When Dead Comes Alive

Halloween Event Cash is an Operator’s Candy

By Jason Stone

It is the proverbial dark and stormy night. The harsh crashing of thunder resonates in the distance. A strangely dressed couple walks hurriedly down a familiar street, although tonight it seems oddly different. A black cat darts out in front of them, hissing, and quickly vanishes into the shadows. The couple nervously quickens their pace as they approach the front door of their destination. Unsure of what lies beyond, they slowly open the creaking front door. They step inside, and the door slams behind them. As their eyes slowly come to focus on the scene inside, they gasp in horror of what they see. The bar is empty! (Cue bloodcurdling scream and evil cackle.)


Now, that’s terrifying if you’re a nightclub or bar owner (and I think your cash register just fainted). Don’t let this happen to you. With proper planning and a little creativity, you can make this ghoulish holiday one of your best nights of the year. Halloween is the second-largest holiday behind Christmas in retail sales, but it’s not about staying home with family, it’s about getting out and having fun. This means your customers are excited about it, looking for somewhere to celebrate and they are willing to spend.But a bat hanging from the ceiling and plastic cobwebs isn’t going to cut it.


Profitably Pumpkin


Scottsdale, Ariz., has one of the most exciting and cutting-edge bar scenes in the entire country, and The Salty Señorita lives up to that distinction with its Halloween extravaganza. Salty’s Spooktacular Weekend is a three-day affair that takes advantage of both Halloween and the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead falls on Nov. 1st and 2nd , and is a natural tie-in with Halloween and celebrating the spirits behind the bar. Salty’s operators get the word out weeks beforehand by passing out flyers, sending e-mail blasts, and through various in-store promotions. Manager Frank Corella glowingly describes the event as “pretty awesome, with a great turnout.”


The staff kicks it off on Halloween night with a pumpkin-carving contest. The first 25 people in the door with a pre-carved pumpkin are entitled to a one-cent Macabre Margarita (made spookier with black food coloring). The Jack-O-Lanterns are put on display to add to the décor, and the creator of the most creative pumpkin is awarded a $100 Salty Senorita gift certificate. Corella also says, “Guests have a great time on the patio playing ‘pumpkin basketball’ and ‘pumpkin ring toss’ for a variety of other prizes.


“And for the courageous, there is a full-size coffin you can dive into for a Mystery Beer. For $3, you get a blind grab into our makeshift cooler full of beer. You could end up with a delicious premium beer, or you could end up with a generic ‘terrible’ beer.” The night culminates with a costume contest with several categories for $100 gift certificates.


Costume Contests


When it comes to your costume contest, don’t hold back. Create a runway and let the contestants really strut their stuff. This kind of improv really will raise the energy of the room and will garner lots of laughs and cheers. The more winners there are, the better. Increase the quantity of awards even if it means you have to lessen your prizes.

There is nothing more anti-climactic than grabbing everyone’s attention and getting hopes up for the big award ceremony and then only awarding one winner. Cater to everyone and get creative with your categories. Give awards for Best Overall, Best Couple, Best Group, Most Comical, Sexiest, Scariest, Most Original, etc. Think about all the free publicity you’ll receive as each winner brags to their friends, family and co-workers about how they won in your establishment.


Creepy Cocktails


Get just as creative with your bar as your guests do with their costumes. Advertise food and drink specials to die for. Brain Hemorrhage shots are a no-br — you get the idea. Candy Cocktails, such as the Candy Apple Martini, will be a treat. Add a little dry ice to any Martini, and you’ve got an instant attraction.


Provide your guest with lots to do and plenty of opportunities to show off their costumes. Replace your pool cues with broomsticks and have a single-elimination Broomstick Pool tournament. Set up a bobbing for apples station and include mini-pumpkins. For the daring establishment, have a pumpkin smashing contest a la Gallagher (you know you all did it as kids). Blaring “Today is the Greatest” by The Smashing Pumpkins is a given and should be in steady rotation for your “Scaryoke” contest.


Have Nothing to Fear


Shepherd’s Nite Club in Phoenix has one of their best nights of the year on Halloween thanks to its mischievous antics. The excitement really heats up when Fear Factor-style games are introduced.


“The ‘menu’ consists of cow tongue, pigs’ feet and anything else disgusting we could find at the Southside meat market,” says Manager Alan Rebenstorf. “After a very understandable initial hesitation, everyone wants to be a part of it. The crowd gets a big kick out of it and huddles around for the best view.”


Shepherd’s staff also drive in a lot of business from the undecided partygoer with flyers and posters staked at busy intersections in the community. Rebenstorf says they “bring in a lot of traffic from people who were still deciding where to go that night.” NCB

Jason Stone is the senior manager of client services for MarkeTeam Inc., a Mission Viejo, Calif.-based sales, promotion and marketing agency specializing in the hospitality, beverage and leisure industries. For information, visit marketeaminc.com.