The festive season is here, which means packed booking diaries, wall-to-wall sport, Christmas parties, friends catching up for the first time all year, and customers who expect you to get it just right.
Balancing it all can feel like a juggling act, but with a bit of planning (and the right tools), you can maximise your sports subscriptions and give every guest the Christmas experience they’re after.
Here are three simple ways to stay in control this December.
A strong booking system is your best friend at this time of year. With so many different types of occasions - sport, staff parties, big family meals, festive catch-ups - understanding what each group is coming in for will make the difference between chaos and calm.
Whether you’re taking bookings online or over the phone, make it part of your process to confirm the purpose of the visit.
Are they coming to watch Champions League on Tuesday night? Are they a table of six who haven't seen each other since 2019 and want somewhere cosy for a long overdue catch-up? Is it a Christmas menu booking who’ll want table service and a quieter corner?
And if you’re not sure - pick up the phone. A 30-second call ahead of time can save a lot of headaches later.
When you know what people want, you can plan:
And if most of your bookings are leaning one way, that’s okay. It’s better to make the night feel coherent than try to be everything to everyone. A great customer experience now keeps them coming back in January when things quieten down.
December is absolutely stacked with sport, and accuracy is everything. The month includes several mid-week Premier League rounds, high-profile matchdays where most teams play at the same time.
These are crucial because:
Fans actively research where to watch them.
Because fixtures overlap and not all pubs show every match, supporters are far more likely to Google “pubs showing Notts Forest near me” or use FANZO to find a venue that’s 100% showing their game.
They’re high-risk for customer disappointment.
When fans go out mid-week specifically for a match, expectations are higher. If they arrive and the game isn’t on, or the website said something different, they won’t shrug it off. Getting this wrong can damage trust fast.
Some key fixture dates this month that typically drive big search spikes:
If you’re showing games on these dates, make sure every digital touchpoint reflects that:
On platforms like Google and FANZO, customers are often searching for one specific match, so if you're advertising it, double-check you’re definitely showing it.
And don’t forget to talk to your regulars. They’ll tell you what they’re excited about and sometimes that insight is more valuable than any data point.
The World Darts Championship is always a sleeper hit during this period, drawing in great dwell times from regulars.
But if something isn’t going to be on, let people know early. You’ll avoid disappointment and build trust.
This is where FANZO really earns its keep. It shows you every game available across your channels, helps you build a schedule quickly, then lets you push those fixtures out across Google, social and your website in one go.
No hopping between sites, guessing times, or manually updating everything while you’re already stretched thin.
And during December, time saved = staff organised, food and drink served faster, and more happy customers through the door.
If you’ve got the room, December is the moment to make the most of it. Creating dedicated zones helps keep every customer type happy:
If you can tailor your experience to different needs at the same time, you’re winning. But organisation is key and so is communication.
Ask customers for details you might not normally request. What are they here for? Do they want to be near a screen? Are they okay with some atmosphere in the background?
And remember: sometimes you can blend worlds together.
That once-a-year catch-up with friends? Why not enjoy it over a Champions League game and a few pigs-in-blankets sharers?
Sport doesn't have to disrupt the festive vibe, with the right messaging, it can enhance it.
FANZO can also help you promote offers alongside fixtures, making it even easier to bring fans in for food, drinks or events around key matches.
Level up to full FANZO access and unlock every fixture for your channels plus the Q Score - our measure of how popular each game is with fans. It’s the quickest way to understand what will drive footfall.
Log in now and get your festive schedule organised.
