The team at research agency KAM reveal their latest hospitality research ahead of the festive period. 

By the time you read, this the golden season of the Hospitality industry will be well underway. With four of the biggest sales days of 2023 falling in December for hospitality venues, the Christmas period is absolutely critical for our industry as Brits open their wallets, relax their healthy intentions and celebrate the festive period.

KAM research found that 37% of Brits will be attending a Christmas party at a hospitality venue this year. And work Christmas parties specifically are well and truly BACK post Covid with 1-in-4 UK adults attending one over the festive season.

A significant amount of people visit hospitality venues over the festive period: 1-in-10 will visit a pub, bar or restaurant on Christmas day itself but Christmas Eve is even bigger for many venues with 1-in-5 UK adults saying they’ll eat or drink out.

And this year is looking good for BIG bookings with 1-in-4 Brits intending to visit a hospitality venue with 12+ people and a similar proportion expecting to use a private space or room for their celebrations.

So how do we really maximise big bookings over the festive season and beyond?

The biggest piece of advice I can give, is start early. By the end of September 3-in-4 Brits will have already made plans for the festive period, and 1-in-10 will have already made a festive booking in a hospitality venue.

Online searches for ‘Christmas’ in general increase by 71% according to a recent Christmas guide from The Access Group. Only 1-in-4 UK adults won’t give Christmas any thought until December and it’s most likely to be those without kids and those who identify as men (I could have guessed that!).

Data from DesignMyNight.com suggests that Christmas Day bookings are up 5% versus last year already. Apparently the most popular day to make online bookings in the lead-up to Christmas was the 22nd November.

What do customers want from big festive occasions?

One of the most appealing things to customers when booking for a large group is having a festive food and/or drinks package, as well as the ability to pre-order food and drink. In Competitive Socialising venues this should of course include games too. Certainly most prefer to be able to order from a set-menu when it’s a large booking.

1-in-10 like the ability to be able to pay for the whole event in advance. And don’t be shy about charging a deposit - 74% re happy to pay a deposit when booking for a large group at Christmas.

What do event planners want from venues?

New research from KAM and sales and event management platform, Tripleseat, reveals that 60% of UK hospitality operators say large bookings and events are important to business, despite this the research also found that 34% of restaurants and 39% of pubs/bars surveyed don’t use software booking platforms and still rely on paper and pen.

It’s no wonder than that we also found that the event planners interviewed as part of the research expressed frustration about slow communication and response time from venues and being handed over to multiple contacts, inspiring a lack of confidence. Hidden costs potentially affecting the final budget also added to frustrations and emphasised the need for transparent and itemised cost breakdowns from venues.

Using an event management platform can streamline the event booking and management process that can dramatically improve the bottom line of hospitality venues and improve new booking sales by 30% or more creating a steady revenue stream while ensuring a positive guest experience to build long-term repeat business, according to John Karemy at Tripleseat.

The research showed that 73% of operators currently keep track of events or bookings using a software or booking platform while 33% still track event bookings the old-fashioned way with paper and pen. This signifies a movement towards more venues trusting software technology to improve event management and streamline the planning process allowing hospitality professionals more time to deliver truly great guest experiences - but there’s still a way to go!

In summary, the opportunity to HUGE and it’s not too late to maximise Christmas 2024!

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