GigExpert: a system for promoting events in pubs and other independent local venues via customer relationship management (CRM) and digital channels

酒吧是英国当地生活和区域经济的重要组成部分。酒吧业在英国雇佣了近100万人，每年为经济贡献194亿英镑的GVA。该行业面临着每年2%的酒吧关闭的财政压力。酒吧的现场音乐等活动增加了客流量，并增加了约44%的收入。增加此类活动的数量和出席率将促进酒吧业和当地经济的发展。其他类型的场地，例如喜剧和体育俱乐部也可以受益。消费者越来越多地使用数字渠道来发现和注册现场活动。通过数字渠道有效推广本地现场活动极大地受益于CRM方法：也就是说，建立和维护过去活动参与者的选择加入列表，通过电子邮件和Facebook等适当渠道向这些人宣传未来的活动，以及在多个附近场所之间的交叉促销（经用户同意）。大型酒吧和酒吧连锁店可以投资于这些方法，但独立酒吧的经理缺乏使用这些技术的技能和时间。该项目提出了一个解决方案- GigExpert -它将在SaaS工具中打包最先进的数字CRM技术用于本地活动推广，该工具：对于场地的非专业经理来说足够简单;管理客户联系方式;通过数字渠道自动化活动推广的最佳实践;并支持消费者基于同意的本地活动发现和超本地跨场地促销。这一概念验证将创建GigExpert系统的基本原型，并通过有限的本地化现场试验证明：（a）酒吧经理可以采用该系统（B）消费者可以接受该系统（c）可以实现活动出席率和收入的提升。到2020年，GigExpert的英国总收入将达到400万英镑/年。更广泛的社会效益包括减少酒吧关闭，增加城镇中心的客流量和增加当地社区的个人参与。

Pubs are a key part of UK local life and regional economies. The pub industry employs nearly1M people in the UK and contributes £19.4bn/yr GVA to the economy. The industry facesfinancial pressures with 2% of pubs closing each year.Events such as live music in pubs increase footfall and raise revenues by an estimated 44%.Increasing the number and attendance of such events would boost the pub industry and localeconomies. Other types of venues e.g. comedy and sports clubs could also benefit.Consumers are increasingly using digital channels to discover and sign up for live events.Effective promotion of local live events via digital channels benefits enormously from CRMapproaches: that is, building and maintaining opt-in lists of past event attendees, promotingfuture events to these people via appropriate channels such as email and Facebook, and crosspromotions(with user consent) between multiple nearby venues. Large pub and bar chainscan invest in these approaches, but managers of independent pubs lack both skills and time touse these techniques.This project proposes a solution – GigExpert – which will package state-of-the-art digitalCRM techniques for local event promotion in a SaaS tool that: is simple enough for nonspecialistmanagers in venues to use; manages customer contact details; automates bestpractice for event promotion via digital channels; and supports consent-based local eventdiscovery for consumers and hyperlocal cross-venue promotions.This proof of concept will create a basic prototype of the GigExpert system and demonstratevia limited, localised live trials that (a) pub managers can adopt the system (b) it is acceptableto consumers (c) uplifts in event attendance and revenues can be achieved.Total UK revenues for GigExpert will be £4M/yr by 2020. The GVA benefit will be £50M/yr.Wider societal benefits include reducing pub closures, increasing footfall in town centres andincreasing individual participation in local communities.