While the rest of the world jokes that it’s too early to start talking about Christmas, in the hospitality industry, it might already be too late. Our industry operates on long timelines, constantly reacting to daily occurrences, yet always planning far ahead.
Take Christmas, for instance. Many venues and suppliers start planning for the next Christmas in January, drawing from the wins and losses of the previous season while they’re still fresh. This is the best time to take stock, relieved that we’ve navigated another Christmas with all the joy and long hours it entails. As a team, we discuss what went well, what could be improved, what our competitors did right, and what we can learn and add to make the next year bigger and better.
I always aimed for better organization the following year! Ideally, we’d start promoting in July and aim to have our bookings well in hand by the end of October. However, the reality of running a business means that juggling planning for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, bank holidays, Father’s Day, and summer, not to mention the weekly crises that inevitably arise, all get in the way.
By July, I'd often find myself with only a rough idea of the menus and prices, no finalized design, and a list of people to contact before we can publish anything. To complicate matters, we'd inevitably be in the middle of the complex summer season, with our suppliers not having published their full listings or prices for the season yet, while the first of our customers are already eager to collect our menus to compare with those of our competitors.
Despite these challenges, we always manage to pull it off with the flourish and style the industry is known for, delivering the joyous occasions our customers deserve.
But in planning, there is also so much opportunity at Christmas. The part that used to really interest me was planning for January! Typically a quiet month, where at least for me, cash flow could quickly become a problem, I got really creative with how to keep the tills ringing and used Christmas as a springboard to encourage sales in January. From marketing promotions running through December to fun incentives like 'red envelopes' for January, there are plenty of ways to keep the momentum going.
I'd love to chat with you about what your plans are and share some of my tested ideas. Let’s grab a call sometime.
Operating on such long timelines can be challenging, especially when the industry demands constant short-term adjustments. However, as the ultimate hosts, getting these occasions right for our customers is important work. They deserve our long-term view and attention to detail.
While it might seem premature to talk about Christmas in the middle of the year, in hospitality, it’s never too early to start planning. The meticulous preparation ensures we deliver the exceptional experiences our customers expect and cherish. So, as the rest of the world jokes about early Christmas chatter, we in hospitality are already deep into the preparations, making sure the festive season will be nothing short of magical.
