Judging by the level of interest in the Magners Pub Comedy Awards, licensees up and down the country see hosting stand-up as something that will help them laugh all the way to the bank.
The awards, run in association with The Publican, involve pubs being judged on their comedy nights plus the standard of their comedians. They are also asked to select a comedian who has graced their stage to represent them in a hunt for the UK's best pub comedian.
Registrations have flooded in. It's clear that licensees see this form of entertainment as something that can pull in punters.
Registered pubs are busy preparing their entries, and holding audition nights to select a comedian to represent them.The Jolly Abbot in Rugby, Warwickshire, is one such pub. Licensee Graham King has been running a monthly comedy night for six months, saying he was looking for something to pull in custom on otherwise quiet Friday nights.
Live music had already had this effect on Saturdays, but Graham felt that putting on more bands on a Friday would only split the customers between the two nights. Looking for an alternative, he tried 1960s discos before settling on comedy.
A local comedy agency arranges the acts. The nights also involve 'open spots', where up-and-coming comedians are invited to perform. Marketing has come in the form of local press coverage, with newspapers more than happy to cover the event.
Graham says the main thing he has learnt is the need for a good PA system, after having to upgrade from the amp connected to his TV screens.
He is now taking this experience forward into the awards. "Our comedians should be up to scratch but the most important thing is to get publicity," he says.
Another pub with high hopes of making an impact at the comedy awards is the Dog and Parrot in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. It is to hold a series of heats to select its comedian.
The pub has become established in Newcastle as a comedy venue after starting to host stand-up two years ago in a bid to make more use of a function room. Manager Sam Marshall believes the pub acts as a 'warm-up stage' for bigger comedy venues in the city and that the awards "should be a boost for the club".
Press coverage of the Dog and Parrot's comedy has been as high profile as mentions in The Times. Sam, however, says that "word-of-mouth is what a good comedy club is all about".
Bernard O'Hanlon, licensee of O'Hanlon's Bar in Newry, County Down, is about to start hosting comedy for the first time. He sees the awards as an opportunity to get local people involved, rather than relying on expensive talent brought in.
"Being local to the area is half the battle," he says. "I'm always looking to get audiences participating. The whole thing nowadays is you have to try new things to keep business coming in."
That's something every licensee will agree with.