Pub or bar crawls are accepted parts of many events and conferences. Do them right and they become epic experiences that are remembered for years. Do them wrong and they become catastrophes that are remembered for years. Here’s how to plan an epic pub crawl that will go down in history. In the right way!

A True Story You Won’t Believe

It was a major association event in New Orleans. The client invited about 80 staff members and key customers to a Bourbon Street Bar Crawl. The partiers were dropped off at the rendezvous point at 8:30 p.m. The plan was for everyone to meet back at the bus at midnight.

BAD – At 12:00, only 40 people showed up! About 20 others got tired by 10:00 and took cabs back to the hotel. Five people actually got into fights, and we had to search bars and clubs ‘till 2:00 a.m. to round up the missing ones.

WORSE – the vice president of Marketing was “detained” by the New Orleans police for flashing her breasts to six groups of strangers – in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel.

This makes a fantastic story, but it’s not a role model. You want to have your pub crawl remembered for how much fun people had – not who made bail.

Respect The Crawl

You have to respect a pub crawl for its simple honesty. It doesn’t have lofty goals. There’s no communication plan or strategic message. A pub or bar crawl is nothing but organized drinking. It’s going from bar to bar on a pre-established route and having at least one drink at every one.

But planning a safe, successful pub or bar crawl is more complicated than it seems. Invest the time to do the pre-work, think it through and manage it closely, and you’re going to be a hit. Based on years of surviving these things, here’s how to plan an epic pub or bar crawl.

The Bar Crawl Basics

There are a few logistical things you need to determine first. The rest of the evening builds on these steps so don’t forget them.

1. How many groups will you need?

A maximum of 10-15 people per group is manageable. Any more and you’ll have a challenge keeping everyone together.

2. How long is the crawl?

Three hours is a good target. Any more and you risk burning people out or having to drag people back to the hotel.

3. What’s your budget?

Fifty people have six drinks each. That’s 300 drinks at an average of $10 – not counting tips. Add in transportation and food and it’s far from a cheap event.

Selecting the Right Pub or Bar

Finding the best bars or pubs is critical. You want great ones that are close together. If you have to get back in the vans between bars, it isn’t a crawl – it’s a field trip.

4. Screen the Bars in Advance.

– The Old London Docks in London

– Little San Juan in San Juan

– Bourbon Street in New Orleans

– The Rocks in Sydney

Many top locales have a number of drinking establishments in a small, convenient area. I strongly suggest you check them out first. Remember, an intimate pub or bar that you’d select for your own evening, a business dinner or date may not be the best choice for a group crawl.

Plan a Route You Can Follow After a Few Drinks

5. Plan the Route.

Make it simple. Hey, people are going to be drinking. Decide how long the crawl will last, how many bars you’ll hit and how long you will spend at each one. Before you plan a six-hour epic alcohol evening, take a look at the next day of your meeting. What will your revelers be expected to do? Having the audience, management or presenters show up late, wrung out and hung over won’t be considered humorous.

Figure five bars for a three-hour crawl. About 30 minutes at each one gives everyone time for one drink, some conversation, some music and then move on. I like starting at the pub that’s the farthest from the hotel and then working back to the closest. The big idea is to keep it moving.

6. Meet the Bar Management.

Meet with management at each pub or bar in advance. Decide where your group will be placed, when you’ll arrive, how long you expect to be there and how you will handle payment. Be sure to ask if they have a discount package or special prices. They do these all the time, so they should have some good advice. Build a list of names and key contacts of every place you’ll be visiting, just in case you need it.

7. Decide How to Get From Place to Place.

How will you get from one location to the next? This depends on how many people are participating, where the bars are in relationship to each other and your budget. Unless you have tons of time and cash, rule out taxi cabs and set these four goals:

• Make transportation as short and as simple as possible.

• Don’t lose anyone.

• Keep everyone safe.

• Stay within your budget.

Giving It a Theme

Some planners theme their crawls, and some don’t. For me, it depends on the group and if they know each other well. Here are a few of the current favorite ideas:

• Outlandish golf attire

• Zombies

• Super heroes

• Pajamas & lingerie

From what I’ve seen, the hallmark of a great crawl theme is one that will provide hundreds of embarrassing and humiliating pictures that will live on the Internet forever.

Managing the Crawl

You manage a bar crawl the same way you manage any corporate event. Have plenty of people and coordinate closely. Here are some things I’ve learned from experience.

8. Create two-person teams for each group.

Person #1 gets to each pub before the group to alert the management. Person #2 travels with the group. When it’s time to leave, Person #2 goes with the group and Person #1 stays back to handle any stragglers and to pay the bill.

Just a quick note. If you plan to drink – don’t manage. If you plan to manage – don’t drink.

9. Give every “crawler” a printed itinerary with emergency phone numbers.

Thinking will be impaired and people will get lost. Just plan on it. That piece of paper is part of your “fail safe” system.

10. Have some food available.

This is important. People should eat while they drink. Plus, this means you won’t turn around and find a bunch of your “crawlers” sitting at a table ordering dinner.

That Dirty Word: Liability

It might be a social event, but there is always the liability issue. Just remember the infamous Bourbon Street Bar Crawl story I shared. The planner, the producer and the client ended up in court. As you can imagine, that was a career-shortening experience.

Of course, your group will be made up of adults of legal age. What do you do if some of them want to stay at a pub or not go back to the hotel? If you’re a planner or a producer, this is time to get professional and think about your responsibilities and liabilities. Your job is to organize and conduct the crawl. That means making sure that everyone gets back to the assigned destination.

After they’re back at the venue, you have done your job. If they want to go drinking after they’re released, then it’s their choice.

A Crawl That Will Go Down in History

People will forget the event theme, the strategic messages and the workshops – but they will remember an epic pub crawl. You can make it a success by treating it like an event. Plan it carefully, manage it closely and expect the unexpected.

That’s it. Let the Crawls Begin!

Let’s spend 15 minutes talking about your next project or challenge. It’s a free consultation so we can get to know each other. Just click on CONTACT US or send an email to andy@ideagroupatlanta.com and get in touch.

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