Iain McPherson speaks from experience when he offers some pointers on how to maximise your bar’s exposure.

---

You need marketing.

And I’m not just talking about social media, which at this point is a mandatory tool. You need to think beyond cocktail menu pictures, funny reels, and hospo memes. You need to create a brand that tells the story of your bar — something that makes people care.

Networking is a great way to get both your bar and your personal brand out there. That means attending major bar shows and brand events. This isn’t aimless partying — this is guerrilla marketing. Be strategic. Speak to the people you need to speak to, and get your message across as creatively as possible.

A friend of mine didn’t have business cards for his new consultancy. Instead, he handed out small bottled cocktails with his contact details. It was different, interactive, and smart. Marketing doesn’t need to cost the world — a personal touch goes a long way.

Guest shifts have become normalised — sometimes even transactional — so do them properly. This is hospitality, after all. Be creative in how you host, and make your guests feel truly special.

Whether your guests are from the UK or abroad, they should experience more than just your bar. Let them connect with the local bar community, and the traditions and culture of your city or country.

Many people forget this, and if you host poorly, it can damage your reputation. It’s better not to host at all than to host badly.

Even when done well, guest shifts are so common now that you need to work hard to stand out.

When we do guest shifts abroad, we show up in giant inflatable panda suits — it’s not for everyone, but it’s a strong brand image. We also hand out thousands of Panda pins and panda ears at our events. It’s not cheap, but it shows our brand partners that we’re happy to invest in the event too.

This summer, we decided to take the guest shift model and go bigger. We didn’t just want to do a city tour and a guest shift — we wanted to create something unforgettable.

We’ve seen how other bars around the world put on ambitious events that consolidate five or ten guest shifts into one major occasion, wrapped in cultural experiences that reinforce their messaging with fun and purpose.

Inspired by events hosted by bars like Alquímico in Cartagena, Tres Monos in Buenos Aires, and Maybe Sammy in Sydney, we asked ourselves: what makes our city and country special?

For us, the answer was clear: the Scottish Highland Games and whisky. And so, the Panda Highland Games were born.

We invited ten bars from around the world to Edinburgh to take part in axe throwing and caber tossing in the grounds of a castle. We even created something unique for our guests: Unite The Clans, a malt whisky collaboration with our friends from Blind Summit.

The idea came easy. Funding a large event like the Panda Highland Games? That was a lot harder — especially in the first year, when there’s no proof of concept.

It was a learning experience. If you’re thinking about doing something of your own, don’t just talk about it or throw out a number. Break it down:

• Where will the money be spent?

• What will you be doing in terms of man hours?

• What value are you adding that sponsors won’t have to handle?

In our pitch, we pledged to cover a percentage of the costs ourselves, rather than leaving it all to brand sponsorship. That showed our potential partners we were willing to put our money where our mouths were — and that putting on the event was a real financial risk for us.

Sure, there were things we could’ve done better. But you learn as you go. And the event was successful enough that we’re confident it will return next year.

A word of caution: walk before you run. We’re able to do these kinds of events because Panda & Sons is nearly 12 years old. Without all that experience, I’m not sure it would have worked.

But if you’ve built a strong local following and have a well-defined brand, it may be time to take your marketing to the next level.

Start small: do a single bar visit, and build an itinerary around it. Learn what’s involved — travel, accommodation, planning, prep, promotion, hosting — and then scale up, making sure everything connects back to your brand.

Create a memorable experience that celebrates the industry, your city or country, and — not least — you.