Brands are built booking ACL Live
Venue increasingly sees rentals by corporations for giveaway concerts.
You can’t buy tickets to some of the buzziest shows at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater.
More and more frequently, big-name companies are renting out the entire venue and just giving away passes.
That’s what’s happening Saturday night, when Bleachers and Passion Pit are set to perform at ACL Live following a viewing party for the Texas vs. Notre Dame football game. Pluckers Wing Bar is putting on the event, rewarding about 2,500 members of the Pluckers Club, the Austin-based chain’s most loyal customers.
“We’ve always based our marketing strategy on the principle of converting our current guests into brand evangelists,” said David Paul, who co-founded Pluckers 20 years ago with Sean Greenberg and Mark Greenberg. “In order for our guests to be our brand evangelists, we believe it is our job to give them something to talk about. Our 20th anniversary is the ultimate ‘give back’ to our loyal guests that we hope they will be talking about for years to come.”
Founded near the University of Texas campus in 1995, Pluckers has expanded to almost 20 restaurants in Austin, Dallas and Houston, as well as Louisiana. Aggressive growth is in the works, Paul
said, including more locations in existing markets, as well as entering San Antonio.
The cost to rent ACL Live varies depending on a number of factors, including how many attendees are expected. The Pluckers show will cost “six figures,” its founders said. It’s money, they said, that’s well spent.
“Everyone we have spoken to can’t believe that we would go to these lengths to thank our Pluckers Club members and the city of Austin,” Paul said. “The excitement level is extremely high to not only be able to gather with other Pluckers fans to watch the UT game, but to be able to enjoy two bands you would typically have to pay $100 to see live.”
Close to 100 largescale corporate events are held at ACL Live each year, according to Joetta Velasquez, the venue’s senior event producer. That number has been growing in recent years, she said.
“It’s a very strong trend we’re seeing,” Velasquez said. “We’re doing many of these events throughout the year. They buy out the venue and bring in talent that’s going to pack the place.”
Other companies that have rented out the facility for events recently include AT&T, Red Bull and Budweiser.
“This is their way to reach out to existing customers and appeal to new customers,” Velasquez said.
“To let people come out and experience a great concert at ACL Live, it’s a great way to build brand loyalty.”