With Euro 2004 just around the corner, be prepared to cash in on the festivities.
Euro 2004 presents pubs with the best opportunity for boosting their business since the summer of 2002, when the World Cup coincided with the Golden Jubilee. In fact, the timings mean that it could be even bigger. For the first two weeks there are two games a night every night, with every match kicking off at either 5pm or 7.45pm.
And even if England don't make it beyond the group stage, a massive amount of interest is likely to be sustained right through to the final a week and a half after that as the nation gets hooked on the beautiful game.
But there's a catch. The tournament will be screened on terrestrial TV, the matches shared between BBC and ITV. Not only will everyone be able to watch it at home, but every community and high street pub worth its salt will be looking to cash in. If you've invested in Sky you start this campaign on a level playing field with all the pubs that haven't.
Dragging people out of their armchairs is one thing. Making sure it's your pub they go to is another. The scale of the challenge cannot be underestimated. You'll have to cover every angle on screening football to gain an edge over the competition.
If you get it right people will discover that your pub's a great place to watch the game, second only to being on the terraces in Portugal. The rewards could be fantastic.
Your first decision, however, could be whether you join battle for the suddenly expanded legions of footie fans at all.
"Euro 2004 will be very competitive," warns Adam Collett, marketing director at Greene King Pub Company. "To make a real success of it, licensees have to build up a reputation for their pub as the place to go for football.
"To do sport successfully you have to fight for your audience. And the best way is to gain a reputation - for your facilities, for good service and for promotional support."
Greene King, like other managed pubcos, has the luxury of focusing on the pubs that have the best chance of winning. Only 400 out of its 550 houses will be screening the tournament and they are the ones where the company has already worked with the manager to build a reputation for football and justify the Sky fees.
It is likely, however, that most independent licensees, except those with food-led businesses and the super-trendy, will see the risk of not showing the football - at least the England games - as even greater.
For them it's a matter of going for it and making it work. Lessees and tenants can, in most cases, call on their landlord for help.
"Beer sales at pubs which made use of our promotional support went up by an average of 17 per cent in the last World Cup and around 10 per cent during last year's National Pub Football Week - so it's an opportunity not to be missed," said Geoff Brown, director of marketing at Punch. "That's why we work hard to provide the marketing and promotional support that creates a special big match atmosphere at the pub.
"This year we invited all our licensees to take part in National Pub Football Week so they could build on that momentum by showcasing Euro 2004, using kits from Carlsberg and Coca-Cola that include items such as banners, posters and beer mats.
"We anticipate that around 40 per cent of the estate will take advantage of some or all of the promotional support we are providing," he continued.
"We expect massive audiences for the England games but the trick will be getting crowds into our pubs for the other games. That might involve more imagination but it's where licensees can really get extra benefit."
Whose flag will you fly?
You may be England through and through - but is it necessarily best for your business to support our boys? Rob Millar, who runs the Sportspubs website, believes that licensees should think seriously about following another team.
"Because of the timing, sports pubs will find there is so much more competition during Euro 2004 so they should find something to differentiate themselves," he explains.
"Supporting another nation can be good for business, especially in major city centres with large overseas populations. You can get a new audience to identify with your pub."
Rob is already aware of London pubs that are flying the flag for Italy, France, Holland and even Latvia - but he needs to know more so he can advertise them on the website. Contact him through the site at www.sportspubs.co.uk
That figures...
- Five times as many people will watch a big football tournament like Euro 2004 than follow the Premier League
- 23.7 million watched England v Argentina in the 2002 World Cup
- 14.9 million watched England v Portugal in Euro 2000.
Case study: the Monksbridge Arms, Stretton, Staffordshire
Stephen Mellor and Carole Webb are well known for their patriotic and passionate approach to football at the Monksbridge Arms.
The Union Pub Company tenants' secret to generating a powerful atmosphere during Euro 2004 is all the extra little touches.
"We'll be playing England football songs to build up the pre-match atmosphere and, if we win, we'll turn it up full blast for post-match celebrations," said Stephen. "That's when trade really kicks off."
Getting the atmosphere right is one thing, but the couple insist that staffing is the real key to success. "Barstaff are a pub's best method of communication," explained Stephen. "Our team are going to be wearing kit printed with the Euro 2004 fixtures, which is a great way to involve them and let your customers know you're showing all the headline matches.
"We're also introducing table service this year. It's labour intensive and could be costly but we're going to give it a go. If you couple that with pitchers of lager you save time and maximise your sales all at once. While it's great for customers, who won't have to miss a single minute of the action, it also benefits the licensee because it will keep the drinks orders flowing."
Coping with the kind of crowds the Monksbridge expects also needs foresight.
"We print tickets for most of our big sports events and give them out to regulars and our two football teams," said Stephen.
"This helps us plan roughly how many we're catering for so we can make provision for each match. The tickets double as a useful marketing tool, too."
Make it a winning Euro 2004
- Decide what games you will be showing and publicise them well in advance
- Make full use of point-of-sale material to decorate the pub and advertise outside too
- Create bookable VIP areas and encourage customers to get in early to get a good spot
- Look into hiring portable air conditioning units. With people crammed into the pub in summer it's going to get warm
- Make sure your TVs are working and position screens above head height. Use curtains to block out sunlight and turn the sound up during the game
- Differentiate yourself from other pubs by running promotions or focusing on teams other than England
- Offer table service, pitchers of draught beer and bottled beer in iced buckets
- Organise activities and food before and after matches
- If your have space, create a football-free zone to avoid alienating regulars who don't like football.
(Advice from Everards and Carlsberg.)
More on making the most of Euro 2004 in your pub:
- Get your kit on: There's no shortage of promot