VenueScanner’s Post

How will the Spring Budget impact the #hospitality sector? Last week, I shared some insights with BusinessToday on the significance of policy decisions and the urgent need for comprehensive support measures. On behalf of VenueScanner and our industry partners, we urge the government to consider these nuanced perspectives and introduce balanced policies that address the broader challenges we face, including those related to employment, customer service excellence, and the wider economic contribution of our venues. To gain a deeper understanding of the implications of the Spring Budget for the hospitality sector, read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eCHM6Uuk Business Today Cheers to Relief: Hospitality Sector Hails Budget's Alcohol Duty Freeze - Business Today

The phone is ringing..... 🤷♀️ January is always a difficult month for hospitality businesses and the news of more than a few quality restaurants closing their doors recently has been sad to hear. I like to support pubs bars and restaurants in January with my custom, I also book events in venues, in an effort to drive additional footfall, but..... I can not tell you how many times I call venues, during opening hours, to make a booking or book an event space, and they do not answer the phone! I know it's not just me, I hear this customer gripe regularly. I work with restaurants, hotels and bars in innovative ways to improve their menus, gain maximum profitability from each guest, improve overall experience and secure repeat custom. But what's the point if the fundamentals of running a successful business are not carried out, like taking bookings and talking to potential customers? Sequence of events: A customer is looking to book a table for a few friends. They would do it online but you booking system only allows tables up to 6. They have 2 or 3 venues in mind. They call you to check availability and book their table. You don't answer the phone.... THEY CALL ANOTHER VENUE AND BOOK THERE INSTEAD. SIMPLE. I would apologise for the rant but I'm not sorry. As an industry, we can not complain about poor customer numbers if we are not seeing to the simplest of tasks. Picking up the phone! OK, rant over (I'm a bit sorry) 😏

Great article by CLH News Hospitality businesses are eager to invest in their future growth, despite facing numerous financial challenges; there's a strong commitment to developing teams, providing training, and enhancing venue experiences. Challenges like rising costs including wages, food, and taxes present major hurdles. Operators are focusing their investments on improving customer service (95%), staff training (92%), and venue upgrades (71%). People love visiting these places for affordable enjoyment and social connections; however as major employers in this country, the hospitality sector needs reassurance that increased activity will translate into sustainable profits to justify further investments. Despite some businesses seeing revenue growth, this is overshadowed by around 70% facing reduced profits, with nearly half barely breaking even! In my opinion, to unlock its potential for growth and contribution, the sector needs to call for fairer taxation and regulations that align with its unique needs and contributions to local economies. What are your thoughts on this? #Hospitality #MarketGrowth #LabourCosts

Our October issue is now live! ✨ 🙌 This month, our three exclusive and jam-packed features include Dark Spirits, Technology and Events and Entertainment, each bringing essential and expert advice to keep your venue on top. 🥃 Looking to the dark spirits category, we take a deep dive into rum, whisky, cognac and more, to reveal the latest innovations and trends within the sector. With the help of industry experts, we answer everything you need to know about what’s hot and how you can leverage dark spirits to create wonderful new creations and answer consumer demand. 💻 Our technology feature looks at the increasing digitalisation of the industry. With commentary from leading technology experts in the field, we share how tech and efficiency go hand-in-hand, revealing what your venue can do to improve the guest experience and boost growth. 🎷 Our final, supplementary piece focuses on guests’ growing demand for events and entertainment within the on-trade. With insight from some of the sector’s visionaries including The Little Door. and The Essence UK, we share the importance of meeting this demand and the benefits it can bring to your venue. ❤️ Alongside these focuses, you’ll also find our regular features including Venue of the Month, Hospitality Around the World, New Creations and Hospitality Heroes. Enjoy the read! https://lnkd.in/eAHRCJAY 📷 : Front covery courtesy of Pringles

UK nightlife and #hospitality ‘teetering on brink’ of collapse as government intervention urged. Less than a month into the new year, it has been reported that up to 43 hospitality venues across Britain face permanent closure largely due to customers spending less and red-hot supply costs.  Revolution Bars Group PLC announced it would close eight underperforming venues, including sites in Southampton, Reading and Liverpool, because of young people no longer being able to afford a night out. Just weeks later, Prism owner Rekom warned that its 35 nightclubs were risking closure after it was forced to call in administrators.  It’s the second time in less than five years the late night operator has been forced to warn on its future, after it underwent a major restructuring amid the pandemic. Michael Kill, chief of the Night Time Industries Association, said: “The nightlife sector is in crisis, and we implore the Chancellor and Prime Minister to recognise the urgent need for support before it’s too late. “As the industry teeters on the brink, we call on the government to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and implement measures that will ensure its survival.” #redundancies #employmentlawuk #economy via City AM

July 1st 2023 hurt. For Hospitality venues, it marked an upto 5% increase in the cost of labour. Between super and award changes. In the midst of winter, the industry was optrimistic, and looking ahead to a festive season to bounce back. BUT, the cost of living crisis bit hard. Where Mid-November was the launch date of summer fun, and peak revenue, many venues remained stalled. The 8-12 week peaks shrivelled. And managing labour is more important than ever. Venues now routinely struggle to keep labour costs under 40%, with mid-to-high 30%'s the norm, even for the best operators. Thats why Peiso manages Labour so effectively - because its the key controllable element of every venue. In three crucial steps; 1. Forecast Revenues - a roster is written to an assumption of demand. Peiso allows accurate and predictive forecasting to define the context for your roster 2. Write the right roster - by providing guidance before a roster is published, Peiso ensures you start on the right foot. 3. Adapt - A hospitality's week is made up of 14 assumptions; 7-revenue and 7-labor assumptions. BUT, that changes the moment the week begins. Peiso allows real-time feedback, and prediction. Through Peiso, users routinely shave 3% off of their labour cost, immediately impacting their bottom line. #restaurantprofitability #rostering

Finally! A better way to estimate costs before your event.

Some hospitality firms are reporting strong results. Mitchells and Butler Group, for example, are projecting sales to be up by 7.7% this year https://lnkd.in/gn_qEVyj . However elsewhere in the sector, other firms continue to struggle. I was intrigued by a comment in this news article suggesting that the hospitality industry should be treated by government as a public good and receive state support, similar to the arts council supporting the cultural sector. That's an interesting argument. Already the UK government is pouring nearly a billion pounds into reviving the 'high street' to promote better city and town centre quality of life https://lnkd.in/ew57zVNi . Whether such arguments for state subsidy can and should be extended to the hospitality and night-time economy sectors will be an interesting debate amongst policy-makers and academics.  #hospitalityindustry #nighttimeeconomy #tourismindustry #eventsindustry #london https://lnkd.in/giCme3at

There is something broken in our industry!! 💔 We repeatedly hear the same feedback: "Why is my bill from the hotel much higher than anticipated?" "We blew up our budget because we didn't know the AV would be so expensive." "The Food & Beverage cost ended up being like 3 times what we had planned." The problem is: On one side, clients looking to plan events want transparent, accurate cost estimates before even committing to an event. On the other side, hotels or vendors are being very mysterious about their pricing, and it's often done on purpose so clients end up being taken by surprise and spend way more than anticipated. We believe there is a better way to do this. Clients should not feel as though their arm has been twisted at the end of each event. 😫 Today, we’re releasing a tool that will help bring more transparency and help planners forecast better event costs. This new tool features: - Estimates on Accommodation, Food, Transport, Activity - Includes taxes & hidden fees - Data on 1000+ locations - Based on 500 real event costs It’s completely free to use. Give it a try and tell us what you think in the comments. #offsite #corporatevents #team #retreats

Hospitality groups show a 3.6% growth in May according to CGA but there is still uncertainty in the face of the upcoming election (and we are all of course hoping for better weather)! Check out the CGA article below: https://lnkd.in/eKEefqrv