Driving Brewery Revenue: How to Captivate Customers with Events

Organizing event sales at your brewery can be a fruitful strategy to captivate new customers and drive brewery revenue growth. Breweries and taprooms like yours offer a unique social backdrop with exposed brewing tanks, open concepts, and a community atmosphere, making them the ideal space for various types of events and gatherings. Creating a memorable and enjoyable event experience for attendees will not only drive revenue during the event but also contribute to long-term customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth marketing for your brewery. Let’s take a look some recommended steps to make your brewery or taproom events program thrive. But first, we’ll share a bit about Allagash Brewery, Tripleseat customer, who has done an exemplary job on the events scene.

How Allagash Brewery Has Boosted Brewery Revenue with Events

When you think about Allagash Brewing Company, located in Portland, Maine, what comes to mind is not only their really good award-winning beer but also the experiences they create. Allagash Brewing Company leverages its expansive brewery space, its picturesque mountain surroundings, and its genuine connections within their local community in order to create many memorable events. 

Maya Atlas, Events Manager at Allagash Brewing Company, has worked in hospitality her whole career, weaving between small business development, food systems, and event management. We spoke with Maya, who started working with Allagash in 2023 to help build their new private event program,, about their unstuffy and beer-forward private events in the Tasting Room and The Cellars. 

Tell us about Allagash Brewing Company  – what makes it different from other breweries? What is the overall vibe upon entering the brewery?

The biggest compliment I’ve gotten as an event manager was when a potential client called before we had even launched our events program to tell us they had just been to the brewery for the first time and felt so at ease and welcome they wanted their whole wedding party to experience that as well.

As a B Corp, our mission is brewing for the good of our employees, community, and environment. We take that mission to heart and work, in every interaction, to advocate for people and the planet. As a result, the feeling at the brewery is one of comradery and passion. We pour some of the most highly awarded Belgian beers in an unfussy environment. We hold doors, we cheer to friendship, and welcome every opportunity to connect, educate, and advocate. Our employees have also voted us as one of the best places to work in Maine for 10 years running. This is all to say that there’s just a general vibe of positivity around the brewery.

Can you tell me more about your private events business? How many events do you host a month? What are the common event types?

Private events are a newer venture for us. For years, our tasting room was just a place to welcome and introduce people to new flavor experiences with beer. We didn’t charge people for beer in our Tasting Room until 2017, let alone charge for usage of the space. Our top priority has been to remove every barrier between our customers and their ability to have a beer with us. It wasn’t until recently that we built spaces adjacent to our Tasting Room where we could host intimate gatherings and celebrations without closing or impacting our Tasting Room experience. We launched private events in October of 2023. In our maiden year, our aim is to host an average of 2-5 events a month, ranging from corporate events to life celebrations. So far, we have been successful, and projections (and the reporting features in Tripleseat) confirm that! 

How has Tripleseat helped you manage your private events at Allagash? What has been the most helpful feature?

We have a mighty team at Allagash supporting our private events world; our work touches the Hospitality, Production, Packaging, Engineering, and Accounting Teams. The most helpful feature of Tripleseat has been the “Documents” feature that allows us to build BEOs and other reports that support our team in understanding how an event involves or impacts their area of work. Templatizing offerings and allowing us to share reports quickly and easily allows this new program to effectively communicate with the many inputs that make it successful! 

Event guests’ expectations have increased over the last few years; what are you doing at Allagash to keep guests involved and excited?

We offer a high-touch event service. Our goal is to want to have a beer with each of our clients after their events. As such, we’re a part of their events; we bring ourselves into the planning and make sure that all ideas, both possible and not, are part of the planning process. As Gloria Steinem said, “Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” That’s very much my philosophy.

Editor’s Note: Some of this article’s content appears in the Spring 2024 issue of Seated magazine.

How to Build Brewery Revenue with the Power of Private Events

1. Event Planning

• Identify the types of events you want to host, such as beer tastings, live music, and themed parties.
• Plan events that align with your brewery’s brand and target audience. If you cater to families with children and dogs, make events family-friendly.
• Consider seasonal themes or collaborations with other local businesses. The Super Bowl, St Patrick’s Day, and New Year’s are great reasons to gather and throw an event.

2. Event Promotion

• Leverage social media platforms you are already active on to create buzz and promote your events.
• Utilize your brewery’s mailing list to reach out to existing customers.
• Collaborate with local influencers or bloggers to expand your reach.

3. Event Ticketing and Pricing

• Use online ticketing platforms, like Tripleseat, for easy access and payment.
• Consider early bird discounts or package deals for large group bookings.
• Ensure transparency in ticket pricing and clearly communicate what is included with each ticket type.

4. Entertainment and Activities

• Offer live music, DJs, comedians, or other entertainment that complements the brewery atmosphere and that will draw in their own followers.
• Arrange brewery tastings and tours or educational brewing workshops during the event. People love to learn how the magic is made.
• Organize games or contests related to beer or brewery culture. Corn hole has become synonymous with breweries. Order custom sets and create events and leagues to draw large groups of people in.

5. Brewery Event Food Options

• Collaborate with local food vendors or food trucks to provide diverse food options, especially if you do not have an in-house kitchen. 
• Consider pairing food with specific beer selections for a complete customer experience.
• Ensure there are vegetarian and non-alcoholic options for all attendees.

6. Brewery Branding and Merchandising

• Create event-specific branding and merchandise. Consider having special brewers for event-goers or custom labels for larger events like weddings and corporate events. 
• Offer limited-edition beers or merchandise exclusive to the event.
• Encourage attendees to share their experiences on social media with a dedicated hashtag. Get your current customers to promote your brewery for you. Run contests to see who can capture the most likes or comments on their post.

7. Brewery Customer Engagement

• Collect feedback from attendees to improve future events. Always keep an open mind when collecting feedback. 
• Consider loyalty programs or discounts for repeat event attendees.
• Engage with customers on social media before, during, and after the event.

8. Brewery Compliance and Safety

• Ensure compliance with local regulations regarding events and alcohol sales.
• Implement safety measures, including designated drivers or transportation options.
• Train staff to handle large crowds and manage any issues that may arise.

9. Brewery Event Collaborations

• Partner with local businesses or organizations to enhance the event experience. Local restaurants, cheese shops, bakeries, or even wineries are perfect pairings for your brewery.
• Collaborate with other breweries for joint events or beer releases. Brewers tend to hang out with other brewers. Get all the breweries together for one large event and cross-promote to each other’s customers. 

10. Post-Event Analysis

• Analyze the event’s success based on attendance, brewery revenue, and customer feedback.
• Use insights to improve future events and tailor offerings to customer preferences.

Say Cheers to More Brewery Revenue with Tripleseat

Remember, events are supposed to be fun – for the attendees and for you. Tripleseat Brewery event management software is here to help you streamline and scale your events program so you can enjoy the craft of party throwing too. Book a demo today.