CGA’s new Beyond the Ordinary: 3rd Space, Competitive Socialising & Event Space Report highlights the growing desire of consumers to get more than just food and drink when they go out. It reveals that just over a third (35%) of consumers going out for competitive socialising activities, do so every week, following a surge in openings of venues offering games like golf, darts or arcade sports. Three in five (60%) now say they are more likely to visit a pub or bar if it offers competitive socialising activities.
Three out of five (40%) consumers that have stated they go to ticketed events visit venues with a bar or event space on a weekly basis. Whilst Stadia have become the third fastest growing type of venue for consumer visits, with just over 1 in 10 (13%) of consumers now visiting them weekly. Younger adults in particular are increasingly attracted to sites like food halls, and more than a third (35%) of 18 to 34 year-olds say they are visiting these more often than they were a year ago.
Data from CGA’s UK Festival Insights Report indicates that 60% of consumers have tried new drinks at festivals, and they are particularly keen to buy innovative serves like cocktails that are harder to recreate at home.
Chris Sterling, CGA by NIQ client director, said: “The steady shift in consumers’ preferences towards spaces that are led by experiences and events is one of the most important On Premise dynamics of recent times. It’s turning a channel that was once considered a temporary niche into a powerful and permanent part of the market. People remain eager to eat and drink out, but they’re now demanding something more when they go out, with value for money and social currency among their top priorities.”
CGA’s Beyond the Ordinary; 3rd Space, Competitive Socialising & Event Space Report reveals the consumer profiles, operators and high performing categories to target to grow drinks sales and increase brand awareness in experiential venues.
Combining consumer research and volumetric data, the report provides practical recommendations on shaping the optimum drinks range to meet consumer demand and increase market share. Whilst a deepdive into consumer need states and motivations provide key insights that will inform activation strategies that win the hearts and minds of high value consumers.
Surging interest is opening growth opportunities for operators and suppliers alike, but a wave of new openings means this is now an ultra-competitive area of hospitality. Venues and drinks brands that want to stand out from the crowd need an expert understanding of how consumers engage with the experiential sector, and our report provides the insights that are needed to succeed.
To find out more about the report, and how it can help you succeed in the new era of experience-led venues contact Chris Sterling at Chris.Sterling@nielseniq.com or download more information here.
