Promote Your Trade and Capture Function Bookings

1. Get your trading details out early

Once your Christmas and New Year hours are confirmed, share them everywhere your customers look: social media, your website, Google Business Profile and any local community pages. Customers planning ahead need this information well before December. Also consider sharing them with local hotels and accommodation to get tourist traffic.

2. Use simple, low-cost promotion

You don't need a big budget to promote well. A short EDM to your existing customer list, a few well-timed social posts, and a physical sign in-store about gift vouchers or festive specials can do most of the heavy lifting

3. Encourage early bookings and pre-orders

Gift vouchers, pre-order forms for festive baking, and early catering enquiries all help smooth out demand and give you a clearer picture of what's coming. Promote these options before your busiest weeks, not during them.

4. Build a simple function package

Alongside your everyday promotion, a set menu, shared platters, or a straightforward function package with a minimum guest number makes it easy for a corporate customer to say yes quickly. The simpler the decision, the faster you'll fill your calendar.

5. Price functions for margin, not just appeal

Function pricing needs to hold up even with the discounts or inclusions that often come with group bookings. Cost your package properly before you publish pricing, rather than adjusting on the fly once bookings start coming in.

6. Get in front of local businesses now

Reach out directly to nearby offices, list your function availability on your Google Business Profile, and share it through local business networks or LinkedIn. Corporate bookers are often searching for options in the next few weeks, not waiting until December.

• Cafes and bakeries: gift vouchers and pre-order forms for festive baking are strong, low-effort promotions that customers actively look for at this time of year.
• Restaurants with function space: this is your strongest opportunity window for corporate bookings. Make sure availability and packages are easy to find on your website and easy to enquire about.
• Takeaways and businesses without function space: platter and catering orders for office celebrations are a natural substitute for a formal function package.