barworker
11-19-2002, 06:11 AM
Here's a promo I tried once that might work for someone else. (the story)... One day we were going to paint the side of the Beer Garden white instead of the dull beige that it was. We started drinking(of course), got on our scafolding about 40ft high(not real smart) and started painting from the top. By the end of the day, we realized that we only painted an area about 10ft tall & 30ft wide about 25 ft from the ground. Amazed at our stupidity, we decided to clean up and end our day, when some moron driving through the lot asked when the movie started. We couldent figure out what he meant, until we steped back to look at our mistake, and it did look like a drive-in theater screen?!? Thats when I got the biggest promo idea I ever had. Why not show a movie?
It took months of planning but it all paid off. First, pick a movie. We chose the classic "Rocky Horror Picture Show." Second, obtain the rights to show it publicly(ya know that FBI crap you see at the beginning of every movie), the cost was about $400, and they send you a copy of the movie that must be returned insured mail??? Then reality kicked in...How were we going to afford this? Why not make it a charity event? And thats what we did, some big charity got donations & part of the "door fee" and in exchange they provided us with about 10 volunteers to help with staffing(FREE HELP!!!). Now, the beer distributors were more than happy to donate beer stands and prizes, a communications company donated radios for security, a "rent-all" place donated scafolding for the projector, an audio-visual company donated the video equipment, we even got porta potties donated. We were out NOTHING but the cost of the beer kegs & movie. All these companies wanted was a "plug" during "intermission." We had to get a special "parking lot event liqour license so that set us back another $35. We blocked off the parking lot with all the employees cars and waited for the show. 1200 people showed up and we actually had to have the distributors 911 us some more kegs! So we made out BIG TIME & so did the charity. I think with this being a college town, next year after mid-terms, we'll show "Animal House" and have a HUGE toga party with "best toga & sexiest toga" contests. One last word of advice if you should be so daring to get drunk and paint the side of your building... Start the movie at sundown, you may have restrictions if your neighborhood is zoned "residential" dont let the show go on past 11pm or so, then drag their butts inside after the show. Good Luck
It took months of planning but it all paid off. First, pick a movie. We chose the classic "Rocky Horror Picture Show." Second, obtain the rights to show it publicly(ya know that FBI crap you see at the beginning of every movie), the cost was about $400, and they send you a copy of the movie that must be returned insured mail??? Then reality kicked in...How were we going to afford this? Why not make it a charity event? And thats what we did, some big charity got donations & part of the "door fee" and in exchange they provided us with about 10 volunteers to help with staffing(FREE HELP!!!). Now, the beer distributors were more than happy to donate beer stands and prizes, a communications company donated radios for security, a "rent-all" place donated scafolding for the projector, an audio-visual company donated the video equipment, we even got porta potties donated. We were out NOTHING but the cost of the beer kegs & movie. All these companies wanted was a "plug" during "intermission." We had to get a special "parking lot event liqour license so that set us back another $35. We blocked off the parking lot with all the employees cars and waited for the show. 1200 people showed up and we actually had to have the distributors 911 us some more kegs! So we made out BIG TIME & so did the charity. I think with this being a college town, next year after mid-terms, we'll show "Animal House" and have a HUGE toga party with "best toga & sexiest toga" contests. One last word of advice if you should be so daring to get drunk and paint the side of your building... Start the movie at sundown, you may have restrictions if your neighborhood is zoned "residential" dont let the show go on past 11pm or so, then drag their butts inside after the show. Good Luck