National Pubs Week: Make winter work for you

There are plenty of ways to boost your trade in the lean months of January and February - all it takes is imagination and a little effort...

There are plenty of ways to boost your trade in the lean months of January and February - all it takes is imagination and a little effort now.

January, February, as Barbara Dickson once sang. No idea what that was about and it doesn't look like anyone bothered to write down the lyric, but Barbara's plaintive warble gives it away - it's not good. Nobody much looks forward to those first two months of the year, unless they've got a holiday booked, and for many publicans it can be a daunting prospect. It is often seen as a time to batten down the hatches and simply survive until the better weather comes.

But hang on a minute. There's a bunch of people out there feeling miserable with nothing to do and hey! You've got a pub, a positively throbbing centre of excitement - potentially. Why not make it your duty to cheer everyone up and create some fun?

January and February are not quite the social deserts they are sometimes painted. There are, for instance, some significant dates.

If you're in Scotland you can have a second stab at Hogmanay by celebrating the Old Scottish New Year on January 11.

And the Scots must have really been working on the January, February issue because, exactly two weeks later, it's Burns Night. That's an opportunity for licensees south of the border to try anything from a full-scale highland fling to some nourishing haggis, neeps and tatties as part of a Scottish theme night.

Then, the very next day, you can swap your sporran for a billabong and celebrate Australia's independence. Aren't you glad they're off our hands?

For those pubs that fancy themselves as a cask beer emporium, why not stage a winter ales festival to coincide with the Campaign for Real Ale's own event at the end of the month? There are plenty of seasonal brews to choose from so start talking to your wholesaler about it now.

February kicks off with the Chinese New Year, another set-piece themed food night and a few days later it's New Zealand's Waitangi Day, so put on a poetry reading for those cultured Kiwis.

February 14 is, of course, Valentine's Day and there are two basic routes to take - the romantic one or the raunchy one. The decision will probably depend on how seriously you take your food.

That same day will see the start of the Six Nations tournament, which this time around should be bigger and better than ever - at least in England. Rugger virgins will have been well and truly converted by Jonny Wilkinson and the boys, so, if you have a telly anywhere in the pub, don't miss out on this one.

Highlights during the first couple of weekends will be England's return to the field against Italy on Sunday 15 and the Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland the following Saturday.

Then comes the one everyone can join in - National Pubs Week. CAMRA chose the timing of this deliberately to pep up February trade. "A lot of publicans are scared of promoting their pub at this quiet time of year - they think it is going to be expensive and not worth while," said CAMRA's Tony Jerome. "But it doesn't have to be and we are actively encouraging pubs not only to run events but to promote them."

The message is that if you are serious about bringing some fun to January and February there are plenty of opportunities to boost your trade. Start now, by promoting your forthcoming events to all the people that will be flocking to your pub for Christmas and New Year. As launch pads go, January and February couldn't have hoped for a better one than December.

Promoting your pub

As part of the preparations for National Pubs Week, CAMRA has produced some tips on publicity which can apply to any event you are organising in the New Year.

Issue a press release to the local media - there is a template you can use on the National Pubs Week website, www.camra.org.uk/pubsweek. Make your event sound as interesting as possible and distribute by email, post or fax
Offer reader promotions to the local press in the form of a cut-out token for discounts on such things as food, drink or tickets to an event. It means you are more likely to get press coverage
Design a home-made leaflet advertising your events on your computer and post it through local doors. If you do not have access to a computer there are plenty of companies that can produce them at a reasonable price
Contact other local businesses to see if you can promote your events in shops and offices. Firms may be interested in promoting your events on their employee noticeboards. Local shops may be happy to exchange promotional material, for instance a local butcher may promote your event in exchange for you displaying its leaflets in your pub.

National Pubs Week February 21-28

Last February about one in five pubs took part in the Campaign for Real Ale's National Pubs Week. In preparation for the 2004 event the organisation is taking a longer run-up and momentum behind the event is already building. A number of pub groups are on board but it will be down to individual publicans, their staff and customers to make sure it really takes off and captures the public imagination.

The next three weeks are crucial. Over Christmas and New Year your pub will be at its busiest. It's the perfect time to float some ideas and get some input from the people who count - your customers - on what they'd like to do for Pubs Week.

If you think that's one job too many in a hectic time, why not delegate responsibility for organising the week to a member of staff? Or maybe a couple of them. Barstaff are the people who talk to your customers day in, day out, and they can easily canvass opinion among the regulars.

Choose somebody outgoing and lively who naturally enjoys organising social occasions. Don't tell them what you want, allow them to use their initiative. But if they haven't done it before, it's worth regularly checking with them that progress is being made.

Once you have a rough idea of the plan hold a staff meeting to discuss it. Get everyone involved, feeding in more ideas. Everyone needs to be behind the event. Take the regulars with you. Tell them what's going to happen and they'll start talking about it to their mates. Word of mouth is your best marketing tool in the early stages.

If you order materials from CAMRA they should arrive early in the New Year. Aim to start the big publicity push at the beginning of February, reaching out beyond your regular customers.

Try to get people to commit to joining in at least one time in the week. Hand out promotional vouchers for themed food nights perhaps, or get them to enter a quiz or games team in advance, or sell tickets for a coach tour of rural hostelries (beginning and ending at yours, of course).

The more you put in, the more you get out, as the saying goes, and if you make National Pubs Week 2004 a roaring success for your pub it can only help to cement future loyal trade in the months ahead.

For more information on National Pubs Week, to order publicity materials, and for advice on how to get the best out of the event, go to www.camra.org.uk/pubsweek, call the Pubs Week team on 01727 867201 or send an email to tony.jerome@camra.org.uk.

Dates for the diary

January 2004