With Easter, St George's Day and the royal wedding just around the corner Tony Halstead and Michelle Perrett look at ideas for making the most of the run of events.
A combined St George's Day and Easter weekend presents a golden opportunity for pubs to push out the boat and capitalise on a rare "double header".
The prospect of these two key pub calendar occasions coinciding opens up huge trading possibilities for licensees and pub operators planning special celebrations.
The Easter weekend kicks off a spectacular 10 days for the trade, including four bank holidays and a royal wedding. The celebrations will see national patriotism at its very best and pubs are being encouraged to position themselves at the centre of what is expected to be a giant nationwide party.
And with Easter falling late in April this year hopes are also high that the weather will play ball, encouraging more people out of their homes and allowing pubs to make the most of any outdoor space they may have.
A massive opportunity then, but how can you ensure you really maximise business?
As ever, preparation and marketing are two essentials. An early decision on the best type of event to suit your pub and your customers is vital. Once that has been decided proper advertising and marketing of the event is also important by means of indoor posters, external A boards and even local newspaper advertising if you want to attract more than just your regulars.
Then comes more detailed planning, such as what promotional decorations are required on the day, what type of food to provide, how much extra wet stock to order, what sort of music to play and what staffing levels will be needed to service the expected footfall. Phew!
It takes a mountain of planning, but proper preparation will pay handsome dividends.
Easter eggs and bonnets
Carlsberg has identified Easter as one of 'The Big 5' events of the spring and an occasion on which it will focus its marketing muscle. It is planning to help hosts drive sales in this trading period by offering marketing support to help pubs get the most out of the weekend, and has also produced a range of tips to help licensees capitalise on the extra trade.
The brewer believes proper planning is essential, particularly for pubs running an Easter event for the first time. "Among our key tips are matching events to a pub's customer profile and ordering the right promotional kit in good time," says David Scott, customer marketing director. "Family pub garden Easter egg hunts and Easter bonnet parades remain two of the most popular events to mark the holiday.
"Consider asking staff to wear special outfits and ensure the pub's interior is decorated to suit the occasion. "On the day itself advertise forthcoming events such as a pub quiz as a way of encouraging repeat visits, especially from new customers."
Time for British beer
Brewer Wells & Young's is once again seeing the bumper bank holiday weekend as a huge opportunity for its "Beer of England" Bombardier brand, which will be leading the St George's Day charge.
More than 4,000 promotional kits are being sent out to pubs and a special pump-clip scratch-card promotion offers a range of prizes. Last year, 2.5 million extra pints of Bombardier were sold around St George's Day and hopes are high that this April will see even more sold.
Senior brand manager Emily Hudson says the unique timing of St George's Day this year has opened up fantastic possibilities.
"Celebrating St George's Day in the middle of a busy Easter weekend gives pubs massive scope to hold special events. We are stepping up trade support this year to help licensees capitalise on what promises to be a great event."
Hudson believes pub-goers will come out in large numbers to mark the start of a momentous 10 days for the trade. "It's the time of year when people will have a spring in their step. Our job is to help licensees capitalise on this feel-good effect with a really focused package of trade support," she adds.
Other brewers and pubcos are also helping licensees make the most of the trading opportunities afforded by Easter and St George's Day.
Blackburn-based Daniel Thwaites will be supplying pubs with special deals on party point-of-sale materials and kits and is actively discussing event ideas with licensees.
"This is an unprecedented opportunity for pubs to increase trade and we are talking to our licensees and discussing the best ideas for events and activities," says director of pub operations Andrew Buchanan. "It's been a horrible winter, but we have a golden opportunity to boost business. We want to see our pubs maximise every opportunity."
Kent brewer Shepherd Neame is once again producing its St George's Day ale, Dragonfire, which will be available from 11 April.
It is the third year in succession that the 4.5% ABV beer has been brewed and will take pride of place at a special St George's Day beer and food evening being staged in the brewery visitors' centre this year.
The Willoughby Arms, Kingston, Surrey
St George's Day has been big business at the Willoughby Arms, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, for the past 15 years.
The pub's annual 23 April beer festival has become a must-attend event for hundreds of people, many of whom make a pilgrimage from miles around.
Licensee Rick Robinson ensures there is an authentic atmosphere with live morris dancing and a food menu comprising sausage & mash, pie & mash and jellied eels.
"The first beer festival in 1996 was a small affair, but it has grown and developed over the years and now it is a sizeable event," he explains. "We stock popular English beers and average about 40 or 50 different ones to give people as wide a variety as possible. Costs are kept to a minimum as we stillage all the beers and over the years have amassed a big stock of flags and bunting so we do not have to buy new every time.
"I find it's always better to run a themed beer festival like St George's Day as it's much simpler to market and captures the imagination of people more easily."
This year the festival will be longer than usual and last a full 12 days to take account of the royal wedding a week later.
"We will start with about 20 beers for St George's Day itself and then on the Tuesday after Easter we will change themes and put on 20 special royal wedding beers.
"It promises to be quite an occasion and I expect we will be exhausted at the end of it all, but it will be worth all the hard work."
Snacks and picnic options
There is a strong opportunity for licensees to drive additional profit with easy-to-serve handheld snacks or picnics on the day.
McCain advises pubs to consider serving potato products such as chips and wedges in pint glasses decorated with union jacks or a St George's cross. This will create a point of difference to other pubs in the area and is a quick handheld option.
Pub company Charles Wells is advising its licensees to consider various picnic options. Suggestions include serving a range of traditional British foods including pork pies, quiches, English garden salad, homemade chutneys and a variety of puddings.
Top British business boosters
• Hold an event unique to England such as morris dancing or even cheese rolling
• Serve traditional English food such as roast beef or bangers & mash, or even English picnic food
• Hold a cask-beer festival or English cheese festival
• Dance your socks off to English music, whether it's Elgar or the Beatles
• Revive great English sporting events such as the 1966 World Cup triumph or the Ashes cricket victory
• Offer customers red roses to wear and raise money for charity in the process
• Most of all ensure you decorate your pub in St George's Day kit with a real red, white and blue flavour
Meat feast
According to EBLEX, when it comes to celebrating St George there is nothing more traditional and tempting than a beef roast and in particular the King Arthur beef roast. This large beef