The benefits of live music and the ‘goosebump’ effect
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Tricks and Treats to make your venue spook-tacular this Halloween
Get in the spirit with TheMusicLicence
Halloween is a time when people love to immerse themselves in the spooky spirit, and bars, pubs, and clubs in the UK get the chance to go all out to create memorable experiences for their staff and customers. Whether you’re a business that gets in the spirit each year, or you’re looking to make your venue look spook-tacular for the first time, we’ve got some helpful tricks and treats to make your venue the scariest spot in town.
According to Marler Haley, Halloween is more popular than Christmas in the UK, with more people searching for Halloween than Christmas. So, it’s no wonder that a fifth of UK consumers say Halloween is their favourite annual holiday [1]. Therefore in 2023, Consultency.uk shared that the UK is expected to spend a combined £1.07 billion on Halloween festivities.
Tricks- Music and decorations can significantly enhance the customer experience during Halloween celebrations:
- Curate a themed playlist: Create the ultimate monster-mash with classic Halloween tunes that you usually wouldn’t play other times throughout the year. Try mixing in some contemporary tracks with a spooky vibe to keep things fresh and exciting.
- Live DJ or Band: Hiring a live DJ or band to play Halloween-themed music can elevate the atmosphere and set you apart from your competitors. By hiring entertainment specifically for Halloween, it has the ability to keep the energy high which could result in customers staying for longer.
- Sound effects: Integrate spooky sound effects between songs or as background ambiance throughout the evening. Think creaking doors, howling wolves, and distant screams. These subtle touches can make the environment feel more like an immersive experience making it more than just a usual night out.
- Spooky lighting: Try using low, dim lighting to create a mysterious atmosphere. You can also use strobe lights or fog machines for a more dramatic effect, making your venue look different from your everyday feel.
- Themed decor: Decorate your space with classic Halloween decorations such as cobwebs, skeletons, pumpkins, and bats.
- Interactive elements: Photo booths with Halloween props can be a hit, encouraging guests to capture and share their experiences on social media, tagging your venue for others to see the experience you offer.
- Bar & Drinks: Dress up your bar area to keep customers amused while waiting to be served. You can amend your menu to suit to spooky season with Halloween themed drinks like “Bloody Marys” or “Witch’s Brew” to add to the fun.
Treats- some wicked ideas to enhance the evening:
- Costume contests: Host a costume contest with prizes to encourage guests to come dressed in their best Halloween attire. This can create an exciting element of competition and enjoyment throughout the night.
- Party entertainment: You could hire a magician, dancers or contortionists to get involved with the crowd throughout the evening, making it even more of an immersive experience with continuous entertainment.
- Staff participation: Your staff’s enjoyment is just as important as the customers. By having your staff dress up in costumes and participate in the festivities, their enthusiasm for the evening could rub off onto customers, making your venue to spookiest place to be this Halloween.
With Halloween being one of the most celebrated holidays here in the UK, along with all the tricks and treats from TheMusicLicence, you can turn your venue into a haunted house full of night-long entertainment.
If you plan on playing or performing music in public, or at a commercial event this Halloween, you may require a music licence from PPL PRS. TheMusicLicence covers virtually all commercially released music as well as grassroots and independent artists and composers, and everything from the live music performances and specially featured entertainment to recorded and background music.
References
Author
Toni Hendry
Toni Hendry studied Arts at De Montfort University and gained a MSc in Business within the Creativity Industries at the Leicester Business School where she received an award for her writing. Shortly after graduating she joined PPL PRS in 2022 as a National Account Executive and has recently joined the marketing team where she can share her passion for writing, culture and music in her new role as Marketing & Content Executive.
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