Pub Renovation Ideas for the UEFA Euros 2024

If you operate a brick-and-mortar business, it’s important that you keep your property in good condition and redecorate every so often to keep the interior and exterior fresh. If you operate a business in the hospitality sector, such as a hotel or a pub, creating a welcoming environment is even more important.

While renovation generally results in an increase in foot traffic (regardless of the timing), renovating in the lead-up to a major peak season could be the deciding factor in ensuring your success. For pubs, redecorating in preparation for major football events (like the UEFA Euros 2024) can lead to a huge jump in revenue.

To help you ensure success during the upcoming tournament, we’ve put together a list of ways you can renovate your pub (inside and outside) to make it more appealing to customers.

 

How the UEFA Euros 2024 Could Boost Your Revenue

Watching sporting events in a pub is a time-honoured British tradition, so major football tournaments represent a significant revenue opportunity for the hospitality industry. Below, we’ve gathered some statistics on exactly how the UEFA Euros 2024 could increase your pub income.

According to data gathered by Wireless Social, the 2021 Euros tournament increased pub footfall by 129% and sports bars by 62%. “Footfall” is an important term here, as it just refers to customers in general: you’re not just trying to appeal to football fans when renovating. They may bring along friends, family, and significant others. While marketing to football fans is a great way to get customers in the door, the pub itself should hold universal appeal.

That said, it’s important to remember that the tournament itself is the big draw. A Star Pubs survey revealed that of all the major sports events and tournaments happening during the summer of 2024, the UEFA Euros 2024 was the event customers are most likely to watch at a pub or bar, beating out Wimbledon and the Olympics.

Finally, the Women’s Euros tournament in 2025 is also a huge revenue opportunity, so it’s important to track what works and what doesn’t when you’re renovating. Any popular but temporary changes (like a garden marquee) can be re-erected for that tournament, which could help you gain a share of the income the Women’s Euros bring in. It’s not an insignificant amount: the hospitality sector received a £1.2 billion boost for the last Women’s Euros in 2022.

 

Pub Renovation Ideas

1. Improve the Sports Viewing Experience

If you’re specifically looking to renovate your property in preparation for the UEFA Euros 2024 (or any sporting event, for that matter), one of the first pub renovation ideas that’s likely to come to mind is upgrading your televisions. If you don’t have several high-quality TVs in various locations throughout the pub, you’ll likely lose customers to pubs and bars that have put more emphasis on the entertainment they offer.

If you’re unsure of how many TVs to buy, size might be a more important factor than quantity. Bigger screens mean the matches can be seen throughout the pub, so you could get away with buying a smaller number of bigger TVs. However, this all depends on the layout of your property, as the placement of the screens might have more of an impact than their size.

If you’re unsure about spending the necessary amount to upgrade, keep in mind that installing bigger and better TVs can help attract customers for any televised sporting event, from the Olympics to Wimbledon.

 

2. Redecorate

One of the simplest, cheapest — but most impactful — changes you can make to your pub is to simply give it a fresh coat of paint and redecorate it. In pubs with rustic or traditional decor, there is always a danger of the space looking “tired” or old-fashioned if you don’t redecorate often enough.

By making simple refurbishments like repainting, repairing damaged furniture, or replacing old fixtures, you can revitalise the entire space without paying for costly structural renovations. Changes like these also help safeguard your pub business in winter, as well as draw in customers even after the summer ends.

If you’re redecorating specifically for the UEFA Euros 2024, keep that theme in mind while making your changes. Hanging flags and team jerseys around the property can help add to the match-day atmosphere. If you have the time, you could even customise the decorations for particularly important matches.

 

3. Rethink Your Layout

If your pub is undergoing significant renovations, it offers a good opportunity for you to rethink its layout. The placement of tables, bar stools, and even decorations can be shifted around to improve the atmosphere and visual impact

For example, you might want to free up more space closer to that bar if you’re worried about crowding during busy periods (such as half-time during important Euros matches). Alternatively, you might want to trade out older furniture for alternatives that allow you to seat more people.

When renovating for sports events, one of the biggest factors to keep in mind is the entertainment experience. You need to make sure that almost every seat in the pub has a reasonably good view of the TVs you provide, and can hear any audio clearly. If you’re heavily decorating the space for the Euros, it’s a good idea to decorate after the layout is finalised so that everything fits.

 

4. Classic Pub Activities

As far as pub renovation ideas go, this one can be a little more expensive to implement, but it can also draw in a notable number of new customers. Installing classic pub games like dart boards and pool tables gives your business a new attraction to advertise, potentially attracting an audience you previously couldn’t access.

Although renovating for the Euros means focusing mostly on getting football fans in the door, they are likely to bring a group with them. Adding games like darts and pool means everyone has a reason to come to your business, regardless of their interests.

Also, adding pool tables and dart boards will factor heavily into our other point about rethinking your layout. Both games need a lot of space, and you need to make sure that those playing don’t obstruct the view of the TVs for your other patrons. If you don’t have the available space, a small-scale alternative would be to make board games available to guests, but this depends heavily on your pub’s style and brand image.

 

5. Improve Your Outdoor Facilities

The UEFA Euros 2024 arrives at roughly the same time of year as the sun arrives in the UK, so offering an outdoor area at your pub could help attract customers looking to make the most of the weather.

If you already have an outdoor space, but it needs to be refreshed, it’s much the same as redecorating the interior of your pub. Think about the layout, and look for any furniture that needs to be repaired or replaced. You may even need to hire someone to do a certain level of gardening if plants feature heavily in your decorations.

If you don’t have an existing outdoor space, you may need additional funding to pay for the expansion and necessary building permissions. In these instances, it’s important you consider any sources of pub financing available, including alternative pub finance solutions such as merchant cash advances.

 

Best Pub Finance Solutions to Fund Your Renovations

None of the pub renovation ideas we’ve suggested above come for free, but fortunately, there is a huge range of pub finance solutions available to help you fund your renovations. One of the leading options for UK SMEs is 365 finance.

At 365 finance, our Rev&U product offers up to £400,000 in revenue-based funding. There’s no APR or fixed monthly payments – and there’s a 90% approval rate with no strict limitations or funding restrictions. We’re a perfect option for pubs seeking a fast and low-risk financing solution that they can access in time for the Euros.

At 365 finance, we can provide both long and short-term financial solutions, with revenue-based funding available from £10,000 to £400,000 in capital. Apply for Rev&U today without affecting your credit score, or speak to our team to find out how we can help your business. To find out more, head to our website.