Food and drink is an important consideration for three in five festival-goers—and there are big opportunities to convert them to new drinks brands.
Those are some of the headline findings from CGA’s exclusive new report on festival-goers’ eating and drinking behaviour. It reveals that 61% of people view food and drink as an important factor when choosing which festivals to attend—but that fewer (55%) of them rate the current choice of drinks on offer to them as good or excellent.
CGA’s research also highlights the potential size of the festival market for brands. Festival visitors spent an average of £27.19 and £22.90 per day per head on alcohol and food respectively in 2017—increases of around 9% on 2016. But while spending is rising, there is unease about the cost of eating and drinking at festivals, with nearly three quarters (73%) believing drink prices to be either ‘a little steep’ or ‘a total rip-off’.
CGA’s survey of consumers reveals the potential for drinks brands to drive sales at festivals, and in particular to attract key demographics like millennials to new drinks. More than two in five (44%) people drink at least one category at festivals that they don’t usually drink at pubs, bars and restaurants.
The report also indicates substantial demand for a better range of food and drinks at festivals and suggests effective ways to improve perceptions of value—like offering meal and drink deals, group discounts, free wifi and phone-charging facilities.
CGA’s new research comes as the UK gears up for the start of the festival season. Jonathan Jones, Director of Client Services at CGA says: “Festivals are an important source of sales for food and drinks brands, and they can be great places to start to build loyalty. But as well as flagging up the opportunities from consumers’ increased spending, our latest research shows there is still plenty of room for improvement in the market. Establishing the right range of drinks can help festivals to unlock new sales and give festival-goers the experience and value they crave.”
Click here to read CGA’s full ‘Festival Insights’ report.
For more about the research, and to learn how CGA can help operators to optimise their festival strategies, email Matt Mullock at matthew.mullock@cga.co.uk or Gareth Evans at gareth.evans@cga.co.uk.
