Turn Sports Events into Revenue Wins: Strategies for Pubs and Restaurants

According to the latest research from YouGov, 64% of Britons plan to watch the upcoming 2026 World Cup. No doubt, live sports events are a big revenue driver for many hospitality businesses. This year is full of major sports events, so make the most of the bumper schedule ahead.

Upcoming major sports events.

1) Be Smart And Plan Ahead

The biggest event (2026 Men's World Cup) is colliding with the busy summer period this year. Careful forward planning will be a huge help here, allowing you to stay focused on daily operations during the busy period.

Here's what you can do to clear your schedule ahead:

• Create your own email/SMS templates and re-use them for major sports events

• Prepare content and offers well in advance

• Start promoting booking offers and deals early on - schedule your campaigns

• Use email and SMS automation to send booking reminders

The new rugby Nations Championship and 2026 Men's World Cup will overlap too making for a busy July for operators.

Segment your database accordingly to make sure you reach the right audience with the right offers for better conversions. Allow them to opt out if they're not interested in certain campaigns. 

2) Pre-Ordering Opportunity

57% of customers want to pre-order food & drinks to their table to guarantee that they can watch their chosen sporting event without waiting in a long queue at the bar. This is your chance to secure revenue in advance, bigger table cheques, and to bring in larger groups. 

Combine it with enticing limited-time offers and package deals to get customers to book and pre-order early on. 

3) New Customer Opportunity

When looking for a potential venue to watch a match, 90% of customers still use Google as a discovery network. Be sure to keep your Google My Business and website updated with important information. 

Get feedback from staff on what customers ask about most by email, phone and in person. Use that to add relevant content to your listing and website. 

Regular social media posts are also great to feature your special venue highlights, i.e. amount of screens, sound system, etc. Pin your posts to your profile whilst the events are ongoing.

Another revenue opportunity comes from leveraging your loyal customer database. People tend to watch games in groups and groups also spend more when watching sporting events than for other occasions.

So, send out special deals for group bookings to your loyal customers. When they bring along their family and friends, you'll gain new customers and the chance to retain them down the line. 

4) Upsell Opportunity

Take advantage of smart technology to increase spend per head whilst they're in your venue. For example, order and pay apps can dramatically increase average order value by 10-30%. Even more so if customers can open a digital tab.

Digital upselling allows you to automatically send offers and deals directly to your customers' phones once they've signed up to your Guest WiFi (working on a captive portal). 

Content ready but not sure how to best set up and automate your email campaigns? Get in touch with our team to get maximum revenue from sports events.