How music can help pubs this Winter

What a year it’s been…

The end of one year and the start of a new is often a time for reflecting. Thinking back over the last few months and remembering those moments that particularly stood out. And what a year it’s been…

We saw a landslide election, another near miss at bringing football home and the awaited yet shocking band reunion of the iconic, Manchester born brothers.  

According to Lumia Intelligence,  the pub and bar sector was expected a growth of 1.6% this year with a much more “sustainable recovery through 2025 and 2026” as the economy improves and we see some normality in social activities. [1]

Stepping into Christmas

As we head into the Christmas season and looking to the new year – and January in particular – many of us are no doubt expecting the economy to ease off and remain hopefully that the hospitality industry will remain as popular as ever.

Publication, The Morning Advertiser, tell us that Christmas bookings for the 2024 festive period are already up by more than half (54%) compared to last year, new insight has found.[2] As well as this, people are making larger bookings which can be beneficial for the hospitality sector.

For some, a visit to the pub may be all about the social element, while for others, it may be about the ease of taking the night off cooking, or de-stressing after work – but overall, it’s about the experience.

According to research by Beer Today, 78% of pub-goers said they are looking for their visits to be unlike what they can experience at home, a figure that has increased by 24% in the last 3 years.[3]

Coming into the New Year

Understandably, it can sometimes be difficult to provide customers with the most enjoyable and uplifting experience – especially in January and across the winter months, but there are ways to make businesses as welcoming and engaging as they can be.

This could be anything from lighting an open fire to keep customers cosy on cold, winter nights, serving healthy treats to add some spice to new year diets or playing music to create a more welcoming and familiar space.

According to our research, the majority of people said that they prefer pubs that play music, with 61% of people agreeing that it adds to the atmosphere. [4]

Playing music could help to lift the mood, boost the environment and help to create a friendly and appealing space. It could help to give businesses a more upbeat feel, make people feel more positive and help to create the sort of comfortable and familiar atmosphere that people are looking for.

With the New Year often bringing quieter months, playing music could help to encourage people into businesses and may be an important aspect when it comes to attracting new interest. Just think how students return to university after the Christmas break might like to listen to some of their favourite songs as they enjoy a long overdue catch up with friends, for example.  Or how about those who work over the festive period who might enjoy relaxing to a mix of melodic sounds as they unwind after weeks of business and stress.