Unite to maximise the benefits of 2012

I remember growing up with a real north-south divide — now there almost seems to be the same kind of separation between the south-east and the rest.

If you live in the capital you may not have noticed, but since April 2011 it has been almost full! People talk about the Chelsea Flower Show and Wimbledon, but these are annual events.

Budget hotels are selling rooms for £180, and last week an internet search could only find a room at Heathrow that cost £370.

A general manager of a four-star central London hotel says that in 30 years in the business he'd never seen demand like he experienced in the second quarter of 2011: more than 98% occupancy at the highest rates ever achieved. He couldn't fathom it.

And a senior manager of a brewing company told me he'd cancelled a London meeting with overseas delegates because the hotel rooms were too expensive.

But with a London multiple pub operator achieving double-digit growth in all of his London sites, it does not feel like a recession when you're in the capital.

Pubs are packed and train stations and airports all feel very busy too.

Is it the combination of a royal wedding and the anticipation of the Olympics? And what will it be like in 2012?

Could it be easier and cheaper to fly from Edinburgh into London City airport for a day out at ExCeL, or hop on a train from Liverpool or York for two hours to watch athletics?

If London is so busy now, how many people will it attract next summer?

All areas of the UK have to be ready to grab a slice of the action: Edinburgh will be full for next month's festival and Liverpool is always full when there is a big event at the arena or Liverpool FC are at home.

These mini-Olympics should challenge our sector to raise standards, ensuring fantastic

pub experiences and perfect pints to grab our share of the consumer's purse.

There are plenty of challenges around, but we must narrow the divide between the honeypot that is London and the rest.

If there is a genuine spillover benefit for the whole of the UK in 2012, let's ensure all areas outside London are ready to capitalise.

• Stephen Crawley is managing director of Caledonian Brewing Co​