2007: the year of the pub

At a time when most of the nation's workers have given up for Christmas and are letting their hair down, licensees and suppliers are up to their eyes in the sheer hard slog of getting through the financially crucial festive season. And it's because you're working so hard that the Morning Advertiser is being published this week, and after a short break, will be back again on the first Thursday of the new year. Our website, www.morningadvertiser.com, will also be keeping you updated with developments on every day of the holiday period. And many licensees will be using our web forums to stay in touch with the issues other MA webreaders are encountering at this hyperactive time.

Christmas bookings seem to have stood up well this year - so pubs may be able to make some decent money over the next week and a half. Good luck to you - for many, it's been a very difficult year, with the energy rises hurting badly, so this is a real chance to get back some sales and hopefully earn enough for a decent January break.

But one thing marks this Christmas out as a really special occasion for the trade. It's the last one that will see customers - and licensees - smoking in the pub. By the time Christmas 2007 comes round, punters will have had nearly six months to get used to this near-revolutionary pub transformation.

And if the trade wants next Christmas to be busier than this year's, it's going to have to be ready for 1 July and the start of the smoking ban.

Thankfully, many thousands of licensees have been deep in thought for some months now, working out how they can make sure their pub is best equipped to deal with the new era. The MA's Plan For The Ban campaign has given switched-on licensees much practical advice to help them cope.

Preparation like this is essential. But something else is required to make sure the trade seizes the opportunities that the ban undoubtedly offers: a concerted effort by licensees, pubcos, brewers and other suppliers to sell the pub to people who've ignored it for years. We need a new positive pub message. How about "Welcome back to the pub - you just don't know what you've been missing"?

Get that message across, and 2007 could herald the start of a wonderful new beginning for the trade. Let's all see what we can do.

In the meantime, thank you for your wonderful support this year. Here's to a fantastic Christmas and a very successful 2007 for us all.