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The content planning problem that’s costing you customers
Every month, hospitality marketers face the same challenge: “What should we promote this week?” While you’re scrambling for content ideas, your customers are actively seeking experiences worth celebrating. 60% of millennials have increased how often they dine out in London over the last 12 months, while 49% are willing to spend more per visit.
Most venues only capitalise on obvious holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, missing dozens of creative opportunities throughout the year. But venues that plan campaigns around lesser-known dates, such as National Pizza Day, for example, are able to capture this increased dining frequency with customers who are already primed to spend more.
And the proof is in the bookings: customers looking for experiences are doing their research and planning in advance, with early Christmas bookings up 54% last year. If your customers are planning ahead for memorable experiences, shouldn’t you be planning your campaigns just as strategically?
10 marketing campaign dates to drive bookings in 2025
Our marketing calendar has more than 100 creative dates for your social media calendar and email campaign planning to help inspire some quirky marketing ideas – pina coladas for World Coconut Day, anyone? But some dates should really be on every hospitality marketer’s calendar as some of the biggest revenue drivers of the year.
Easter bank holiday alone drives 26% higher spending at restaurants and cafes, while pubs and bars see an incredible 52% increase. Mother’s Day remains the most popular special occasion for dining out, with wine sales 25 to 30 per cent higher than on other days of the year, while one premium casual dining brand generated £1.2m in direct spend from their December festive CRM campaigns alone. These aren’t just busy days – they’re proven profit opportunities to reward venues who plan creative campaigns in advance.
So, make a note of the top revenue driving dates of 2025 to start your seasonal planning.
Seasonal travel and peak periods
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Easter Weekend (18–21 April): With restaurant spending jumping 26% during Easter bank holiday, it’s a great time to target family bookings. Many families will look for Easter themed activities across the bank holiday, so be sure to extend your campaign beyond the Sunday with Easter themed egg hunts, activities and desserts.
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Summer Holidays (June–August): 67% of our survey respondents reported that promotional offers with money off would influence their decision to come back. For the summer holidays you can make the most of this by promoting special offers targeting families, like popular ‘kids eat free’ promotions and special midweek offers to drive traffic on quieter days.
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Autumn Half-Term (20–31 October): Halloween isn’t just for kids – adult spending on Halloween experiences increased by as much as 15% year-on-year. Create tiered experiences that cater to your target audiences, such as family-friendly afternoon events, then transform into adult horror-themed evenings. Our top tip - Insta-worthy cocktails can be a big draw for spooky seeking grown ups.
Cultural and nation al celebrations
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Valentine’s Day (14 February): With 25% of couples preferring to celebrate with a meal out, timing is everything. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday in 2025, many will celebrate the weekend before, giving you multiple revenue opportunities. And, don’t forget singles - 25% of consumers plan to treat themselves this Valentine’s. Galentines brunches to celebrate with friends or solo activity meet ups can be a great way to target those flying solo this Valentine’s Day.
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Mother’s Day (30 March – UK): This is the UK’s most popular special occasion for dining out, driving nearly 50% higher wine sales than other days. One consumer survey reveals that 10% will dine out for breakfast, 25% for lunch and 47% for dinner. So, expand your Mother’s Day offer across the day to maximise revenue. Taking reservations in advance can help you allocate space and reduce empty tables on the day.
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Diwali (21 October): 64% of consumers actively seek out diverse culinary experiences, while UK retailers are increasingly dedicating space to cultural celebrations during themed weeks. Cultural holidays, such as Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, give your brand the opportunity to showcase authentic offerings that go beyond themes – think interactive cooking workshops or classes that connect with your local community.
Major sporting events
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UEFA Champions League Final (31 May): Access Hospitality’s data from Euro 2024 shows the massive revenue potential of major football events. During England’s matches, pubs saw over 8 million pints poured, generating £8,825,331 in revenue compared to just £4,128,343 on non-match days. The UEFA Champions League Final, European football’s premier club competition, offers similar opportunity. Target the sports crowd with an enticing space, multiple viewing screens and engage your customers with special offers and themed games for half time. Our pro tip: Encourage both walk-ins and pre-bookings by allocating some space for spontaneous fans – our data shows this maximises both guaranteed revenue and impulse visits.
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Rugby World Cup (8 September–26 October): Across the entire Euro 2024 tournament, England saw more than double the normal demand for pints - a spike of 124%. An eight-week tournament for the Rugby World Cup, the international rugby union tournament, offers sustained revenue opportunities. Utilise social media to advertise each game you are showing and your special offers.
Industry-specific opportunities
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National Hospitality Day (21 September): This under-utilised celebration of all things hospitality can be a great way to promote the people behind your brand. As many as 72% of customers are driven to a brand for the environment and their perception of the quality of the experience. Calendar dates like these make great engaging social media content campaigns where you can highlight the experience of your chef and the stories of your front of house team to personalise your staff and create a community feel.
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Veganuary (January): The opportunity of Veganuary, the global plant-based eating challenge, is bigger than most restaurants realise – around 125,000 Brits participated last year. Of those, only around 17% were actually vegan, meaning 83% are flexitarians open to trying plant-based dishes. Plant-based alternative food consumption has doubled in the UK over the last 10 years and Veganuary is a great way to test local interest in vegan dishes at your venue with a plant-based menu.
Quirky Food Holidays
Various dates throughout the year: Nearly half of Brits are willing to pay up to £30 more at restaurants that ‘look good’ on social media, and quirky food holidays create opportunities for shareable moments that drive premium spending. Outside of the obvious calendar dates, smart venues take advantage of unexpected opportunities to celebrate the unique days that match their core offering – that might be International Coffee Day (1 October) for coffee shops and cafes, National Pizza Day (9 February) for those with a pizza offering or World Cocktail Day (13 May) for bars. And think wider than the day itself, celebrating with weeklong events like pizza making workshops or cocktail mixing classes to transform ordinary dates into revenue-driving experiences.
Top tips for getting the most out of your hospitality marketing calendar
An effective hospitality marketing calendar isn’t just a list of dates, it’s a roadmap to a successful and stress-free year. To truly make the most of it, you’ll need to pair these key moments with actionable strategies.
Here are some practical tips to ensure your 2025 hospitality marketing calendar drives bookings and puts you on track for your most successful year yet.
1. Plan promotions with precision timing
Our data shows that early Christmas bookings jumped 54% last year, so operators who are ready early take advantage of early planners and have more time to promote their unique offers. Start promoting Valentine's campaigns around 3 weeks before to capture the 25% of couples planning meals out. For sporting events, begin promotions 10-14 days prior when fan excitement peaks but competition for bookings remains manageable.
2. Use data to predict demand, not guess
Access Hospitality's Euro 2024 data from their Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS) systems across 2,400 UK venues show match days generate £8.8M vs £4.1M on non-match days - a 114% revenue increase that requires operational preparation. Use your hospitality booking system (restaurant reservation software) data to identify patterns. For example, if Mother's Day has historically brought in larger groups, plan space and staff levels accordingly. Make sure you pre-order seasonal supplies 6-8 weeks ahead and schedule 30% more staff for proven peak periods.
3. Segment audiences based on behaviour, not assumptions
Access Hospitality, the UK hospitality software division of Access Group, research reveals 76% of over-55s prefer discount offers, while 48% of under-35s want personalised content. Your hospitality Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software should drive different campaigns for different segments, for example, families get "Kids Eat Free" summer promotions and sports fans hear about the next big tournament.
4. Take advantage on seasonal opportunities
Bank holidays drive 41% higher spending than regular Mondays for bars and restaurants. And with other seasonal dates driving higher spending, it’s important to plan ahead to make the most of these opportunities. January plant-based menus tap into the 125k UK Veganuary participants, while outdoor space promotions capture the 44% of Londoners dining out more frequently in the summer months.
5. Think beyond the obvious and learn what appeals to your customers
The key to successful events is knowing your audience. That means learning who your key demographics are, what appeals to them, and most importantly, how they spend. With 39% of under-35s eating out weekly but 59% prioritising free items, versus older demographics preferring quality over frequency, understanding these differences transforms average campaigns into booking-driving successes.
6. Connect at every touchpoint using integrated technology
Only a third of operators currently make the most of their marketing campaigns with customer data. Connect your booking system, CRM software, guest Wi-Fi, Electronic Point of Sale systems (EPoS) and social media channels so customers get a consistent message from when they see your first social post to when they walk through your doors.
7. Measure what matters: conversion, not just engagement
One premium casual dining brand attributed £214K direct spend to monthly CRM campaigns, with 17% from a single campaign. Start tracking booking conversion rates, average spend per campaign and repeat visit percentages. If Mother's Day email campaigns convert at 12% vs 3% for generic promotions, double down on occasion-based marketing throughout the year.
Ready to turn campaign planning into profit-driving strategy?
In this article, we've explored how strategic marketing calendar planning transforms random promotions into revenue-driving campaigns. Consumers are demonstrating their increased desire for unique experiences and a packed, engaging calendar of content and activities will help your venue shine month on month. Our creative calendar-led ideas can also help you create integrated marketing campaigns at every touchpoint – starting with a social post or email and ending with trying a new themed cocktail or simply celebrating shared passions through unique events.
To take your planning to the next level, Access Hospitality’s tools are here to help. Our solutions include a To take your planning to the next level, Access Hospitality’s tools are here to help. Our solutions include our Marketing Calendar of key dates and events designed specifically for the hospitality industry, making it easy to schedule, coordinate and optimise your campaigns. Pair this with our range of operational tools to streamline staffing, ticket large events and manage supplies, to guarantee every event is a success in 2025.
Ready to get started? Download your free hospitality marketing calendar template now and take the first step toward making 2025 your most successful year yet.
