What are the challenges of managing maintenance across multiple hospitality sites?

Managing maintenance across multiple hospitality sites comes with challenges such as inconsistent processes, overlooked tasks, and varying levels of equipment usage. Without a centralised system, tracking and resolving maintenance issues can become chaotic, leading to delays and higher costs.

Why is centralised management important for facility maintenance?

Centralised management ensures all maintenance tasks, requests, and data are stored in one place. This consistency allows teams to follow a unified process, improves visibility across multiple sites, and helps managers track and prioritise maintenance efficiently.

How does automating and scheduling maintenance improve operations?

Automation reduces human error by ensuring that maintenance tasks are scheduled and tracked without manual intervention. This helps prevent missed inspections, reduces downtime, and improves overall efficiency.

How can data improve facility management decision-making?

Data-driven decision-making helps facility managers identify patterns, optimise resource allocation, and predict potential breakdowns before they occur. Accessing real-time data enables teams to respond proactively, reducing emergency repairs and maintenance costs.

What are the benefits of using facility management software like Access Maintain?

Facility management software streamlines operations by centralising processes, automating tasks, and providing real-time insights. Access Maintain enables managers to efficiently track maintenance, schedule inspections, and ensure compliance across multiple sites.

Creative fundraising ideas for pubs and bars to support charities

Why charity fundraising is great for pubs and bars

Pubs and bars are natural hubs for social gatherings, making them ideal for charity events. They offer a welcoming environment where people can come together to support a good cause.

Among many advantages, your venue can benefit from increased footfall the event brings and as the fundraisers often attract new guests, you'll have the opportunity to showcase your hospitality, turning first-time visitors into loyal regulars. Plus, your commitment to the community, strengthening relationships and building goodwill will continue long after the event.

How to plan a fundraising event in your pub or bar

Planning a charity event in your pub or bar might seem overwhelming at first, but with a bit of creativity and careful preparation, it can quickly become an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Choose a charity or cause: Pick a cause that resonates with your audience. Check if there’s a local person or organisation who is raising money for a specific charity and if so, consider combining your efforts to make the biggest impact.
Set a fundraising goal: Decide how much you aim to raise, for example if the charity needs to raise a certain amount for a certain aim i.e. a defibrillator for the local senior’s club, then make that your aim and let everyone know.
Select a date and theme: Choose a day that works for your regulars and a theme that sparks interest. Choose a night that’s popular with your regular customers and make it all about fun. Theme the night around what’s popular at the moment, or a more general theme such as “Back to the 90’s”.
Plan event activities: Include fun, engaging activities tailored to your venue. Raffles, stand up bingo, silent auctions, quizzes, karaoke and talent contests are tried and tested activities that help to raise the most funds.
Promote your event: From posters, to social media and word-of-mouth, think about all the ways that can help to spread the word. Send a press release to local papers and the radio station and tag podcasts and local celebrities into your social posts and ask them to share, use your pub CRM to send personalised email campaign to your audience and do the same through SMS marketing.

Creative pub fundraising ideas

If you’re looking to make a difference while creating a lively and engaging atmosphere at your pub or bar, here are some exciting fundraising ideas to get you started.

Charity quiz night

Who doesn’t love a pub quiz? They’re a fantastic way to bring in crowds on quieter nights while raising funds for a good cause. Since you’re raising funds for a charity, charge teams an entry fee but think about offering small prizes for the winners - you want the atmosphere to be fun but competitive.

Live music event

Live music brings energy and excitement to any venue, making it the perfect setting for a fundraising night. Partner with local musicians to put on a charity gig, selling tickets in advance or collecting donations at the door. If you have a local band on the verge of breaking through, invite them to headline the event - it’s a great way to attract fans and potential new customers. Encourage donations between acts and consider offering a portion of bar sales to the chosen charity.

Charity auction

A well-organised auction can be a fantastic way to raise money while keeping guests entertained. Gather donated items such as local artwork, signed memorabilia or unique experiences like a brewery tour or dinner with your chef. Reach out to football clubs, breweries, distilleries and other local businesses for prize donations - many will be happy to contribute in exchange for publicity. Make sure to promote your auction well in advance to attract crowds and encourage competitive bidding. For extra fun, get a charismatic host or local celebrity to run the auction, someone who’ll add that professional and engaging touch.

Charity drinks or food specials

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective. Create a special drink or menu item where a portion of the proceeds goes directly to charity - “Charity Ale” from a local brewery sounds really good! You could even let your guests vote on the drink’s name, engaging them further in the fundraising efforts. This approach allows you to continue raising money before and after the main event, providing a steady stream of donations while also boosting sales.

Themed fancy dress party

People love an excuse to dress up, so why not host a themed fancy dress party with an entry fee to support your chosen cause? Whether it’s a ‘Roaring Twenties’ night or a ‘Classic Movie Watchalong’ where guests come dressed as iconic characters, themed events create fantastic photo opportunities and encourage participation. Offer prizes for the best-dressed guests and consider incorporating interactive elements like a photo booth or themed cocktails. You could even include mini-games or challenges throughout the night, where participants donate to take part, adding to the overall fundraising total.

Maximising the impact of your charity event

To get the most out of your fundraising efforts, consider these strategies:

Offer online donation options to those who can’t attend your event - check platforms like GoFundMe or JustGiving for remote donations.
Make noise on social media: Promote your event widely, creating buzz with regular updates and posts. Ask your followers and any celebrities or influencers with a big following list for a repost, invite food and drink bloggers to visit.
Partner with local businesses: Secure sponsorships or prize donations to make the prizes really special.
Provide multiple donation channels: Accept cash, card payments or mobile app contributions, think about setting up a dedicated QR code so people can easily donate before, during and after the event.
Follow up with thank-yous: Show appreciation to donors with personalised messages and let them know how much was earned on the night.

Ready to host fun & meaningful charity fundraisers in your pub?

In this article we’ve offered some practical fundraising ideas - with guidance on how to successfully plan your event and make the most out of it.

Charity events in pubs and bars bring communities together, boost your venue’s visibility and goodwill but most importantly, they support important causes.

To make organising your event even easier, discover how Access Collins, our intuitive booking system designed to help manage reservations, ticketing and guest lists can help. With Access Collins, you can also promote your venue and event on our partner site, DesignMyNight, getting in front of 4 million monthly visitors. Get in touch with our friendly team today!