How to Fill Your Business in the Slow Season

Slow seasons are unavoidable for most businesses.

Whether you run a restaurant, bar, winery, brewery, B&B, or event venue, there are always times of year when foot traffic drops, reservations slow, and once-reliable nights suddenly feel too quiet.

If you’re searching for event ideas to bring customers into your business—without relying on discounts or hoping for walk-ins—there’s one strategy that consistently delivers results:

Hosting a murder mystery event.

Murder mystery events transform slow nights into ticketed experiences people plan for, talk about, and return for, making them an ideal solution for filling your business during slower periods.

Why Event-Based Experiences Work Better Than Discounts

When business slows down, many owners turn to:

• Discounted menus
• Extended happy hours
• Last-minute promotions

While these tactics may increase short-term traffic, they rarely create excitement or loyalty.

Events do.

Ticketed events give customers a clear reason to choose a specific night, invite friends, and commit in advance. Instead of competing on price, you’re offering an experience—and experiences are what people are willing to plan around.

That’s why event ideas to bring customers into your business are especially powerful during the slow season.

Why Murder Mystery Events Are One of the Most Effective Business Event Ideas

Murder mystery events work particularly well for businesses because they are:

• Interactive and social
• Easy to package with food and drinks
• Naturally suited for groups
• Long enough to increase on-site spending
• Memorable and highly shareable

Unlike trivia nights or live music, a murder mystery event turns your entire evening into the entertainment. Guests aren’t just attending—they’re participating.

What Is a Night of Mystery Event?

A Night of Mystery event is a hosted, interactive murder mystery experience where guests play characters, uncover clues, and work together to solve a fictional crime over the course of an evening.

As the business, you host the event using one of Night of Mystery’s professionally written, downloadable murder mystery party game kits.

Night of Mystery provides:

• A complete storyline and host script
• Character roles for guests
• Clues and evidence
• Step-by-step hosting instructions
• Optional themed extras

You provide:

• The venue
• Food and beverages
• Ticket sales
• The atmosphere

The result is a seamless, engaging event that fits naturally into your existing operations.

What Types of Businesses Can Use Murder Mystery Events?

This strategy works across a wide range of industries, including:

• Restaurants and supper clubs
• Bars and cocktail lounges
• Wineries, breweries, and tasting rooms
• B&Bs, inns, and boutique hotels
• Event venues and community spaces
• Nonprofits hosting ticketed fundraisers

If your business experiences slow nights or seasonal dips, murder mystery events can help fill those gaps.

How Easy Is It to Host a Murder Mystery Event?

Easier than most business owners expect.

Step 1: Choose a Mystery That Fits Your Audience

Select a theme that aligns with your brand and guests, such as:

• Elegant gala-style mysteries
  Perfect fit: Unmasking a Murder or Dressed To Kill or Murder at Gatsby’s Gala
• Holiday or seasonal events
  Perfect Fit: Ho Ho Homicide or A Killer New YEars Eve
• Retro or decade-themed parties
  Perfect Fit: Y2K Chaos or Totally Rad 80s Prom Gone Bad
• Lighthearted comedy mysteries
  Perfect fit: Trailer Park Tragedy or Murder in Margaritaland
• Clean adult or family-friendly options
  Perfect Fit: Murder at The Deadwood Saloon or Murder Under the Big Top

Guests play the characters—no professional actors, rehearsals, or theater experience required.

Step 2: Use the Appropriate Business or Nonprofit License

Because these events are ticketed and open to the public, businesses and nonprofits use a Night of Mystery business license.

Licensing allows you to:

• Promote your event publicly
• Sell tickets
• Host the event at your venue
• Run one-time or recurring events (depending on license type)

This keeps everything professional, compliant, and simple.

Step 3: Sell Tickets in Advance

Advance ticket sales are especially valuable during slow seasons.

Businesses often offer:

• Flat ticket pricing
• Dinner-and-mystery packages
• Wine, beer, or cocktail pairings
• VIP seating or themed add-ons

Ticketed events remove guesswork and allow you to staff and plan confidently.

Step 4: Host the Event

On the night of the event:

• Guests receive their character roles
• You guide the experience using the provided host script
• Food and drinks flow as usual
• The mystery unfolds naturally over 2–3 hours

No acting skills. No complicated setup.

Bonus: Night of Mystery Helps Promote Your Event

When you host a Night of Mystery event, you’re not marketing alone.

Businesses and nonprofits that purchase the appropriate license can submit their event to be featured on the Night of Mystery website, helping attract guests who are actively searching for murder mystery events to attend.

Being featured provides:

• Added exposure beyond your own marketing channels
• Access to a built-in community of mystery-loving guests
• Extra visibility during slower seasons
• Increased confidence when launching your first event

You can explore examples of real venues hosting events on the Night of Mystery community page, which showcases businesses and organizations running successful mystery events.

Once your event is scheduled, you can submit your details through the event submission form to be considered for promotion.

At a minimum, your event will be listed on our calendar so those searching for a Night of Mystery party can find your event!

How Murder Mystery Events Generate Revenue During Slow Seasons

Hosting a murder mystery event creates multiple income streams:

Ticket Sales

Most businesses charge per guest, often ranging from $35–$75+ depending on what’s included.

Food and Beverage Sales

Guests tend to stay longer and spend more than on a typical night.

Upsells and Add-Ons

Common options include:

• Specialty cocktails or mocktails
• Wine or beer pairings
• Themed menus
• Desserts or post-mystery drinks

Repeat Events

After one successful event, guests frequently ask when the next one will be scheduled—making this an ideal recurring strategy.

Some of our partners like Silver Fountain Winery set out a quarterly schedule.
See our Business Playbook for more ideas on how to plan, what to charge, and fun upgrades to maximize their experience and your profits!

Why Murder Mystery Events Are Ideal for the Slow Season

• Events create urgency
• Guests plan ahead
• Groups book together
• Slow nights become destination nights

Instead of waiting for traffic, you create demand.

Why Businesses Choose Night of Mystery

Night of Mystery game kits are:

• Professionally written
• Instantly downloadable
• Designed for non-professional hosts
• Flexible for different group sizes
• Available with proper business and nonprofit licensing
• Supported by a community that helps promote events

You focus on hospitality.
Night of Mystery provides the experience—and helps spread the word.

How to Make Your Night of Mystery License Work for You

When businesses first look at licensing, it’s easy to think of it as a one-time cost tied to a single event.

In reality, a Night of Mystery license is designed to be flexible and scalable, allowing you to turn one theme into multiple revenue-generating nights.

Night of Mystery licenses are issued per theme and typically cover up to one year of use (based on license type). That means you’re not limited to hosting the mystery just once.

Instead, many businesses use the same theme strategically across multiple events.

One Theme → Multiple Events

Most guests only attend a murder mystery once. That makes repeating a successful theme not only acceptable—but smart.

Businesses often:

• Host the same mystery on multiple dates
• Run the theme weekly during a slow month
• Schedule it monthly as a recurring feature
• Add additional nights once the first date sells out

From a guest’s perspective, each event feels new. From a business perspective, planning becomes easier and more profitable each time.

Multiple Seatings, Same Night

Another effective approach is running multiple seatings of the same mystery in one evening.

For example:

• Early seating: 5:30–7:30 pm
• Late seating: 8:00–10:00 pm

The mystery stays the same.
The guest list changes.

This allows businesses to maximize revenue on nights that already require staffing, setup, and promotion.

Refresh the Experience—Not the Theme

Even when using the same mystery, businesses often vary the surrounding experience:

• One night as a dinner-and-mystery package
• Another night focused on cocktails or tastings
• VIP seating or premium upgrades added later
• Seasonal menu or drink changes

This keeps the event feeling fresh while still using the same licensed content.

Why This Strategy Works

Using your license this way allows you to:

• Spread licensing costs across multiple events
• Reduce planning time through repetition
• Increase staff confidence and efficiency
• Improve profitability without added complexity

Instead of asking, “Should we do this again?”
Successful hosts ask, “How many times should we run this while demand is strong?”

See our Business Playbook for more ideas on how to plan, what to charge, and fun upgrades to maximize their experience and your profits!

Turn a Slow Season Into a Sold-Out Experience

If you’re looking for event ideas to bring customers into your business, increase per-guest spending, and stand out during slower periods, hosting a murder mystery event may be the perfect solution.

👉 Explore Night of Mystery business licenses and games
👉 Submit your event to be featured and reach new guests

New to hosting mystery events? Start with The Night of Mystery Business Playbook—our step-by-step guide designed to help venues plan, price, and host successful events.