VIVA chats with Bierkeller Promotions Manager Hayley Grennan

With a cat called Leia, named after the sci-fi princess, Bierkeller promotions manager Hayley Grennan admits she loves the thought of a Star Wars themed night at Bierkeller Entertainment Complex Manchester

Burnley-born Hayley has been working flat-out on introducing new ideas since taking on her role as BEC’s promotions manager in The Printworks two months ago.

She spent several years perfecting her skills at home and abroad after graduating in media production at Salford University, working in a full-time position with a production company, as well as promotions and events management and venue management.  She even had a spell in Qatar in the Middle East.

“I was an event manager here while I was over in Qatar where I did event work for the United Nations and Summits, which was a lot more corporate than I’d been used to previously,” she says.

“It was hard juggling the two jobs and setting my clocks to different time zones. But I was a bit younger then – it was between 2012 and 2014 – I’m not sure I could do it now!”

This is the first time Hayley has worked for a large expanding company instead of for herself:

“And it’s great because there’s such a lot of support from head office and other managers, as well as budgets to help put your ideas into action. It’s my hope that I can attract both the kind of people who would have come to my venues and events previously, as well as those Bierkeller, Around the World and Shooters sports bar would normally attract.”

Having focused most of her early attention on bringing in returning and first-time Manchester students, making sure Bierkeller Entertainment Complex was at every single freshers’ fair, she is concentrating on building up regular events at all three BEC venues.

At Bierkeller she has already enlisted the talents of Antony Scott Bray (aka Quizmaster Flash) who invented the UnGoogleable Quiz for the Monday evening quiz night, and attracted Ronan Keating’s guitarist and backing singer Jimmy Docherty to open mic nights on Tuesdays.

“I’ve already created mini videos for Around the World which give a feel of the nights here and what it’s like, what’s coming up, and I would like to do the same for the other venues, it’s really exciting and the great thing about working for a big group is that you have the ideas, you have the budgets, and everyone wants you to succeed. You can put so much into an event.

“I would like to attract those who would normally visit Bierkeller Entertainment Complex but I really want to try and attract those who might not too,” says Hayley, who lives in the city with musician partner Samuel Reed (as well as Leia).

 

You can find more information on the Bierkeller complex HERE