As a brewery owner, I am constantly trying to think of ways to do new and interesting things. I never have trouble coming up with new ideas for microbrews, but when it comes to events and promotions, I always seem to get stuck. There is so much competition in our industry, and I really want to make Blackbird a one of a kind brewery. When I first learned about Cinemescapes I was intrigued because I knew my movie buff staff would get into it, but I had no idea how powerful their events would be. Cinemescapes is now a weekly occurrence on our brewery calendar! I’d like to share some of the positive things that have come from our collaborations with Cinemescapes. 

1) Attracted new business

We had a huge turnout at our first Cinemescapes event, but the crowds only grew larger as we made these events a regular thing. We found that a lot of people that wouldn’t normally come to a brewery on a weekday (or at all) were interested in coming because they wanted to see a movie at a cool venue! We continue to get new customers based on the film we screen.

2) Saved time and money for myself and my staff

We had considered hosting our movie event independently, but after we learned what goes into orchestrating a movie night, we realized that it would save us a ton of time to work with a company like Cinemescapes. By working with Cinemescapes we avoided upfront costs for equipment and licensing, and we pay a flat fee for each event. This also gives us a lot of flexibility to make each of our Tuesday Movie Nights a little different. With Cinemescapes we have a wide range of movies to choose from, and we can hold our events indoors or outdoors depending on weather.

3) Helped build a community around our brewery

The most rewarding part of owning a brewery is being apart of the community surrounding it. Since working with Cinemescapes, we’ve seen that the same groups of people come every Tuesday, and they look forward to seeing us and each other. These fans have also become active members of our planning process, suggesting films and themes for our movie nights. Our Cinemescapes groups have become part of the brewery family and they have defined our brewery's personality!

4) Increased our presence on social media

Our customers love to post about our events on social media, and we’ve found that fear of missing out (“FOMO”) syndrome is real. When we ask our brewery customers where they heard about us, the vast majority say they have a friend that attends our movie nights! Cinemescapes helps to plan an event that not only runs smoothly, but is picturesque too!

5) These events have set us apart

Our partnership with Cinemescapes Pop-Up Theater has set us apart from our competition in more ways than I can describe. It has brought a sense of culture to our taproom that differentiates us from bars; it has has helped us develop a unique fan base; and, it has made our brewery a home for great film every Tuesday, and we are very proud of that.

We’d love to have you join us any Tuesday at 6:30pm to enjoy a Blackbird Brewey x Cinemescapes event!

Kevin Collins is the owner of Blackbird Brewery in Boston and he is a valued Cinemescapes customer. Thank you, Kevin for your insightful contribution!