ibiza-themed event at ROOF over Labor Day Weekend.