That's entertainment

Organising games and events can attract new customers to keep them coming back. Phil Mellows reports.

There are plenty of different kinds of events to choose from, some regular, some one-offs. But what kind of event best suits your pub and its customers? This page offers a guide to both well-established and newer ideas and which pubs they might suit.

Remember that some forms of entertainment may require a public entertainment licence - check with your local authority before going ahead. There are also certain legal restrictions surrounding activities that involve gambling, for instance race nights.

For more information go to www.culture.gov.uk/gambling_and_racing/fact_sheets and keep an eye out for changes to legislation expected later this year.

Dwile flonking was born at a very great age. Over a beer in 1966 a couple of Suffolk printworkers decided, for a laugh, to invent their own pub game. It simply involved flinging a beer-soaked dishcloth at your opponents from the end of a stick.

Very soon people were not only enthusing about the discovery of a lost medieval tradition but had actually started playing it. Rules were elaborated and even varied from county to county. A whole vocabulary was created to describe the play.

The story of dwile flonking is a good illustration of these islands' addiction to games. The social anthropologist Kate Fox in her Guide to British Pub Etiquette argues that we are, deep down, shy creatures who crave mediating structures, a set of rules to give us confidence in social situations and oil the wheels of human interaction.

Today, pub entertainment stretches way beyond traditional pub games such as darts, dominoes, cribbage, skittles and quoits. In modern distractions the rules are simpler, entry is more accessible. You can choose to be a participant or observer.

At the same time entertainment is taking a more active role in attracting people into the pub.

The days when people will pop down the local on the promise of a warm-up and a few pints of beer have gone. Pubs are in competition with homes that have central heating, cheap beer, wide-screen televisions, video games and the internet.

Research by the Campaign for Real Ale earlier this year showed that 27 per cent of the population never feel the need to visit the pub.

Licensees can make a difference, though, by putting on some well-organised entertainment. The right event can reach out to new customers who, once they have been lured through the door and treated to a great night out, will hopefully want to repeat it.

With this in mind, Sky's Pub Channel has come up with a new series of shows to help licensees maximise the impact on their business of games and events, from shove-ha'penny to salsa dancing and from bar billiards to bunjee jumping, with tips on how to organise them effectively and avoid any legal complications.

Name of the Game will be screened on weekdays throughout May.

Lottery syndicate​

In May 2001, regulars at the Black Horse in South Mimms, Hertfordshire, for a moment stopped moaning about the price of beer. In the space of a few seconds they were, between them, £1.6m better off - or £148,000 each.

It was, of course, thanks to the Lotto and Greene King tenant Lesley-Anne Bowness who had set up the syndicate for her customers the week the National Lottery was launched and continues to run it today.

"It hasn't really made a major impact on the pub," she said. "Once it was shared out there wasn't enough money to change anyone's life. Some people paid off their mortgage, others took a holiday abroad. But they all kept on coming to the pub.

"We have a plaque in the bar to commemorate the win but many of our customers have been drinking here for years, and they aren't the kind of people to change their habits."

Forming a Lotto syndicate is actually a good way of helping to cement the relationship between a pub and its regulars.

It's fun, gives everyone a common interest and keeps them coming in. And even if you don't win the jackpot you have the satisfaction of raising money for charity.

Playing Lotto in a syndicate does, however, give your customers - and you if you take part - more chance of winning than they would have as individuals. One-third of all jackpot-winning tickets belong to syndicates. Only last week 24 regulars at the Ship at Kingswear, South Devon, scooped a £55,000 prize.

An easy way to run a syndicate is to take out a subscription directly with the National Lottery.

Players pay in advance to enter a series of 26, 52 or 104 Wednesday and/or Saturday draws. This kind of subscription scheme means the syndicate leader doesn't need to collect money and buy the tickets every week.

Most winnings are paid automatically, by cheque, by the National Lottery. But remember to draw up a syndicate agreement on how you are going to divide up the money before you start. This avoids tax and arguments if and when you win.

A free information pack which includes a sample poster and syndicate agreement and everything you need to know to get started is available from the National Lottery. Call 0845 9100 000 or visit www.national-lottery.co.uk

• Ideal venue: community pub

Pictured: Lesley-Anne Bowness, whose regulars scooped the Lotto jackpot​

Running a Lotto syndicate​

• Generate some excitement by putting up posters and talking to customers about what you are doing
• Encourage as many people as possible to join. The more who take part, the more lines you can enter and the more chances you have to win
• Ask people which games they want to play and whether they want to play Saturdays, Wednesdays or both
• Make sure everyone signs your syndicate agreement, witnessed by someone in authority, and give them a copy. If you do not have an agreement you may be liable to inheritance tax on winnings
• Keep a careful record of who's paid, putting a chart up where everyone can see it
• Encourage syndicate members to come and watch the draw in the pub. Increase the excitement by letting them know in advance about roll-overs.

Comedy nights​

A comedy night can seem an expensive option but if you charge for tickets at least some of the overheads can be directly recouped.

Comedy nights also provide you with a captive drinking audience for the duration of a two or three-hour performance.

They work best at pubs which have a separate bar or function room so the act can perform uninterrupted by customers who are not there for the event and whose evening is not going to be hijacked by the entertainment. Using a separate area also makes it easier to charge for entrance. Organisation and research are paramount. Your audience needs to see and hear the comedian so you may have to hire a PA system and lights. Make sure there are no other distractions like a TV on in the background.

Ideally you need some kind of stage - even if it is only covered beer crates - and turn all the seats to face it. It is also important to ask your customers what kind of comedy they enjoy and book an act that will appeal to them. A lot of student jokes will not be funny to a 40-something crowd.

• Ideal venue: separate bar or function room
• PEL required

Quizzes​

Quizzes are straightforward to run and don't require any special entertainment or gambling licence. Although you need to bear in mind that if you've got a music round using recorded music you may need a licence from PPL (Phonographic Performance Ltd).

There are a number of comp