Ask the Collective
The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
Can we distribute vouchers offering free alcoholic drinks at our licensed venue?
The answer depends on your specific license conditions. **Several members reported that their venue licenses explicitly prohibit handing out vouchers for free alcoholic drinks.** You must check your own license conditions carefully, as the restrictions vary by individual license. One member confirmed "Ours specifically prohibits that," indicating this is a common clause. Before running any promotion involving free or discounted alcoholic drinks, review your premises license conditions or contact your local licensing authority to confirm what's permitted under your specific agreement.
What tools and platforms can we use to run scan-to-enter competitions at point of sale?
Members have taken a range of approaches, from DIY to more structured solutions. Most have kept things simple rather than investing in dedicated competition platforms: - **Google Forms + QR code** — The most common approach members use. Link a QR code at POS directly to a Google Form for entry. Simple, free, and works for basic scan-to-enter mechanics. - **Shopify landing pages** — Create a dedicated Shopify page accessible only via QR code, then close it after the event ends. Useful if you already have Shopify infrastructure. - **Newsletter signup + competition hybrid** — Combine the QR scan with a newsletter subscription and competition entry on the same landing page (e.g. "Scan to enter to win a free bottle"). Members note they've been "quite scrappy" with these approaches rather than seeking out dedicated competition platform software. No member mentioned using paid competition management tools, suggesting the group defaults to low-cost, improvised solutions using tools they already have (Google, Shopify).