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10 Future Trends: me&u research reveals what patrons expect from pubs in the near future.
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‣ Pub Dining & Foodservice ‣ Keeping Cool ‣ Outdoor Equipment ‣ On-Premise Wholesalers
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I WAS in Sydney’s CBD for a lunch meeting the other day, and met my colleague at one of the larger pubs right in the heart of the financial and legal districts. At noon we were one of the first tables seated, but within 15 minutes the place was buzzing with just about every table filled and people cracking into a pub feed and some drinks. It felt good. This firsthand experience, combined with the news that Australia’s largest hotel group just had a second half of the financial year comparable with pre-pandemic levels (see page 6), feels like we just might be turning a bit of a corner. The caveat of course is that everything can turn on a dime at the moment, but I’m feeling cautiously optimistic that we might be in for some good trading in the second half of the year as people want to
VanessaCheers!
16 Uniforms: How staff uniforms reflect the identity of your venue.
E: vcavasinni@intermedia.com.au
let their hair down after so much cold, rain Asand misery.such,there’s a lot to do to prepare for influxes of people in the near future. me&u have released some domestic and international research on what patrons want from pubs in the next few years, and some of the insights might surprise you. Check it out on p 10. Focusing on your community continues to be a cornerstone of the pub business, so check out our piece on local strategy from p 20. And as ever, the pub market shows no signs of slowing down – see p14 for the latest.
28 Design & Build: Take advantage of Perth’s ideal weather in Vic Park’s massive new beer garden.
14 Property Report: A pandemic, inflation and rising interest rates aren’t slowing down the pub market.
6 News: What’s happening in pubs across Australia.
Ed’s Pick
26: Hygiene and Cleaning: Tips on keeping your venue looking spick and span.
REGULARS
34 Tales from the Top: DrinkWise takes a whole-of-community approach by partnering with liquor accords. 28
WE RESPONSIBLEENCOURAGEDRINKING Get the facts DrinkWise.org.au
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Contents Next Month ➤ Preparing for Summer ➤ Pub Dining ➤ The Outdoor Opportunity 4 | Australian Hotelier
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20 Local Strategy: Community involvement comes in many guises, but it all cements your pub’s place in public sentiment.
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As a group EG delivered sales of $11.6bn, which was in line with last year, which the group said was “a strong trading result given we were again impacted by a complex and volatile tradingGroupenvironment”.EBITincreased 2.8 per cent to $924m, driven by the partial recovery of the hotels segment and another strong result in retail, which delivered EBIT of $666m, which was also in line with F21. The group’s profit for the year, after income tax, was $495m, up 11.2 per cent on last year.
EG’s hotels business traded for 231 days in the financial year, compared to 195 in FY21, with the majority of the impacts coming in New South Wales and Victoria in the first half of the year.
The total EG store network and pub portfolio comprises 258 Dan Murphy’s stores, 1417 BWS stores, up 7 and 25 respectively, plus 344 hotels, including five managed clubs, with five hotels acquired in the year.
EG’s retail sales for FY22 were $10.1bn, which were marginally lower than FY21, but were 19.1 per cent higher than FY19, again highlighting the impact the pandemic has had across on- and off-premise trading.
ENDEAVOUR GROUP PUBS BOUNCE BACK
In the news
Endeavour Group (EG) has delivered its financial results for FY22, which reflected the industry challenges of the last 12 months with hotel closures creating tailwinds for the retail business and then the effects of restrictions easing in the second half of the financial year.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN PUBS AUSTRALIAACROSS
“As a Group, sales were in line with last year at $11.6bn and net profit after tax of $495 million was up 11.2 per cent. These achievements were delivered against a backdrop of ongoing impacts from COVID-19, severe weather events, team shortages and a range of supply chain disruptions. Notwithstanding these challenges, the commitment and passion of our team enabled these positive financial outcomes.
Despite these challenges hotels recorded total sales of $1.5bn, up from $1.4bn in FY21, with stronger EBIT of $315m, up 20.7 per cent on the previous year.
By Andy Young
Trading recovered strongly in the second half of the financial year as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted and sales rebounded, exceeding pre COVID-19 levels, being up 7.3 per cent on the second half of FY19.
The Belgian Beer Cafe in Perth
6 | Australian Hotelier
“We delivered focused investments in our hotels business, acquiring five new hotels and completing 40 renewals, while also improving our retail drinks network with ongoing renewals and innovative new store formats, as well as 32 net new stores.“Theinvestment in our digital connections with customers have been accelerated in recent years given COVID-19 restrictions and we emerged from F22 with both record sales and record numbers of customer connections. We were also pleased to welcome Josef Chromy Wines to our Paragon Wine Estates portfolio and we’re proud of the achievements of our Pinnacle Drinks team who won hundreds of awards for quality in the year.”
Managing Director and CEO, Steve Donohue said: “Australians are returning to socialising in hospitality settings, and the trend towards discovering new drinks is continuing. While we anticipate that the operating environment will remain challenging, I’m confident our team of exceptional people, our customer-focused strategy, and our disciplined approach to financial management will enable us to continue to deliver for our customers, partners, team members and shareholders.”
Donohue said: “The financial year 2022 was a significant one for Endeavour Group, our first as an independently listed business, and together we delivered strong financial results. Our retail segment had an exceptional first half, and our hotels segment came back strongly in the second half.
Development opportunity lies in capitalising on current plans to improve the gaming offering, repositioning of the basement bar and optimisation of the first floor of the hotel which is currently approved to operate 15 accommodation rooms, but is also
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“We are delighted to now consider the ‘Longy’ as part of the Gallagher suite of quality family hotels and thank the Campion family for the opportunity to continue the hotel’s legacy in this wonderful, supportive community,” stated Patrick Gallagher.
Campion wished the new owners well with the beloved hotel he grew up in.
September 2022 | 7 NEWS
Patrick and Angela Gallagher have acquired the Longueville Hotel in northern Sydney, with a competitive offer of roughly $50m ending the off-market, invitation-only EOI campaign ten days early.
“It’s with a tinge of sadness but immense pride that the family are handing over the Longy to such respectful, exemplar custodians as the Gallaghers and we wish them every success with the next evolution of this wonderful business.”
Thecampaign.Longueville
“Transaction activity in the asset-class is at a two-decade high nationally, not surprising given the superior weighting attributed to hotel earnings and the very limited number of assets per capita that will ever be available to acquire – we are witnessing never before seen consolidation,” stated Musca.
The pub underwent a major renovation in early 2020
Thelicensed.Gallaghers add the Longueville Hotel to their stable of large-format, landmark community hotels, which include the Hunters Hill Hotel and Terrigal Hotel.
McDonald reflected on the high standard of the Longueville Hotel, and the rarity with which such assets become available on the“Themarket.chance to acquire hotel assets commanding a monopolistic position in strong retail locations are worthy of ‘unicorn’ status and likely to be held by new buyers generationally. We don’t see that changing anytime soon as asset supply continues to diminish.”
The HotelthefamilyCampionownedLonguevilleforalmost100years
Hotel occupies a gateway site at the entry to Lane Cove Village on Longueville Road, and serves a large population catchment of over 40,000 residents with no immediate competition. It offers an enhanced patron experience across bar, dining, gaming and wagering with 3am trading approval, 27 gaming machines entitlements and an average weekly revenue in excess of $160,000.
The hotel was put up for sale by the Campion family, whose extended family have operated the hotel since 1929 after purchasing the lease off Tooth & Co, and then eventually acquiring the freehold. Third-generation owner and current custodian Graham Campion grew up in the pub. The Campion family appointed JLL’s John Musca and Ben McDonald to steer the sales
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Gallaghers buy Longueville Hotel
Chief Experience Officer Marianne Mewett led the app development in partnership with payment and loyalty developers EonX, loyalty consultants, Loyalty & Reward Co and integration partners Mr Yum, H&L, Tyro and Sprout.
returned to customers as food & beverage credit
“Another big driver for us was that we really wanted to own the product development and really be able to at speed get feedback from customers and launch new features and functionality as quickly as possible.”
• Redeem gift vouchers
“We do monitor that cross-shop data piece very closely so we know that loyalty customers are more likely to visit more than one AVC venue. We’re going to be monitoring that very closely as we hope that that new venue discovery piece will really help solidify and help cross-promote all of our wonderful venues wherever you are in AdditionalAustralia.”new features are slated to launch in late 2022, with Australian Hotelier being told these will focus on personalised offers and experiences.
“So we have that base level now, but phase two is really about amplifying that. What appears in the app for you might be very different to what appears in the app for myself, for example. It’s really exciting.”
• Order from their table or over the bar
NEWS
Mewitt also expects the app will encourage visitation at more than one AVC venue, with its Venue Discovery feature.
AVC LAUNCHES GROUP-WIDE APP THE PASS
Data from the original Australian Venue Co app showed that users of the old app spent more and visited venues more frequently than those without it, and Mewitt and the team wanted to build on this with an even more responsive app built in house.
• View opening hours
• View function spaces
“We focus pretty heavily on personalisation based on the fact that between 20-30 per cent of our customers use Order At Table, so we know what they order, when they order and what they enjoy,” explained Mewitt.
The Pass allows customers to order via mobile and earn and redeem points. It offers a 10 per cent rebate on spend, which is redeemed as app credit and can be used for F&B purchases.
“One of the key things that we really wanted to develop is a much better venue discovery experience. There’s a great map, you can see your favourite venues, and you can see what’s nearby at any point in time with location services switched on.
“We could see in the data that our loyalty customers were worth about double in lifetime spend compared to non-loyalty, and they were visiting up to five times more frequently. So that was the big driver for us to say ‘Ok let’s look at the current product, which was the old Australian Venue Co app, let’s do a bit of a deep-dive and have a look at what we’re missing and how we can make it better,” she told Australian Hotelier.
8 | Australian Hotelier
Australian Venue Co have developed a new loyalty app, The Pass, created in-house. The new app has been rolled out to customers of its more than 190 venues Australia wide, and replaces the former Australian Venue Co app.
The Pass will allow customers to:
• Earn points on every dollar spent, the 10 per cent of spend
• Make bookings
• View what’s on at their local pub
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The findings of the research blend the desire for the implementation of smart tech within venues, while also retaining the humanity and hospitality as the beating heart of the venue.
The future is now
At-table ordering solution me&u has released a report which collates the findings of more than 5000 pub-goers across Australia, the UK and the US, and what they expect from hospitality venues in the near future.
More than 80 per cent of participants expect more smart technology in pubs
“For pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants globally, we have to acknowledge that our customer has changed, and will change again; and we have to be ready, willing and able to arm ourselves with the right tools, partners and technologies to keep up. Businesses will need to be creative, to be brave, to try new things whilst remaining agile and nimble within the market.”
10 | Australian Hotelier CONSUMER RESEARCH
IN PARTNERSHIP with YouGov, the report entitled ‘Pubs, Pints & Predictions: Hospitality Ten Years On’ predicts what the pub of the future will look like and the trends that will redefine what it means to go out.
“With Australia’s hospitality sector one of the most heavily affected in the world, this has and is still impacting staffing, service and customer experience when it comes to going out. The report looks to explore the key themes and developments, uncovering the pub of the future to arm our allies, your favorite venues, with the trends that can help them future proof their offering, and understand their customer a little better,” states me&u global CEO Katrina Barry.
Key findings include:
Most surprising of the findings was the extent of the move towards reducing alcoholic consumption. While it’s a trend that has been growing for some time, the results showed just how serious the wider public is about the reduction in alcoholic intake. Although drinking in pubs and bars is far from extinction, 30 per cent of the people surveyed expect to be drinking less in five years’ time, while 22 per cent are likely to give up drinking alcohol altogether. Forty per cent of Aussies say they’re happy to visit alcohol-free venues, with a similar number expecting venues to have a good range of alcohol-free options.
A TECHNOLOGICAL ACCELERATION
Barry says that covid was the impetus to make a lot of pubs start to evolve their offer quicker than ever before, and now that customers have had a taste of a newer pub offer, that acceleration will continue as consumers demand it.
me&u global CEO Katrina Barry
• 80% of Aussies who visit venues expect smart technology to be part of most venues in the near future
September 2022 | 11 CONSUMER RESEARCH
• 85% agree that while technology can be useful, venues are all about people and human interactions
• 69% of customers say events and activities play a role in deciding which venues to visit.
• Pubs and bars play a changing role, with 78% looking for venues to adapt to different needs across the day or week including offering flexible ‘work from venue’ options and changeable dayto-night or family facilities
• 90% of customers prefer venues that cater for all budgets with good value options
• More than half (53%) of Aussies want to be able to visit a venue in the metaverse to see what it is like before visiting it in real life
• 44% of customers want to visit pubs or restaurants which cater for the whole family, not just night-time drinking
WASTE NOT WANT NOT
LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU
PERSONALISED VISIT
“It can be quite overwhelming for one of the world’s oldest industries, which is based on humanity and connection and banter. When I think about the digital transformation and technological innovation it can conjure up equal parts excitement and trepidation. I think the reality is that we’re already here, the future is not around the corner, we’re in an environment now where consumers are demanding this.
“The future is now. Technology and hospitality is now. Owners and operators of pubs and bars of the future will listen to their customers and respond to what their desires are, and that ultimately means evolving.”
For Barry, the key takeaway she hopes pub and bar operators will take from the findings is that now is the time to start looking at how your venue can evolve to meet the demands of savvy consumers who know what they want and are spoilt for choice.
Drinking will no longer be the main attraction on a night out according to the report. Creative or themed but flexible venues are flagged as the way forward. Sixty-nine per cent of patrons say events and activities play a role in deciding which venues to visit. And this is not just the younger generations – 79% of Baby Boomers said that entertainment would also sway their decision to visit a venue.
CANCEL CULTURE
With the rise of hyper-personalised venues comes the need to tailor the experience to every unique visitor. In the future, consumers might expect the ability to control the music at their own table or even turn down the lights. Half of consumers surveyed were shown to be more likely to visit venues that use technology to give them a personalised menu that’s unique to their tastes, including tailored beverage recommendations.Fifty-two per cent agree that they would be more likely to visit venues that use technology to offer tailored experiences such as personalised lighting and music.
Despite patrons demanding more from their favourite venues, they’re not always holding up their side of the deal. Forty-two per cent of Aussies were likely to cancel a booking last minute due to a change of plan, including preferring to stay home. In worse news, Aussies were shown to be guilty of ‘Hospitality Ghosting’, with a quarter admitting they were likely to no-show at a booking without letting the place know. It’s not great news, but it’s something that operators need to take into account.
As such, 80 per cent of respondents wanted to see smart technology in pubs, including at-table ordering and venue apps and platforms. Respondents also expected to be able to use cryptocurrency to pay for their meals and drinks in a pub, while 60 per cent of millennials said that being able to preview a venue in the metaverse beforehand would make them more likely to visit the venue in real life if it appealed to them.
“Ultimately we talk about our job at me&u is to blend great technology with great humanity. And it turns out you can have more connection with your customers when you focus on banter and good old-fashioned human connection.”
12 | Australian Hotelier CONSUMER RESEARCH
A MORE SELECTIVE NIGHT OUT
Other findings
Although 87% of Aussies are currently going out to venues post lockdowns, findings showed that 89% of Aussies have changed their night-out habits. People are starting and finishing their nights earlier (37%) and are less willing to stand in long queues (48%). What’s more, many have started to research their nights out in advance (43%). In the future we can anticipate Aussies to be less likely to bar hop, with 44% of those asked preferring to stay in one venue and using their nights out to spend more quality time with friends and family (41%).
The report found that while consumers are taking the charge to live ecoconsciously, venues should be more aware of their own waste. Three quarters of customers think hospitality venues produce a worrying amount of waste from disposable items and 82% are concerned about the industry’s food waste, wanting action on both issues. The majority (64%) are more likely to visit venues that have a sustainability focus (eg. investing in solar panels, low emissions, planting trees etc).
“What took 30 years in terms of evolution previously has only taken two. So the pub of the future that we were imagining three years ago is actually here today, because that progress has accelerated so quickly.”
Barry said that while all of this might seem a long way off or be met with some resistance, in fact operators who don’t start implementing some of these technological advancements now will be left behind.
The CEO said that technology can take over menial tasks, so that pub staff can focus on the hospitality aspect of a pub offer.
Barry and me&u founder Stevan Premutico
“Strong regional or coastal locations underpinned by tourism are great places to start as they offer great lifestyle and amenity with pubs in a more affordable price
Starting out with a bang
While the banks aren’t yet tightening the purse strings significantly, McDonald notes that a good operating history is being considered more keenly.
up for sale for the first time in 50 years 14 | Australian Hotelier PROPERTY AND INVESTMENT
On the buyer side, those with a long-term view are currently reaping the benefits.
YOU WOULD be forgiven for thinking that an ongoing worldwide pandemic, an increase in cost of living and interest rate hikes would have slowed down the pub market. Instead, pubs are seen as some of the more favourable investment assets around, with the volume of hotel sales not slowing down at all.
says it hasn’t been enough to faze groups wanting to expand their portfolios.
“The new financial year has started extremely well with some landmark transactions already announced. The JLL pubs business has transacted over $300m of asset sales in the last seven weeks and close to $150m in the last week alone. Based on our pipeline of mandates and current book of work including one of our current listings, The Oaks, Neutral Bay, we don’t see a notable slowdown in deal volume anytime soon.”
“I think it’s reasonable to say the market generally is keeping a close eye on financial markets – both domestic and global – in order to position themselves accordingly and make the most informed decisions they can,” suggests McDonald.
For smaller operators and new entrants to the market, the opportunities still lie outside of metropolitan areas as a jumping-off point.
To discuss your divestment objectives, or any of the content mentioned in this piece, please reach out to Ben McDonald on 0414 182 848 or Ben.McDonald@ap.jll.com
The famous Oaks Hotel in Neutral Bay is
“Our discussions with stakeholders is
“Hoteliers are an astute group with many having long-term investment horizons, so if the right opportunity presents itself it is still being aggressively pursued with sale outcomes reflective of the quality of those assets. We have seen this a number of times recently with the sales of the Longueville Hotel in Lane Cove New South Wales, West Waters Hotel in Caroline Springs Victoria, and the Lord Stanley Hotel in East Brisbane.”
“Transaction volumes overall are at two-decade highs, which I have no doubt will surprise a lot of people outside of the industry. On that basis, if you look at a rolling 12 months we are certainly pushing ahead of FY20/21,” states JLL senior vice president Ben McDonald.
Howeverbracket.”large or small, regional or metro, right now the pubs that hold the most appeal are ones with a good mix of revenue streams, and a decent trading footprint or land size that will allow for furtherExpectdevelopment.thepubsales to keep rolling on.
Covid trading impacts are still being felt in varying degrees in CBD and metropolitan areas, however McDonald
“We are not currently seeing this adversely affect sale outcomes or the market’s desire to grow existing portfolios. For example, we have just launched the sale process for The Republic in Sydney’s CBD and despite the impact of covid on the CBD over the last two years, the business has shown incredible resilience, which is why enquiry to date has been enormous.”
certainly highlighting a more measured approach from the banking fraternity in their approach to new business. From what we can see there is a bigger spotlight on the sponsors themselves, including balance sheet strength, track record, and a more conservative approach on Loan-to-Value (LVR) ratios for both new transactions and portfolio re-weighting.”
The new financial year has kicked off with a flurry of high-value pub sales, as investors take a long-term point of view, suggests JLL senior vice president Ben McDonald.
jll.com.au/hospitality Contact Australia’s largest team of pub specialists today. West Waters Hotel Caroline Springs VIC Lord Stanley Hotel East Brisbane QLD $20,000,000 West Waters Hotel Caroline Springs VIC $85,000,000 Emu Hotel & Bottleshop Morphett Vale SA $32,000,000 Longueville Hotel Lane Cove ~$50,000,000NSW Windsor Castle Hotel East Maitland NSW $51,000,000 Apollo Bay Hotel Apollo Bay $11,530,000VIC NATIONAL John Musca +61 424 257 John.Musca@ap.jll.com004 NSW Ben McDonald +61 414 182 Ben.McDonald@ap.jll.com848 NSW Kate MacDonald +61 412 726 Kate.MacDonald@ap.jll.com676 NSW Greg Jeloudev +61 401 670 Greg.Jeloudev@ap.jll.com053 VIC, SA, TAS Will Connolly +61 432 116 Will.Connolly@ap.jll.com287 QLD Tom Gleeson +61 449 289 Tom.Gleeson@ap.jll.com845 QLD Mark Walsh +61 448 727 Mark.Walsh@ap.jll.com362 QLD Christian Tsalikis +61 421 562 Christian.Tsalikis@ap.jll.com262 Victoria’s largest pub sale ever recorded • Sold for $85m • Brokered exclusively off market by JLL • Acquired by NSW-based Oscars Hotels Emu Hotel & Bottleshop Morphett Vale SA South Australia’s largest pub sale ever recorded • Sold for $32m • Brokered exclusively off market by JLL • Acquired by ASX listed-Endeavour Group (ALH) & Charter Hall Group of pub assets settled or under agreement across the country so far in 2022. With Australia’s largest team of dedicated pub specialists, JLL Hotels has delivered a true market share of pub sales across Australia, producing record-breaking results along the way. $1.15bnA marketnationalshare
“We have created our Cargo Crew proprietary Fight The Fade fabric to resist against fading with frequent washing. We designed these fabrics to specifically address the pain points of our hospitality customers and to meet their durability requirements.”
Uniforms can project a lot about your pub in an instant. Proper consideration can help you carefully craft and control that message.
impressionsFirst matterUNIFORMSMIGHT
“Clearly the next one is that it looks
A professional uniform will likely send a positive impression, but it can do more than that. If well thought out, it can enhance the impact of your brand, as well as convey a sense of the identity of your venue. So what makes for a good pub uniform?“Firstandforemost is staff comfort and functionality. That’s right on top of the list, making sure that staff feel good in it and that it’s functional,” states Craig Shearer, founder and director of KickOn Group.
great and presents the way we want it to, and is on brand for the particular venue or space that they’re wearing it in.”
seem like a small consideration for an operator when looking at the overall offer of a pub, but it’s one of the things that instantly help inform patrons about your venue. First impressions matter, and first impressions of people – rightly or wrongly – can be made through their attire. This is true both of individuals and of groups of people, such as the staff of a hotel.
“From a practical perspective team members need to feel comfortable in their uniform and it’s often a valuable initiative to involve key staff in the selection process
to gain insights and support for the new uniform.”Withdecades of experience on the subject – Cargo Crew celebrated its 20th birthday earlier in the year – Rodgers has plenty of great advice on the practical considerations of a hospitality uniform, particularly around fabric choice.
UNIFORMS
“Fabrics that are easy care and withstand frequent washing are always popular and best suited for hospitality. Colour shades of classic black, navy, tones of greens and tobacco bring modern, translatable looks, whilst also being suitable for hiding marks and stains,” she suggests.
16 | Australian Hotelier
While there’s a lot to consider for venue uniforms in terms of design, aesthetic, colours etc, staff buy-in and comfort is also a huge consideration that shouldn’t be overlooked. If your team find their uniforms uncomfortable, impractical or downright ugly, this will be reflected in their demeanour and presentation on the floor of your pub. Collaborating with staff on the uniform can increase the team’s buy-in to the uniform and allow them to project pride in what they wear. Felicity Rodgers, founder and creative director of Cargo Crew, says this is essential.
Practical matters
The uniform at Settlers Inn, Port Macquarie
Brand building
Alistair Flower of Flower Hotels has understood the importance of uniforms to a pub brand for quite some time, starting with his own presentation. For several years now – beginning with the inaugural Pub Leaders Summit in 2016 – the pub director has been wearing a custom-made branded blazer to industry events such as conference and awards nights. It projects a sense of pride in the business.
“Something that is important to our core values and is evident from top to bottom in our organisation is a sense of pride for where we work. Yes, I’m number one promoting the brand, but I’m also showcasing pride for what we represent.
“That’s something that obviously starts with me, but we want that to infiltrate right down to our gardeners – making sure they have a sense of pride in their presentation and where they work as well.”
September 2022 | 17 UNIFORMS
The team at Cabana Bar in Sydney’s CBD. Image courtesy of Cargo Crew
KickOn Group ensures that BOH staff are also given branded uniforms
With several hotels in the Port Macquarie region under the Flower Hotels stable, the uniforms for each venue differ to help signify the type of venue they represent.
“To deliver a memorable guest experience, the uniform should be curated to support the visual handwriting of the venue,” states Rodgers.“Thecolourtones selected for the uniform should complement the interior and venue design, whilst consideration of individual roles may require variation of the uniform styles to meet practical requirements. For example, teams working outdoors may need additional layers such as a sweater or jackets for warmth.”
“We take them as such a significant part of the overall brand and personality that you’re trying to project in your venue. It’s one of the first things that people see. We put as much time and effort into ensuring that they fit the personality and the positioning of the venue as we do picking wall colours, furniture, lighting, bar fronts and backs and so on,” states Shearer.
Craig Shearer says the Kickon Group always assesses a uniform when they buy a new venue, redevelop an old one, or launch a new part of the business within one of their pubs.
“It’s not the sort of thing that you diarise to do on a certain timeframe, it usually coincides with another activity for the business.”
Uniform selection really can have quite an impact on the patron experience of a venue, and thus should be given the same consideration you give to any aspect of your pub.
“It ranges from waistcoats and ties in Barlow down at The Continental Hotel on the Mornington Peninsula, through to t-shirts and aprons in Townsville. It’s got to match the environment that it’s in.”
“It’s such a huge impact. Sometimes a $15 apron can change the way the staff feel and the customers feel. It can be a small expense for a big impact to your business.”
18 | Australian Hotelier UNIFORMS
Regardless of the type of uniform you land on, the essential branding factors are that it clearly showcases the venue name or logo somewhere visible to patrons, and complements the general aesthetic of the venue.
New launch? New uniform
The humble uniform can have a bigger influence on your patronage than you might expect.
“Every individual hotel is different in their uniforms, from different types of cuts to colours, and that all works in with the brands for each of those different venues. We’ve got a coastal type bar where the uniform is a t-shirt, and then in our suburban hotels we have collared shirts,” explains Flower.
“It’s an excellent way of letting the customers know that there’s some change here, there’s a new operator. And it also lets the staff know that we do care about them and we want them to look good and feel good, so it’s usually around that time.
“Also, whenever there’s some venue redevelopment we always look at the uniforms as part of that overall redevelopment. And also typically if we look to rebrand a space like we did with Cinder [restaurant] at The Terminus. One of the key things there was to bring in a uniform to ensure that the staff felt, like we did, that it was a new venue, it was a new part of the business.
The one unifying element at Flower Hotels pubs is an apron.
“Universally I like my staff to wear aprons, as number one it tucks everything in, but number two a pocket within an apron allows them to have additional coasters or bottle openers handy, it just allows them to be prepared when they’re working the floor.”
At KickOn Group, Shearer also ensures that the uniforms – or lack thereof – reflect the locality and atmosphere of the venue.
At the Terminus Hotel in North Fitzroy, the uniform rules are far more relaxed to reflect the creative, inner-city demographic of the pub.“Here in Melbourne, my team at The Terminus who are an amazing bunch, they almost wear what they want. So it’s not quite a designed uniform, more than it is a cultural choice of making sure that they fit what’s required. We’ve got a Termi t-shirt that they all wear, but there’s a fair bit of individuality given that it’s in Fitzroy North, but we do try to celebrate that as well,” states Shearer.
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IT’S FOR good reason that pubs have been called ‘community living rooms.’ The experiences of the lockdown era have refocused attention on the importance of having social spaces, areas termed ‘third places’ by celebrated urban sociologist, Ray Oldenburg. After the home (‘the first place’) and the workplace (‘the second place’), the third place is crucial for developing social connections, a sense of belonging and civic engagement – in short, the very stuff that communities are made of.
“We know that pubs often are that place where people can connect and have meaningful conversations, especially in rural and regional areas, and we are thrilled to be working with our customers to support them and their communities in this way.”
The RedcapeCrushersFigtreeatvenueFigtreeHotel 20 | Australian Hotelier LOCAL ENGAGEMENT
Media personality Gus Worland is the founder of Gotcha4Life. He outlined the crucial role that pubs have to play in rural
Moreover, “those who lived in rural areas… and had a local, and greater general mental health and less anxiety that those without a local.”
Seamus May discovers how pubs are engaging with their local areas to give back, gain goodwill and establish themselves at the core of their neighbourhoods.
“Social connection is at the heart
Davidson’s comments follow a 2018 study commissioned by the drinks giant, entitled ‘Where Everyone Knows Your Name: the social and psychological value of having a local in Australia’.
At the heart of the community
“Gotcha4Lifecommunities.isall about getting right down to the grassroots to start conversations around what it means to be mentally fit, and how to have vulnerable conversations,” Worland said.
Lion followed this study by partnering with ‘mental fitness’ charity Gotcha4Life, and hosting events at regional NSW pub the Armatree Hotel at the end of 2021.
“There is no better place to do this than
of our business and culture at Lion,” Davidson says.
Pubs, particularly in regional Australia, fulfill this role, as Lion’s head of sustainability, Libby Davidson, explains.
The study showed that people who “have a local are more trusting and satisfied with life” and that “most people who have a local say they use it for socialising and drinking with other people.”
The Royal Mail engages in several practices it terms ‘Social Sustainability’, including providing team members with housing options, sponsoring local sporting groups and non-profits, providing support for indigenous students to go to nearby schools and awarding an annual scholarship to a student graduating from the local primary school.
September 2022 | 21 LOCAL ENGAGEMENT
the pub, and we are beyond grateful to Lion for seeing the lifesaving potential in supporting these events.”
Lewis Land Group venue, the Camden Valley Inn, donated $20,000 to children’s healthy charity Kids of Macarthur in July.
“We’ve been a bit involved with them throughout the years. We try to always help as many places and charities around our local area, especially for kids – we’re a very family focusedSeeneyvenue.”saysthe money was donated to help the charity develop a space in Campbelltown Hospital that it has been given.
Sarah Malik, HR manager
Without the Royal Mail Hotel, I think this town would perhaps be like some of the other smaller towns, which are shrinking. In fact it’s growing, the primary school has more than 120 kids.
The Royal Mail is part of the Dunkeld Pastoral Company, which maintains a large area of farmland in the region. The company maintains a target of 20 per cent of land set aside for conservation, as HR manager, Sarah Malik, explains.
Indeed, for Malik, the importance of pubs like the Royal Mail to their local environments can’t be
“ThisVictoria.”willbethe eighteenth year that we have successfully bred endangered quolls, and so guests do have an opportunity whilst staying with us and dining with us to partake in conservation.”
“Withoutoverstated.the
A Lion spokesperson told Australian Hotelier that there are similar events in the pipeline around Australia, saying: “We have events coming up later this month in WA at Caves House in Yallingup, Settlers Tavern in Margaret River, our venue, Tiny Mountain in Townsville in September and are planning a number of sessions visiting some of the flood affected communities in Northern NSW later in the year.”
“So that’s native revegetation, and we also have an endangered animal program in partnership with Zoos
social side of the community of about 650 people.
“Some farms we’ve managed for a long time well exceed this target, newly acquired properties are working towards this target,” Malik says.
Moreover, Malik says this sustainability practice extends to how the Royal Mail engages with the
Royal Mail Hotel, I think this town would perhaps be like some of the other smaller towns, which are shrinking. In fact it’s growing, I think at the primary school it’s more than 120 kids.”
Camden Valley Inn donates $20,000 to Kids of Macarthur
“We talk about the experience in terms of four pillars: food, wine, people and place. And people are a really big part of it,” continues Malik.
Regional pubs supply a lifeline
Australian Hotelier spoke to general manager Kayla Seeney about how and why the venue had chosen to partner with the organisation.
“They don’t have any government backing, everything they do is purely raised for support. So I thought, let’s get on board and help them, give them a good chunk to try and get that sanctuary for the hospital, for the families and the kids that go there, up and running.”
“It’s a fairly young town, we’ve got a lot of young
“We employ about 100 people, that’s one in six, and of course those one in six – they have parents, partners and kids. We’re very lucky that we’ve got a very supportive local community.”
One pub that demonstrates this is The Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld, country Victoria, which provides an important community base and is a major employer in the area.
The Royal Mail Hotel helps manage farmland in the Dunkeld community
This is a point that Dan Brady, chief executive officer of Redcape, is keen to “Ourstress.organisational focus is nurturing and enhancing long-term relationships with our local communities and customers.”
actively listening, and engaging in twoway conversations, we deliver bespoke outcomes for our local communities,” Brady adds.
“There’sclubs.agenuine sense and acknowledgement that without the Royal Mail being where we are, we wouldn’t be getting the sort of visitors we are, and the flow on effects throughout the community.”
“That’s been central to my goals within HR at Dunkeld Pastoral: to be known as an employer of choice, and to have a positive reputation in the community.
engagement is critical to ensuring our business viability – there’s no other option. It’s critical to our success and the success of the community.”
22 | Australian Hotelier LOCAL ENGAGEMENT
“I think we learnt over the last few years that hotels and hospitality venues, they’re central meeting places for connection and community.
“Recruitment is not just about ‘we’ve got a vacancy, we can fill it’ – it’s about building a relationship with the community that we’ve “Communitygot.
“Simple in concept and complex in back-end data and technology driven design, our Publinc Communities program allows for our customers to strengthen their bonds with our staff and venues,” Brady
Of course, this kind of community engagement is not limited to standalone hotels, nor to regional pubs, with operators and pub groups in both suburban and major metro areas working with their neighbours and local customers.
“Publincexplains.Communities provides us the unique opportunity to connect 120,000 customers, 1,500 staff, and 160+ local community organisations to create meaningful financial contributions in return for custom in our venues.
“Publinc is a deeply impactful platform whereby teams and business can positively contribute both financial and in-kind benefits to local community groups of their choosing in a simple, automated, and integrated digital way across 40 communities nationally.”
“Since its launch the Publinc Communities platform has contributed over $1.33M pledged financial support to over 160 community groups as nominated by our customers and allowed our teams to participate in our 6,000 paid hours of work within these local charities and social change organisations,” Brady says.
Publinc members deliver returns for Redcape
“Having a place for people to come together – it’s essential for small towns.”
Like Davidson, Malik identifies rural pubs as vital to their communities.
people, which brings a lot of youthful energy to the town too, with very active sporting
Technology delivers for Redcape and communities
Dan Brady outlines how Redcape’s Publinc program has provided monetary support for organisations, and resulted in an increase in repeat custom for Redcape.
There are also benefits for pubs who engage with the community in this way, particularly with regards to future
“Mostrecruitment.peoplesay now, ‘hire an attitude, we can teach something’ and that’s our proposition.”
“By continuously seeking feedback,
A key tool Redcape have developed to achieve this goal is the Publinc Communities program. This is a membership system that allows consumers to build both personal perks and community points, that they can then put towards local programs and organisations.
a long time. Job seekers can be pretty choosy about where they want to be working, and they want to work with businesses that align with their values.
“Prior to launching Publinc Communities, our membership program delivered $13m in revenue, it has grown to contribute $150m in revenue with our members spending 24 times non-members in Food and Beverage channels.”
“It’s been a really important part of us building our team here in Dunkeld, with people who do have a core desire to be working for a business that is willing to make sustainability and conservation core business activities,” Malik explains.
“In a candidate-tight market, that’s a really lucky position that we’ve been in, in that we’ve been doing these things for
Within the Publinc system, customers can nominate causes that they want to
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“One example of this is how we engaged our staff and customers during the COVID-19 lockdowns,” Brady says.
In particular, Brady says that the lockdown period of the pandemic provided the pub group with time to regroup and refocus its efforts.
Allison sees a clear advantage to this approach when it comes to recruitment, saying: “One of the biggest attractions for working with Lewis Leisure is that we’re a group that gives back.”
“Duringbushfires.the2019-2020 bushfires, The Fiddler donated $100,000 to the local fire brigade, The Belvedere and Camden Valley Inn also donated to their local fire brigades,” Allison explains.
“We give back to our local communities by employing locals, entertaining them, and we rely on them too to support us.”
Major recipients of the Lewis Foundation’s philanthropy include the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation, Starlight and the Australian Red Cross.
“All of our venues sponsor their local sporting groups,” AllisonAllisonadds.also outlines why this kind of community support is important for any pub.
Like Malik, Brady also sees direct benefits for hospitality organisations that engage with their communities.
but our core interests are in health, welfare, and paediatrics.”
“Through community connection, we have meaningfully enhanced our employee value proposition and our customer value proposition and achieved an average 17.7 per cent per annum Total Shareholder Return for our investors over a five year period while establishing significant operational capability in all areas.”
The Fiddler raised money for the local fire brigade in 2021
“By staying meaningfully connected throughout lockdown by listening to what our customers value, we learned that our customers valued their relationship with staff above most all else.”
Of course, Redcape are far from the only pub group looking to give back to its local areas, with Lewis Land Group (LLG) also supporting communities with its Lewis Foundation.
“Our opportunity to influence people’s lives beyond the day to day is something we’re very focused on providing. It’s very rewarding for our staff and recipients of care too, so it’s just another facet of the way we do business,” Alisson concludes.
contribute to, with “robust processes and support systems” in place to “ensure the groups legitimately align to the values of their local area and demonstrably contribute to positive social impact,” Brady says.
Lewis Land Group champions tailored approach
“The beauty of it is [that] it’s leveraged through our local connections, and it gives us a good platform for engaging with the community and being a good local and corporate citizen,” Allison says.
Chris Allison, regional manager for leisure and Lewis Land Group explains how the Foundation operates.
The elastic nature of the Foundation is also one of its strong points, according to Allison.
Locals at Armatree Hotel
“Pubs themselves really are communities within a community - so if you’re not in touch with your local area, and if you don’t understand what’s important to the people that are important to you, your product and offer is going to be a missing an opportunity.”
“For our organisation, community engagement is integral to the enablement and success of our vision to enhance our communities through our hospitality,” Brady says.
“So if there’s anything that’s particularly urgent we can be agile,
“It’s definitely tailored to the communities. We have the flexibility to choose who and what we want to support. If there’s a particular area of need in the local community, we can change ourOnefocus.”example is the support given during the Black Summer
The endangered animal program at Royal Mail Hotel
24 | Australian Hotelier LOCAL ENGAGEMENT
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There’s nothing worse than going to the bathroom of a busy pub only to find that they have run out of paper hand towels or, even worse, toilet paper. It’s vital for your venue to have correct hygiene and health standards for the safety of your customers and staff. Make sure hand soap dispensers are full and that customers can dry their hands. Staying on top of any plumbing blockages, spillages or discarded glassware in bathrooms will ensure a great experience for your customers. A nearby storage cupboard stocked with all the essentials can be a huge help when a quick clean, refill or tidy is needed during service.
FOCUS ON SURFACES
VACUUM, MOP AND POLISH HIGH-TRAFFIC AREAS
“Implementing the right cleaning equipment into your cleaning routines allows you to get the job done much more efficiently with less effort, producing consistent results and standards,” stated Daniel Pissaniello, General Manager Commercial for Godfreys. Products like professional floor scrubbers, dual- and singledisc polishers, and powerful vacuums will give the high-traffic areas in your pub a heavy-duty clean, every time.
CHECK BATHROOMS REGULARLY
WHEN YOU run a pub, restaurant or bar, there’s a lot to keep on top of. These spaces are used by a lot of patrons in various ways, and cleaning can become a huge job if you’re not thinking ahead. Not only will having a lovely clean venue be a drawcard for patrons but there are standards of public health that must be upheld to ensure you’re able to keep operating safely. Here are some tips on how to keep on top your venue’s cleanliness:
Whether it’s spot cleaning a stain on the floor or wiping down benches that are starting to get sticky, cleaning as you go can save you a huge amount of time at the end of the day or night. Spot cleaning means you’ll never miss any mess when it comes time to deep clean for closing — a bit of short-term elbow grease will add extra shine in the long run.
No matter how big or small your pub, there are bound to be different flooring surfaces throughout the venue. The most common flooring mess in a pub are stains from alcohol, food or patron’s shoes. From tiles in the bathroom and rubber floors in the kitchen, to polished floorboards in the bar and carpet in the dining room — keeping on top of these high-traffic areas is a must for the longevity of the establishment. Commercial cleaning machines from brands like Comac, Rosemor and Pullman can help keep your venue looking professional and inviting and are available at Godfreys Commercial.
Keeping it clean
CLEAN AS YOU GO
Patrons might not notice when a pub is spick and span, but they will definitely notice when it’s not.
If there’s one thing that is everywhere in a pub, it’s liquids — beverages and condiments that can leave a sticky mess. Cleaning the surfaces that your patrons come into contact with is imperative in providing them with a great experience. Stay vigilant with wiping surfaces down so that muck does not build up on tables, bars, door handles, skirting boards or ledges throughout the venue.
26 | Australian Hotelier CLEANING AND HYGIENE
Quiet operation
• High quality equipment. A schedule/ program for a venue will support in achieving the agreed cleaning standard, however your cleaning team members will need the correct equipment to ensure a high standard is met.
Do not disturb
CLEANING AND HYGIENE
• Understanding the value of time. Once the standards of cleanliness have been set, an important aspect to venue operators is the allocation of time in presenting the standards set.
Featuring an eco-mode that helps reduce noise levels and battery consumption, the Antea 50, Versa 65 and Vega 85 are suitable for even the most quiet areas of your hotel or accommodation.
• Set Clear Standards. One of the most difficult aspects of cleaning is it subjectivity, what constitutes clean for one person may not be clean for another.
Putting together a cleaning program
Godfreys Commercial shared some tips on considerations for your cleaning program.
1800 314 commercial@godfreys.com.au580
Images by ShotByThom
A drone shot of the new beer garden
28 | Australian Hotelier DESIGN & BUILD
WHEN AUSTRALIAN Venue Co (AVC) purchased the Victoria Park Hotel in Perth off Coles, the pub had very little outdoor seating. Instead it had a cavernous billiards hall that took up almost the entire back half of the property. That space had seen better days both in terms of use and wear. The area clearly needed a rethink, and taking advantage of Perth’s ideal weather was a no-brainer for the AVC team.
“When we started working on the concept we were thinking about building a pub for everyone and every occasion. So we really looked at Vic Park as a whole and the demographic, we spoke to the locals. So whether you wanted to come watch the footy with the boys, or have a celebration or bring the children or your dog, everyone would gel together in the space,” explains Bailey.
AVC engaged Donnelly Design and One World Builders to help design and construct the new beer garden space, who worked hand in hand with the pub group’s own internal venue development team who come at any renovation project with their hospitality experience in mind.
A andforplaygroundyoungold
“It needed to be a versatile and welcoming space for everyone. So one of the big things for that was a big garden, an open area, and obviously this one is quite a large open area. And we’ve incorporated into it a kids playground and that’s been a huge hit for families.”
“When we do a project we work very closely with all departments –operations, marketing and also our property department – so there’s generally a decent cast working together to deliver these projects,” says Bailey.
“There was obviously a huge opportunity to develop it,” states AVC’s WA state manager Joe Bailey.
Putting heads together
With that in mind, Bailey and his team took to the community to see what they wanted from the pub. It’s one of three pubs along the Albany Highway in the area, and it was the most in need of revitalisation. From those conversations with locals, the idea of a huge beer garden where everyone was welcome emerged.
“It’s incredibly important having great clients that know what they want, so you can hit the nail on the head really quickly. The beauty of that for AVC is
September 2022 | 29 DESIGN & BUILD
Tony Donnelly, principal of Donelly Design, says that collaboration with the AVC team was crucial.
An old billiards hall made way for a massive beer garden at Victoria Park Hotel, welcoming families, sports lovers and anyone else wanting to soak up some sun.
The new space now includes in one corner a family area with low-table seating and a large kids’ playground replete with a large wooden structure that looks like the trams that used to run down Albany Highway. On the opposite side of the main entry from the carpark is an area with high-table seating and lots of screens, perfect for sports viewing. There are also lots of small nooks tucked away along the walls of the space to afford patrons some semi-private dining and socialising experiences. The whole area is then services by the indoor/outdoor bar that connects the new beer garden with the front half of the hotel.
“We really didn’t want people having to think ‘is this for me?’ Everyone who has come in knows it’s a really welcoming hotel,” states Bailey.
they’ve got that team and it expedites the process. And then you can form things around that and throw your own ideas at them, but when everyone gels like that it’s really good.”
All the design details of The Park ensure that the space is one that feels casual and welcoming to anyone. This was very important to the AVC team.
Part of creating that casual inviting atmosphere was the selection of materials. Concrete, artifical turf and breezeblock walls all immediately convey that It’s a hardy space that can be well-used by anyone without any worry.
Park you’ve got so much space that you can do that. Most of the time you delineate those spaces with major walkways, entries –think of it as arteries and veins.”
Plans for the beer garden got underway in 2019, but were put on hold in early 2020 as covid gripped the nation and kept Western Australia shut to the rest of the country for quite some time. Design was resumed late last year, and construction on the massive beer garden started in February this year. The space –known as The Park – was completed and opened in May.
30 | Australian Hotelier DESIGN & BUILD
While the entire space is very open, there are clear delineations between the areas suitable for families and those without kids or pets. Donnelly says this was achieved by creating natural buffer zones.
A casual vibe
The new bar serves both the beer garden and the inside of the hotel
Sections of the whole
Including the indoor/outdoor bar, The Park renovation, covering 800 sqm, cost $2.3 million. At first glance it may seem like a lot to spend on a beer garden alone, but the space effectively doubled the footprint of the pub, and allows it to host another 450 people within the space. Bailey considers it money well spent.
“The most important thing there is space. So if you can create a buffer zone between those areas that’s fantastic. Luckily with Vic
“I think from a per square metre [perspective] it was the right number to spend because of the scale and size of the project and what we did to it. But I don’t think it’s excessive. There were some significant works in removing roofs, and structural stuff like having to put cellars in and expand kitchens. But it’s certainly not like we’ve splashed out on fittings of marble or anything like that in the venue. But I think just for the sheer size that’s where the project landed.”
“Food is a huge driver of venues now and we do a hell of a lot of food out of the Vic now. So we’ve put a lot of detail into things like kid’s meals. We tried a lot of new concepts. So with every kid’s meal they get their burger and chips, but they also get hommus and veggie sticks, as well as frog in a pond, which is basically jelly with a chocolate frog in it with some cream. And that all comes out on a big tray, so when the kids order their meals, both kids and parents are impressed. Now we have so many families coming through the pub.”
A bit more colour and style was then added through the bar, with the sue of blue and white tiles, as well as bronze accents. Other details throughout the space include neon light wall hangings, joinery items like mirrors, and lots of greenery.
Not only was the kids playground a big part of this, but so was the food offer.
But of course the big wow factor in the space are the murals painted by local artists. These reflect the area, with black swans denoting the Swan River, and also a painting of Queen Victoria, who the pub was named after.
“The artists did such a great job. It’s spectacular, it’s the punch. I love it so much.”
The space is loved by locals too, with The Park getting lots of great feedback since opening. Bailey was at the venue everyday for the first three weeks of trading and said patrons were nothing but positive.
Trade has been doing well since then, and Bailey expects it to get even better as the wather starts to warm.
32 | Australian Hotelier DESIGN & BUILD
“Everywhere you look in the backdrop we’ve got the graphics and the artwork. And that lightens the whole thing. It’s what makes it,” states Donnelly.
Catering for families was a really important component of what Joe Bailey wanted to achieve with the beer garden at Victoria Park Hotel. He’s seen it done elsehwere and knows that’s what modern pubs are doing to ensure that everyone has somewhere they can go for a day out – even if you’ve got little ones in tow.
“It’s doing very well for us and we’ve only traded in winter so far. We can’t wait to see what summer brings.”
“My vision for the venue was inspired by what I saw down south around the Margaret River, which was people going out and enjoying themselves, but there was definitely thought for families. I
Families first
“It was so good to have people come up and say we absolutely love it, thank you so much for doing this. People weren’t trying to pick faults, they just thought it was amazing which was a really good feeling for us.”
“Things like the breezeblock walls around the bathrooms really informalises the space. Tiled surfaces are a lot more formal than breezeblocks, which almost has that found object look, so in a way you’re bringing a more eclectic look to it by bringing that in. That was the idea because the last thing you want is for people to feel like it’s not somewhere where they can just let the kids run around and use. It’s got to almost be a utility space,” suggests Donnelly.
Murals painted by local artists are a highlight of the new space
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“DrinkWise would really encourage publicans to reach out to us. We’ve got fantastic materials that we’ve used in the accords. We know that they resonate, we know that they work. They help set expectations around moderate alcohol consumption within the venues. We have those materials available and can work with hotel owners to make sure they can play a meaningful part in terms of making sure people can socialise in a really positive environment while making healthier and safer decisions around alcohol consumption.”
“This initial pilot with Flemington Liquor Accord has enabled us to get some really good learnings and we’re talking to a number of liquor accords who are all really enthusiastic about putting the messages in their venues,” suggests Strahan, who encourages operators to get in touch.
The message is not that patrons should adopt a teetotalling stance and cut out alcohol altogether, but that it should be enjoyed in moderation so that everyone can have a great time out and
DrinkWise utilises a whole-of-community approach when it comes to its message of the moderate consumption of alcohol, and that means working hand in hand with pub operators and other industry stakeholders.
THE AUSTRALIAN drinking culture has changed, particularly over the last 15 years. Moderation is now a real consideration among pub-goers, and venue operators and the broader industry are taking a really active approach in terms of encouraging moderation and minimising harms. As such, DrinkWise has been doing a lot of work with liquor accords, having developed a suite of communication materials –including posters, window decals and artwork for digital screens – to promote a great experience for patrons as well as reinforcing expectations around individual responsibility when entering licensed venues.
Simon Strahan CEO, DrinkWise
MP Susan Templeman (left), DrinkWise CEO Simon Strahan and young adults for the Never Have I Ever campaign
messagingModeration
“It’s really about making sure that we can develop education and communication materials that will really resonate with that audience, whether it be young adults, older Australians, people who might be doing it hard within the community. We know that in particular, pubs and clubs are an essential part of the local community, the hub of socialising,” explains CEO Simon Strahan.
“So a lot of the reasons we use pubs and clubs in terms of the DrinkWise messages is to get it in situ at that point where people are consuming alcohol, so it can really resonate and help them to make healthier and smarter choices in terms of the way that they’re consuming alcohol.”
34 | Australian Hotelier TALES FROM THE TOP
“Havingabout.messages that are not parental in tone is important. So making sure they’re alternating their alcohol consumption with water, making sure they’re having something to eat, making sure they’ve got a safe ride home, are all the types of messages that people intuitively think that they know, but the prompts within those environments can really help reinforce the standards the hotel wants to set in terms of behaviour.”
The Flemington Liquor Accord is one that DrinkWise have done a lot of work with, and it’s hoped the success there can be replicated across the country.
One DrinkWise campaign in particular has been developed with venue operators in response to issues and events within a community. Launched in the Macquarie electorate of NSW, ‘Never Have I Ever’ is a non-drinking take on the concept and was developed in conjunction with the Macquarie Youth Advisory Council and supported by Federal MP Susan Templeman. Not only has the electorate had to deal with covid, but it has also been ravaged by bushfires and multiple major flooding events. The messaging of the campaign is designed to prompt young adults to think about their mental health, and to remind them that alcohol is not the answer to coping with stress. Thanks to the support of the AHA NSW and with the collaboration of the Flemington Liquor Accord, DrinkWise Never Have I Ever themed posters, coasters, bathroom stalls and bar mats were displayed in 28 pubs throughout the region.
Get in touch with DrinkWise at info@drinkwise.org.au
