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Making the Most of Midweek!
By Joe Veneto, the Opportunity Guy

One of the Travel Industries biggest challenges for suppliers and destination marketers is making the most of midweek. Due to consumer travel patterns and the ever shrinking vacation, American consumers tend to gravitate towards weekend trips. Savvy suppliers need to look at creative ways to increase midweek visitation.

For a quick hit, the first thought may be to pull the price lever and discount midweek. However, during a recent trip to Asheville, North Carolina I was pleasantly surprised by a very creative and innovative example of midweek marketing.

Upon the recommendation of a few locals, I was told to have dinner at Bouchon. It is a restaurant that bills itself as French comfort food. Having lived in France, I am always a bit skeptical of French restaurants and wonder if the food is indeed the real deal. Mon Dieu, I was pleasantly surprised with the menu, atmosphere and food! Even Remy from Ratatouille would have been happy with Bouchon (you may need to see the movie).

At the end of the meal inserted with the check was a schedule for Cinema Bouchon. The program is a series of midweek summer “foodie” movies paired with a buffet dinner designed to compliment the theme of the feature film. The movie is shown en plein air in the courtyard of a gallery next door.

Cinema Bouchon will run most Wednesday & Thursday nights during the summer with a buffet, table seating, cash bar and big screen movie. The package costs $25 per person with reservations recommended. Sample movies and complimentary cuisine include:

- Tortilla Soup	Mexican
- Chocolat	Country French
- Monsoon Wedding	Indian
- Mystic Pizza	New England style pizza

There are a host of other movies and themed menu selections. If I were a local, it would certainly give me a reason to return to this great restaurant midweek. In addition, there is also ample opportunity for local travel suppliers who are packaging Asheville to wrap in Cinema Bouchon for a fun midweek night of entertainment. Finding entertainment especially midweek is always a challenge and may be the difference between an overnight stop and a multi night stay for visitors! This promotion demonstrates several great points that are useful for travel suppliers and destination marketers:

Making the most of midweek and a slower time during the week involves getting creative
The promotion gives current customers a reason(s) to return midweek and the movies change weekly
Combining meals with films provides the restaurant with a new product to sell
The program provides Asheville with entertainment options for midweek visitors
The promotion demonstrates the power of partnership with another supplier, in this case the gallery next door
The promotion is a great component for travel suppliers packaging Asheville

In reviewing the example of Cinema Bouchon, what can you translate to your business to make the most of midweek? The need at Bouchon is similar not just for restaurants but many different travel supplier organizations. The owner decided to think, “Outside the restaurant” to create a new experience for customers and drive incremental business. Stay tuned for results!

Joe Veneto, "The Opportunity Guy," is principal of Opportunities Unlimited, a management consulting and training company. He collaborates with organizations in Tourism, Hospitality and Service-related industries to achieve results by creating new business opportunities. His areas of specialty include sales development, innovative product development, destination marketing and customer service. Joe is a 20-year veteran of the tourism industry and has worked for national tour operators and major industry wholesalers.

Opportunities Unlimited provides management consulting services, custom designed seminars and results-oriented training workshops. Clients include government tourism agencies, marketing organizations, hotel groups, historic attractions & museums, restaurants, tour operators and others. Joe's unique industry experience enables him to create practical, results oriented programs tailored to his client’s business needs.

In addition to his consulting, Joe is a nationally recognized speaker on the Tourism & Hospitality Industries. He presents programs annually for National Associations, Regional Tourism Groups, Industry-wide Conferences and Convention & Visitors Bureaus. He has also authored several articles that have appeared in various travel trade publications.

Opportunities Unlimited
P.O. Box 69-2359
Quincy, MA 02269
Phone: 617-786-9096 Fax: 617-786-1081
E-mail: Joe@opportunityguy.com

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