In 2021, the terrace was the resort for many hospitality operators during the restrictive corona measures. Meanwhile, the terrace is no longer a stand-alone element, but is equivalent to the interior space(s). The interior and the style are translated to the terrace by the use of beautiful (promotional) materials, lighting and furnishings. Now that spring is here, entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry are busier than ever getting their terrace ready for ‘The Summer of Love’. Brands that want to increase their visibility are well advised to take advantage of this.
Terrace as an extension
The terrace has always been an important, additional source of income for the hospitality industry, but since the corona pandemic the terrace has become an extension of the business 365 days a year. It is therefore completely understandable that hospitality entrepreneurs want to get the most out of their terrace. But in this day and age, investing is no longer so obvious. It was therefore no surprise when our annual survey of 100 companies in the hospitality industry with terraces throughout the Netherlands showed that entrepreneurs prefer to contribute to promotional materials rather than financially to brands. The entrepreneurs in the survey indicated that they are more interested in promotional materials because they provide visibility, both on the terrace and inside, which they can use to entice more guests to take a seat on their terrace.
Practical and sustainable promotional materials
The entrepreneurs use different promotional materials to entice guests. For the terrace, there is a clear preference for practical and sustainable promotional materials such as parasols, sidewalk signs, beanbags, banner cloths, glassware, table cards and menus in various shapes and sizes. What stands out in the survey is that runners and flags are currently declining in popularity.
Personalization of promotional materials important factor
The fact that more and more brands are offering promotional materials does not mean that hospitality entrepreneurs are taking up the offer. The entrepreneurs surveyed indicated that the materials must be in line with the house style of the business. Especially when the materials are entirely in brand design, they must fit in with the look and feel of the business. 49 Percent of the interviewed entrepreneurs find it very important that the promotional materials fully fit within their own corporate identity.
Menus including QR code
The same applies to the menus, the business card of the entrepreneur. For 92 percent of those surveyed, the design of the menu is essential and they indicate that they want the card(s) to be completely in their own house style. A catering location has an average of five menus, whereby the lunch, beverage and drink menus with QR codes for on the terrace are particularly popular. The only thing the entrepreneurs have to do is to order these in the Brand Management Platform of the relevant brand that offers this service. The entrepreneur selects the point-of-sale materials he or she needs. These can be fully customized with the entrepreneur’s own branding and logo, making the entrepreneur very happy and giving the brand visibility among consumers.
Put your brand on the map
Would you like to be as visible as Aperol Spritz, Coca-Cola, Lipton, Red Bull and Duvel on all terraces in the Netherlands? Contact us today to make sure your local partners have easy access to all the promotional materials they need to put themselves, but also your brand, on the map.