Paul Grace, Coca-Cola Enterprises
Euro 2008 is looming up but neither England or any of the other Home Nations are in it. I'm a sports pub but I'm not sure my customers will want to watch it now. What should I do?
With no home nations in the tournament, the Euros have to be worked harder to get the benefit. Look at the schedules and think about just getting behind the big games, the games that are likely to be filled with familiar premiership stars. The Euros are always in a compatible time zone so pub viewing is good. The big afternoon games are great for promoting a soft drink and snack deal as many people will be dropping in after work to get some of the action. Think about ways of creating interest in games that nobody has any real affiliation to , allocate raffle tickets numbered 1- 90 with every drink and offer a prize if the first goal is scored in the minute that you have.
Why not adopt a team for the tournament, get some flags, and footy shirts for the staff, learn some key greetings in the native tongue and offer a tailored bar snack menu around your chosen country.
Remember the flip side is that not everyone likes football (hard to believe) so if you are a pub that doesn't have big screen sports then tell your customers that its a football free zone and that it is a safe haven to escape the TV and enjoy your convivial surroundings.
