Beat the New Year slump

If you've worked yourself up for Christmas, and enjoyed the festive reward of a well-filled till, then January and February can be a challenging time.

So what can you do to beat this annual malaise? The good news is that if you're reading this article, and thinking about what could work, you're already ahead of the competition. Remember that even simple steps can reap big rewards.

"It is no secret that January can be a tough time," says Clive Wallis of the Broad Street Tavern in Wokingham, Berkshire, the winner of the Wadworth Marketing Pub of the Year Award. "A lot of pubs work on the theory that no one comes out in January so there is no point in organising any events. Our motto is, if you don't do anything, nobody will come out, so we have quite a few incentives lined up for the New Year."

So having some ideas in place is a great first step. But be warned, with the current economic climate, pubs will have to work harder than ever to promote their activities.

Getting it out there​

"You certainly have to work at it," says Duncan Mutter of the Royal Albert, near Oval. "You can't just sit back and hope customers will come to you." Mutter arranges a different activity every night of the week in his pub, and believes that going the extra mile is crucial, particularly for those who sit back from the high street. "We have to let people know we're here," he explains. "We're up at 7.30am every morning flyering."

Broad Street Tavern's Clive Wallace also recommends judicious use of other marketing methods, including social networking sites, like Facebook, and cultivating good relations with the local press.

"We have a group set up on Facebook — it is a great way to reach customers," says Wallace. "And we always keep the local press informed of our events. I would recommend it to any licensee."

It's also important to commit to making any entertainment you choose a regular item. Arranging for it to be a routine occurrence encourages regular attendance.

"Some pubs plan really well for January and February and some don't," says Sue Wharton of pub entertainments company Living It Loving It. "Having some sort of entertainment in place is a good way to urge people into the pub, but if you do it regularly it also encourages repeat custom. Increasing numbers of pubs are looking to have some sort of entertainment, so you should make sure yours stands out."

Comedy nights​

"Comedy and pubs have always gone well together," says Richard Reed of the Comedy Club. And while the combination may be something of a traditional one, Reed's organisation is looking to revive the trend in a more contemporary fashion.

"We run nights where we offer one comedian and one compere," he explains. "The show runs for about an hour or an hour and a half, so the pubs can charge an entrance fee on the door, and then of course they tend to make extra with revenue behind the bar. Something we've noticed about comedy nights in pubs is the spend behind the bar tends to average £12 to £15 a head. It seems that comedy equals drink."

Reed is also keen to stress the need for pubs to cut down the offering of larger comedy clubs to fit the smaller scale. "We run larger clubs where we would have two or three acts and a compere," he explains, "but these are for venues that can seat 200 or more. It wouldn't be cost effective for a pub to buy in that number of acts for the space they have available."

The bite-sized single comedian and compere work very well however, not least because the star of the show usually stays for a pint or three after the performance, allowing locals the chance to rub shoulders with potential comic greatness.

The silver screen​

If you've splashed out on a widescreen TV, then why not run your own movie nights? If you work the process correctly, it could prove a popular regular attraction that encourages customers into your pub and hopefully convinces them to repeat the experience.

"We run movie nights twice a week, which works really well," says Duncan Mutter of the Royal Albert. "We have two movies, and we show them on a themed basis. One night we might have an action theme, and the next a romantic comedy. It's really popular and on Sundays people tend to come for a roast and stay for the movie, so they're making a day of it and buying food, too."

But remember, it is best to check your premises licence and the copyright position before you show feature films on a regular basis.

The big question​

Pubs quizzes are a tried and tested strategy. In terms of advantages to you as a host, quizzes are more or less free to run, and are usually popular. The downside is that many, many pubs run quizzes, so it makes sense to do something to make sure you're that little bit different.

"A lot of pubs run pub quizzes on a weekly basis," says Living It Loving It's Sue Wharton, "but we run a quiz called Athena that gives participants the option to compete with other pubs across the country. They get put in a league, and have the chance to win some great prizes."

You can also look into creating quizzes with different themes, or tap into popular culture. Having the winning team or a volunteer supply the questions for the following week's quiz is also great for variety and encouraging repeat custom.

Murder most profitable​

One of the newest entertainments now available in pubs are "crime scene" nights. Similar in concept to murder-mystery games, guests arrive at their local to find the scene set for a test of their detective skills.

"The pub is set up like a crime scene," explains Sue Wharton. "I can't reveal too much about it because it would spoil the game! But people have to solve the crime by gathering clues that are hidden around the pub."

Customers form teams of up to four people, and assume the character of either a detective or forensic expert. There's also the chance for sleuths to be entered into a national competition with other pubs.

There are also other professional murder-mystery products on the market designed for large groups, or you can even have a plot written especially for your pub.

Pub games​

There are plenty of ways to attract customers into the pub, from traditional bar billiards to new high-tech entertainments. At the newer end of the spectrum, Midnite Pool has recently launched a set of glow-in-the-dark pool balls.

"They're perfect for late nights and pubs with late licences, although they do work in the daytime as well," says distributor Ted Whalley, who suggests the balls are well suited to drawing amateurs to the table.

It's also good practice to keep a few more traditional games on offer. "We keep a few packs of cards and board games behind the bar," says the Frog & Frigate's Richard Paynton. "We also have a table football, which has quite a following, and we used to have a pinball machine that people came in specifically to play."

Retro-style games like bar billiards are also proving a surprise crowd-pleaser as customers seem keen to get to grips with the pub games of yesteryear. But it would seem the real winners are computer-game style toys aimed at teenagers, like Guitar Hero and Wii.

"One of our initiatives was to host Wii tournament nights at the pub, which have really taken off with great success," says Clive Wallace of the Broad Street Tavern. "We market this activity with 'Come and Wii at the Tavern' chalkboards and posters throughout the pub. We also put this information on our website."

A winning hand​

The glamour of late-night games like poker can work well with pubs — although licensees will have to take precautions that no money changes hands. In order to provide a fun focus like poker with less of a gambling edge, some licensees have found that themed evenings are a great way to offer entertainment with something for everyone. "We're planning on running a James Bond movie night," says Duncan Mutter of the Royal Albert. "Then we'll follow it with poker or other casino games, along with ma