Having hosted over 800 festivals and tastings via Eventbrite, The Whisky Lounge’s mission is to attract newcomers and retain loyal attendees, one dram at a time.
She might have co-founded The Whisky Lounge with her husband Eddie, but when we catch up with Amanda Ludlow she has a confession to make: she was once a whisky sceptic. “I detested it! But when I moved from a volunteer position within the company to a full-time staff member in 2012, I knew I couldn’t be Eddie’s whisky-hating wife. So I gave up drinking wine for Lent and started drinking whisky – I did a dram a day for 40 days, and let me tell you, the first 11 days were not fun. But I got there!”
Now a passionate convert, Amanda and whisky evangelist Eddie are on a mission to reach both believers and unbelievers – even offering two-hour taster tickets aimed at encouraging attendees to bring their whisky-hating mates. “We want to teach people what whisky is about without all the branding and marketing messages so that they get to understand and appreciate the spirit. We’re always trying to drive knowledge and standards.”
While there’s a lot of religious lingo – the people they work with are apostles; there’s the opportunity to ascend to whisky heaven – there are no stuffy sermons here. “People learn through fun and engagement, and we try to foster an inclusive and friendly atmosphere where no question is a stupid question.”
Welcoming everyone into the fold
This ‘everyone’s welcome’ approach has led the couple to carefully consider how they can initiate newcomers while continuing to excite returning attendees. For first-timers (about 60% of their London audience) there’s a whisky baptism. No, they’re not submersed in the spirit, but they are shown how to nose whisky and given tasting tips to help them make the most of the experience. “They’re then issued with a 12-step programme, which is sort of irreverent, and sees them go around the various exhibitors collecting stamps. When they’ve got their stamps and attained a basic level of knowledge, they can present themselves at the gates of heaven – an area filled with rare or unusual whiskies.”
As for repeat customers, Amanda says people who attended The Whisky Lounge’s first York festival are still continuing their journey. “We want to turn everyone onto whisky but have to appreciate that some have been coming for 15 years already and have graduated to different, more high-end events. It’s a sales thing – you want to keep your pipeline full while you’re making sure you’re looking after your loyal customers by adding things that are a bit over and above and will interest them.”
Establishing influence in the industry
This extra level of interest often comes in the form of guest appearances – Royal Warrant holders and well-known figures from the world of whisky that people are excited to see – and these are a testament to the respect the couple has earned over the years.
“The Whisky Lounge started as an enthusiast-led business. We’ve sailed a boat around Islay and tried to break the world record for the most people to blend whisky at one time – all sorts of things to try and get people to engage in the sector. That builds up over the years. Then Eddie’s A Tasting Course was shortlisted for Fortnum & Mason’s best debut drinks books and that helped give us a global presence.”
As a result of their industry profile, they’ve built up a number of loyal exhibitors – Amanda says around 50% contact them to participate – but they’re always looking to spread their net. “We go out to events, and if we see someone new who doesn’t know us, we’ll talk to them and give out our brochure. Once we get an exhibitor in, we rarely lose them. Because we spend a long time onboarding them so they know what’s happening and that they’re valued.” And because Amanda and the team can easily source attendee numbers from the Eventbrite dashboard – as opposed to keeping track of ticket sales manually – they can tell exhibitors exactly how many people there’ll be so they can bring the right amount of stock. “That helps greatly with retention,” she says.
And, in keeping with the spirit of next-level event offerings, The Whisky Lounge provides a low-cost platform for new and emerging brands – another way they add interest and exclusivity for the hardcore whisky devotee. “In London, we’ve launched bottles that have never been seen in the UK. Similarly, this year’s Edinburgh event will be the first global outing for a couple of brands. One of the reasons people keep coming back is because they’re able to try new things.”
Navigating times of adversity
Of course, the path to enlightenment is never smooth and, like event organisers around the world, Amanda and Eddie continue to face challenges presented first by Covid and then by the cost of living crisis. In fact, they’re only just starting to return to their pre-pandemic frequency of events. In 2019, the pair hosted 12 festivals and 300 tastings. And while eight festivals returned at the end of 2021, they’ve only just this year reintroduced tastings for groups of 20 to 30 people.
Just as our Event Trends Report released earlier this year revealed both attendee and creator budgets are tight, the couple has identified an appetite for events that gives them a reason to remain optimistic. “It’s interesting to see how people are behaving in post-pandemic situations. When you look at London, you can more clearly see the impact of the cost of living crisis we’re experiencing. Whereas in places like Newcastle, Bristol, Edinburgh and Manchester, where ticket sales are roughly the same as last year, the attitude is that our event is an annual thing people attend with their friends. So they are prioritising getting tickets.”
Similarly, rising costs are forcing sponsors to decide what events they can commit to. “Normally we have soft drinks, water and glasses sponsors. This year is the first year we’ve had none of these things. But I think that’s an economic scenario as opposed to a new trend. For example, we have the same amount of exhibitors this year, if not more, but they are confirming much later. And that’s because hotel and transport costs are all increasing and they have to be very choosy about the activities they do.”
Giving attendees what they want
Faced with these uncertain times, Amanda and Eddie continue to secure advance sales by offering an early bird ticket. “Those on the mailing list and the fast-on-the-keyboard crew can get a three-hour session for two people for £40, but then those tickets move to £100 for pairs or £50 for singles. In London, more people want to buy single tickets, so we make sure we have the same amount as pair tickets. It all comes down to knowing what your audience wants – something the couple discover with their Dram of the Day survey that’s accessed via a QR code. Designed to incentivise exhibitors to do a good job (awards are available based on customer feedback) it asks attendees: is this the first time you’ve been; is the event good value for money; what did you like and what didn’t you like?
“Then there’s the big one: where did you hear about us? Since we started to do it through SurveyMonkey and MailChimp, you’re not trying to read somebody’s inebriated writing and it’s interesting – time and time again, these surveys tell us that more people would come to our events if they knew about them.” Our latest research identified seven key types of attendees that all organisers should be aware of.
As a result, they’ve been looking at how best to market The Whisky Lounge to consumers. “We have tested radio and billboard advertising and, while from an ego point of view, a big billboard outside Vauxhall station featuring your event is fabulous to see and great for your exhibitors, in reality, it drives nothing and is very hard to measure. Whereas with Boost, you can see exactly what you’re getting. We know through plenty of experimentation – and we still experiment every year – that digital channels are where we see the best return on investment.”
And because the pair recognise they can’t convert all of the people all of the time, you might just see a small section on their socials (and at each festival) dedicated to gin, as well as a focus on cocktails, which is intended to boost people’s confidence when they place their order at a bar. After all, the Whisky Lounge is a broad church.
Are you interested in hosting a spirited celebration of your own? Start planning a drinks festival or tasting session here.
