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As a part of the Morning Lazziness sequence highlighting empowering ladies who’re making a outstanding impression with their concepts, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alice Christison.
Alice Christison is the founding father of Cocktail Week, a nationwide sequence of cocktail-focused occasions that commemorate the hospitality business and proficient mixologists throughout 19 main UK cities.
After graduating with a regulation diploma from the College of Dundee, Alice found her ardour for occasions and advertising and marketing whereas working with native hospitality companies. Within the wake of the pandemic, she determined to create Cocktail Week to help the struggling hospitality sector.
What started as a neighborhood occasion in Dundee shortly advanced right into a UK-wide sequence, now partnering with over 700 bars and producing an eight-figure financial impression. In July 2025, Alice took Cocktail Week worldwide with its first version in Dublin.
Regardless of the fast progress, some issues stay the identical—Alice remains to be dedicated to her authentic mission: championing the hospitality business and bringing folks collectively over nice drinks. Trying forward, she plans to develop Cocktail Week to much more UK cities and launch a brand new sequence of cocktail festivals, starting with the primary pageant in Glasgow later this yr, proudly sponsored by Diageo.
On this interview, she affords a candid take a look at the realities of entrepreneurship, sharing each the challenges and the victories that described her path.
What’s the origin story behind what you are promoting, and the way does it replicate who you might be past the entrepreneur title?
The thought was born through the post-Covid restoration, when hospitality was on its knees.
I had studied regulation on the College of Dundee, however my actual ardour had at all times been folks, occasions, and bringing communities collectively. Add to that my love for meals, eating places, vibey bars, and cocktails and it felt pure to channel that vitality into our Cocktail Weeks!
Our first cocktail occasion in Dundee was a leap of religion. It began as a small, native initiative to drive footfall again into bars however it labored. What began as a neighborhood occasion to drive footfall into Dundee’s bars shortly grew right into a nationwide occasion sequence throughout the UK and Eire.
As an alternative of standing by whereas venues struggled, I needed to create one thing that crammed seats, boosted gross sales, and restored confidence to an business I cared deeply about. Immediately, we’re in 20+ areas, accomplice with over 800 bars, and have delivered an eight-figure financial impression. At its coronary heart, the mission has by no means modified: champion the hospitality business and produce folks collectively over nice drinks.
Your work blends goal with enterprise — what’s the “why” that also will get you away from bed on powerful days?
As a result of it issues. Each occasion we run places a refund into native economies, fills bars with prospects, and shines a highlight on the unimaginable food and drinks scene in every metropolis. We’re not simply organising occasions; we’re maintaining employees in jobs, serving to bars hit report gross sales, and giving company one thing to stay up for. On the onerous days, I take into consideration the companies who’ve informed me our occasion works and helps the business.
It’s additionally in regards to the folks I get to do that with. My enterprise accomplice Ross has been an unimaginable help since day one, and our wider workforce is a bunch of individuals I really take pleasure in working alongside. I really feel extremely fortunate not simply to be constructing our firm, however to be constructing it with folks I really like working with.
Many manufacturers provide related companies, however few seize hearts — what’s your secret to constructing deep emotional resonance along with your viewers?
We make Cocktail Week really feel like they metropolis’s occasion, not ours – treating every metropolis additionally prefer it’s our hometown. From collaborating with venues on bespoke drinks to partaking influencers who have already got a neighborhood following, the whole lot is co-created. Individuals don’t simply attend; they really feel a part of the story. We design occasions which might be genuine to that place, we additionally make sure that the enjoyable expertise has a transparent goal.
What’s been your best advertising and marketing technique, and might you stroll us by means of the inventive considering or risk-taking behind it?
We’ve made our venues and the cocktails the heroes of our advertising and marketing. As an alternative of constructing the model the star, we highlight the occasions’ cocktails and venues tales and vibes. This not solely drives participation from the venues, but additionally helps attendees uncover the town’s finest. We name this our “collaborative advertising and marketing” mannequin. As an alternative of simply pushing from one central account, we equip 800+ venues with lovely content material, then allow them to amplify it by means of their very own channels. We faucet into their audiences moderately than beginning chilly. The chance is relinquishing some inventive management. However the reward is hundreds of thousands of natural impressions and large city-wide occasions.
How do you hearken to your neighborhood — not simply in surveys or analytics — however in ways in which provide help to anticipate their unstated wants?
By being on the bottom. I (And our workforce) make it a precedence to spend time working with the venues, speaking to bartenders, managers, and company. Once we had our greatest yr of progress final yr, I personally visited each single cocktail week location as a result of nothing replaces seeing and listening to issues first-hand.
We additionally observe prospects. Social media feedback and DMs typically reveal greater than our attendee suggestions types – recognizing an informal “want they did X” is commonly how we design the subsequent function. Experiencing the occasions in particular person is invaluable. Strolling the streets, feeling the vibe and watching how folks work together with the pageant provides us insights you may’t discover from our workplaces. It’s enjoyable however it’s additionally how we be taught, adapt, and make annually larger and higher.
Which marketing campaign, collaboration, or strategic shift felt like a real turning level in your model’s public picture?
Partnering with nationwide drinks manufacturers like Diageo was an enormous second. It validated Cocktail Week at a nationwide stage and gave our collaborating venues entry to world-class product collaborations.
In your individual phrases, how do you measure success past revenue, when it comes to legacy, affect, or cultural impression?
For me, success is strolling right into a metropolis throughout Cocktail Week and seeing venues full, bartenders busy, and prospects excited and having fun with themselves. It’s when native media frames it because the occasion to be at.
Are you able to recall a second when a failure grew to become a narrative value telling in your press or model narrative?
There was so many moments within the final 5 years the place we didn’t know whether or not we may pull it off. Nonetheless, I consider theres no such factor as failure, solely life classes.
From print points, to being let down by key stakeholders – we’ve got been by means of all of it! Every factor makes us be taught, adapt, shortly discover options and guarantee it by no means occurs once more!
What’s a each day or weekly ritual that retains you grounded and in contact along with your model’s mission, even when enterprise will get chaotic?
I’m a routine woman by means of and thru. Work is my primary ardour, coaching my second (I’m obsessive about working, hyrax and health.) On prime of that, my head of barketing, Ralphie bear (Our Present Cocker Spaniel), retains me sane, together with evenings spent with my accomplice David – he retains me targeted. When instances get actually powerful? I overview occasion suggestions – good and dangerous. It retains me linked to the true impression and jogs my memory who we’re serving.
How do you method innovation in a means that makes your model each trend-aware and timeless?
We maintain the format easy: nice drinks, nice venues, nice folks however we layer in watching developments intently and reacting shortly. Our collaborations, cocktails, and advertising and marketing annually are a precedence. That means the core expertise feels acquainted whereas evolving, scaling and rising yearly.
If you happen to may move down just one piece of knowledge to the subsequent era of entrepreneurs, what would it not be and why?
It’s all in regards to the folks you encompass your self with and really believing within the work you do. Challenges come, and there are days that really feel impossibly onerous. What makes the distinction is having the proper folks with you for the journey. It’s not simply the wins that matter, however the journey.
Successful recognition in your business isn’t any small feat — what behind-the-scenes choice or transfer do you consider made that attainable?
We determined early on to actually prioritise outcomes – venue gross sales experiences, wristband numbers, buyer satisfaction. Whilst we scale we’ve got by no means let this stuff slip and our transparency on our occasion and willingness to work intently with key stakeholders in every metropolis has constructed belief with venues, sponsors, and key gamers within the business.
How have public recognition, awards, or media options shifted alternatives to your model in surprising methods?
It’s opened doorways with international drinks manufacturers and native councils who now actively search us out, seeing the financial impression we’ve confirmed elsewhere. We’ve had award successful venues method us straight eager to be a part of the occasions. All of which has accelerated our progress into new cities.
If somebody hears your identify or sees your work simply as soon as, what’s the one message or feeling you hope they go away with?
That we make cities come alive, and highlight unimaginable food and drinks locations, give folks a cause to go to their metropolis and make a distinction to the hospitality business.
The place’s the most effective place for our viewers to observe your journey and discover your work?
By attending one in all our occasions! Or observe our story on LinkedIn or I’m a lover of Instagram.
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