MA Awards Best Disco and Dance Pub

The Rep, Ipswich, Suffolk

The judges deemed the Rep to be the epitome of everything that a dance and disco pub should be. Judges also praised Ryan Churchward for his business acumen in changing the music offering.

Ryan arrived as manager at the Greene King house 15 months ago. He recalls: "Everything for disco and dance was in place, but there was no real sense of direction. The Rep was trying to chase every single market."

So, out went karaoke and quiz nights and in came branded and theme nights, courtesy of deals secured with drinks suppliers.

Ryan also teamed up with the nearby Liquid nightclub for a "pub2club" promotion whereby customers at the Rep could get free entry to Liquid. Another ploy was handing out lollies to passers-by and offering a free drink. Ryan grins: "At times, the nearby Yates's was full of people with our lollies, who then came along to us."

He adds: "Before the changes, most of the customers on Saturday nights were in the 18 to 19-year-old age group. Now, we attract more mature people, aged from 25 to 35, who also stay longer."