Anthony McGuire’s Post

The late 20th century saw a remarkable intersection of entertainment, dining, and celebrity culture with the birth and evolution of two iconic brands: Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood. Both chains became more than just restaurants; they turned into cultural phenomena, drawing fans of rock music, Hollywood films, and celebrity culture worldwide. This article explores their origins, growth, notable investors, business model shifts, and their journey into the modern era. https://lnkd.in/gfm9XaYt

Coachella 2024 Weekend 1 has come to a close, leaving festival-goers with unforgettable memories and brands with unique opportunities to engage with their audience. In the world of beverage branding, social media presence during such high-profile events can make a significant impact on consumer engagement and brand visibility. 📸 Some brands have been quick to seize the social media spotlight during Coachella. Take Freespirits Spirits, for instance. They've taken to Instagram to debut their exciting new flavors: Margarita and Kentucky Mule. With the festival's dynamic atmosphere, ensuring the freshness and resealability of these new flavors would be crucial. A click cap could be the answer, maintaining the quality of the drinks while allowing festival-goers to enjoy them at their own pace. Coachella offers beverage brands a golden opportunity to shine on social media and showcase their innovative packaging solutions. Whether it's through product launches, engaging content, or strategic silence, the right packaging can make all the difference. As we look forward to the festival's second weekend, brands could benefit significantly from incorporating click cap innovation on their cans to enhance festival-goers' experiences by ensuring drink freshness and convenience. #Coachella #BeverageIndustry #RTD #Festival

Festival szn may be over, but the conversation isn’t 👀 We’ve been festival-hopping all summer, so who better to weigh in on the topic than our Strategy Director? Charlie Li recently joined a Drum roundtable with industry leaders to discuss brand presence at festivals. She stressed the importance of clients questioning their motives for being there in the first place 🤔 “Consistency is key. And that’s something that brands often overlook. Because there is often a disconnection between how they show up at a festival versus how they communicate their brand purpose and what the brand stands for from an advertising perspective. There should be a lot of client education on this: what’s the right context? Really drill into the brand DNA.” Read the full write up, here 👉  https://lnkd.in/eSSQc6Qc #experientialmarketing #festivals #strategy #brands The Drum Oscar Quine

The stadium lights illuminate thousands of faces, the crowd's energy is palpable and a wave of excitement fills the air. In the midst of live sports and music, there's a new player on the field — craft beverages.   At Crafted ERP, we've witnessed how the #CraftedCommunity is seizing the moment, forging impactful partnerships with sports and music venues to elevate the fan experience and expand their brand reach.   Take Braxton Brewing Company, for example. As the official seltzer of teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Indiana Pacers, they've tapped into a fanbase hungry for local, artisanal options. By crafting co-branded variety packs, they've blended team spirit with craft quality, creating a winning combination that resonates with fans.   The harmony between craft beverages and venue experiences is undeniable. Whether it's our customers like Stateside Urbancraft Vodka expanded partnership to place Surfside RTDs at MLB ballparks, or the Tampa Bay Rays’ Sip Shine Moonshine Slushie Bar, these collaborations go beyond sales—they're about crafting unforgettable moments that fans associate with the game and the brand.   And it's not just about local fame; some craft producers, like Garrison Brothers Distillery, are going national with partnerships spanning NBA teams and PGA tours. These alliances showcase the versatility and broad appeal of craft beverages, proving that they have a place in the big leagues.   But managing these partnerships isn't easy—that's where Crafted ERP comes in. Our end-to-end solution supports producers with seamless management of multiple locations, diverse product lines and intricate partnerships, allowing you to grow your beverage business the way you want. #craftbeverages #beverageproduction #craftbeer #craftspirits #brewerysoftware #distillerysoftware #rtdproduction #beveragepartnerships

Who doesn't love festivals? Well, actually, quite a lot of people! But we certainly do, and what we enjoy even more is creating these vibrant spaces in which people can unite and celebrate. Here are some of our most iconic projects to date: 1. Brixton Roof Top: In collaboration with our partners, we transformed a multi-story car park in Brixton into a 1000-person capacity pop-up event space. During summer, it became Brixton Beach, a Miami-themed beach party haven. In winter, it morphed into the North Pole Saloon, an alpine forest refuge. Not bad for a concrete block in the city! 🌴❄️ 2. The Danish Quarter with Live Nation and Carlsberg: We designed, built, and delivered ‘The Danish Quarter’ for Carlsberg. This standout activation not only wowed festival-goers but also contributed to the community. The wood from this project was repurposed for local school projects and even a kids' treehouse at a local nursery! 🍻 3. The Pepsi Tower: Now in its fourth year, this iconic stage has been a staple at Wireless Festival, Leeds Festival, and Reading Festival. This epic structure is built with sustainability in mind, reusing materials each year. Keep an eye out for it at Summer 2024 festivals! 🌟 4. Bulmers Colourena - 13,000 people partied within the awesome Bulmers Colourena activation! 🌈 At Better Green Productions, we're passionate about creating memorable, sustainable event environments. Let's build better together! 🌱 #PepsiTower #SustainableEvents #FestivalStage #BrixtonRooftop #PopUpEvents #UrbanTransformation #DanishQuarter #Carlsberg #CommunityImpact #BetterGreenProductions #FestivalEnvironments #Sustainability

Why Brands mostly do campaigns during festivals High Consumer Spending: People are more willing to spend on gifts and celebrations. Emotional Connection: Festivals evoke emotions that brands can leverage for deeper engagement. Increased Foot Traffic and Online Presence: More shopping activity both online and offline during festivals. Cultural Relevance: Aligning with festivals makes brands relatable and culturally aware. Seasonal and Gift-Oriented Sales: Festivals promote gifting, making it ideal for product promotions. Competitor Activity: Brands launch campaigns to stay competitive and maintain visibility. Tradition of Offers and Discounts: Consumers expect special deals, creating urgency to buy. Boosting Brand Loyalty: Festival engagement helps strengthen long-term customer relationships.

From the moment we reached the first festival, I could feel something was different. It took weeks of reminiscing, reflecting, and even mind-mapping for me to fully process, unfurl, and contextualize the entire experience. Two 🎸 experimental, heavy metal festivals 🎸 and my takeaway was COMPANY VALUES?!?!?! These festivals were breaking ground, they were innovating in ways I never expected or had seen before at others. It dawned on me that they had created a culture of appropriate and expected behaviors centered around a set of organizational values. And they did it so well, so thoroughly, that even someone like me, who arrived without reading the “instructions”, was able to feel the full-force of what these festivals stood for. 🤘🏽 Inclusivity 🤘🏽 Acceptance 🤘🏽 Sustainability What I saw: ✅ Diverse crowds ✅ Vegan & gluten-free options everywhere ✅ Accessibility features ✅ Zero waste initiatives ✅ Non-profit merch booths But here's what I can't stop thinking about: HOW did they do it? HOW did they make these values so clear that even I, someone who just showed up, could feel it? How do you make your core values understood across your company, team? ----~-------- Up next: My Heavy Metal Approach to Core Values. Hint: It isn't just wall-art. ----~-------- 🙋🏽♀️ Hi, I'm Jennifer Yates. I bring playfulness, a rebellious spirit,  human connection, and fearlessness to business functions that are typically prescriptive, corporate-y, and pill-boxed like Business Operations and Project Leadership. If your seismic, transformative, business-critical project keeps spinning and spinning, maybe you need someone focused on soft-skills, not certifications. Let me know how I can help! ----~-------- Smiles at ArcTanGent, UK. August 2024.

See you there in September! Let’s chat about streamlining your Business Solutions!

For one day only, we’re opening the Pitch Hub so you can pitch to one or multiple buyers saving you hours of follow up time and hard-earned cash travelling long distances dropping into stores. All you need to do is take these simple steps: 1. Buy a Festival ticket (🔗 https://bit.ly/3wrkg6N ), you can't pitch without one. 2. Read ‘FAQs-Pitching to Buyers’ (🔗 https://bit.ly/3IQBkFO ). They are super helpful for any questions relating to pitching at Foodpreneurs Festival. 3. Apply to pitch to a retailer (or retailers) according to their category criteria outlined in the application (🔗 https://lnkd.in/gFBAu6-W ). Please note, all eligible applications will be viewed by the buyer team, not the Foodpreneurs Festival team, and you can apply to multiple retailers - the Festival team manages the time slots so you can be assured there won’t be a crossover of pitching time if you’re successful with multiple buyers. 4. Wait to see if your application is successful - you'll be notified by 15 May if your application is successful. 5. Rock on up to the Pitch Hub on Festival day, 17 May, 15 minutes before your pitch time slot. 6. Pitch, face-to-face, for 10 minutes to the buyer or buyers. It couldn’t be simpler! No gatekeepers. No uncertainty. No ghosting. No waiting. Just your chance to land on more shelves, get your product into more consumers’ hands and put more money in your pocket. So what are you waiting for? Go get your Festival ticket now! It’s time for your product to start landing on more retail shelves!

Let's be frank for a minute... the ACL food lineup is equally as important as the artist lineup. In between the sets, are you choosing Veracruz All Natural, East Side King, Tiny Pies, or one of the 50 other incredible options? With a lineup this good, we're struggling to see how anyone only chooses just a few. 🥧🌮🍴 #austincitylimits #aclmusicfestival #acl2024 #austinrealestate #austinlocal #findyourden #austinfoodie #atxeats #austinfood #austinrestaurants