September 4, 2021 / Insights Venues are winning big with local sport
It's been a difficult year for Australia's hospitality industry but last Sunday at Carina Leagues Club in Brisbane was a glimpse into an exciting future.
Usually at this time the venue's sports bar would be hosting a handful of locals catching some late night motorsport, having a modest bet or perhaps just enjoying a quiet beer.
But on this ocassion it was entirely different story.
The marketing team elected to broadcast and promote a local live sports event, creating a watch party for Australian Paralympic swimmer Jake Michel.
“It was definitely one of our best Sunday nights [in terms of trade] to date,” said Carina Leagues Club Marketing and Promotions Officer, Dan Kelly.
“The bar was going crazy,”
Kelly’s team staged an eyebrow raising event that ticked all the boxes in that it drove foot-traffic, brought a new demographic into the venue and set a new trading record for the sports bar.
Check out these scenes @ClubsQLD!
— Sportsyear (@Sportsyear) September 5, 2021
Carina Leagues Club set a trading record on Sunday by screening a local event in their sports bar.@Sportsyear helped them #PlanItRight. pic.twitter.com/vssdfQZsww
“Jake is a member of our affiliated Swimming Club and lives close by.” said Kelly.
“The swimming club asked if we had a function room for some of their members to be able to watch the race, and we thought why not go one better and deck out the whole sports bar?”
“We wanted to give the swimming club as well as the wider Carina community a place to be able to watch Jake’s race.”
Around 150 people packed into Sidelines for hours leading up the race and Jake’s second-placing ensured the celebratory ales kept flowing well into the night.
Jake’s mother Karen says the big screen was a big factor in making the night that much more memorable.
"Everyone congregating in one place to cheer Jake on was so special." she said.
"The staff [at Carina Leagues Club] were fantastic,"
"They handled the volume and the TV's perfectly and each time there was an interview or swimming they were quick to ensure we never missed anything."
Kelly says Sportsyear was pivotal in helping his team ultimately decide whether to stage the event.
“Sportsyear was the perfect tool to use to see what sporting highlights were on that day, over a month in advance,” he said.
“When we realised that three hour window was relatively clear, we went ahead an invested in the activation,”
Sportsyear Co-Founder Patrick Galloway says venues will have more great opportunities to do the same in the future, given the advent of streaming technology in Australia.
“Venues can now easily screen local live sporting events and attract a crowd, without the added cost of broadcast rights.”
“It might be a local athlete in a big tournament like it was Jake’s case, but it could also be a local sporting team with a big game being played at an away venue.”
Galloway says now is a great time for venues to start to think how they can build and activate relationships with local sports clubs and athletes.
“We know people love the unique atmosphere of sports bars and they will continually be drawn to these events when the offer is well communicated across key digital channels.”
“Sportsyear is proud to be helping our partners unlock opportunities in this space.”
