Chris Maclean: A 36 hour opportunity to sell over 10,000 pints

In my cellar there are over 100 tubs of beer at the moment. The plan is that, by Monday, they should all be empty. I've a 36 hour opportunity to sell over 10,000 pints and everything is geared up to deliver that.

Naturally I am nervous.

There are probably sixteen pubs directly affected by this influx of people. Each pub will do what they can to attract their share of the trade. Just four years ago it would probably be true to say that most licensees simply opened their doors, welcomed the visitors and took the money. Now the picture is remarkably different. Several pubs have taken the initiative and developed their own music scenes. I'd like to take a degree of credit for some of this but we certainly weren't the first. But what we offer is a music stage on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.

We deliver beer, food and entertainment within the contained area of our car park and we do it very well. The frustrating thing, for me, is that the local organisers of this event provide their own subsidised stages with entertainment during the festival. This was obviously necessary in the early stages of the development of the festival. But now the pubs are delivering tremendous packages and these other stages operate in competition to, and in direct conflict with, what we are doing. But no matter. We are going to be busy - I hope.

Throughout it all is this undesputable fact; I've 36 hours to sell a huge amount of beer, cover my costs and, hopefully, make a profit.

Thirty-six hours.

The vital thing to understand is that everything must be honed to achieve this. Everything.

Plastic glasses? Check.

TEN? Check.

Sufficient change? Check.

Staff? Check.

Cooling equipment? Check.

Rubbish bags? Check.

Understand that something as trivial as bottle openers has an implication when everything is scaled up. My admiration goes to those who organise big event bars. I am sure they have it all sorted but the sheer rush must be fantastic.

The curious thing is how many out there simply assume that, because we are busy, everything has been *gifted* to us. We simply have to reach over and take the money.

I wish it were that simple.

The forecast is good.

If it rains.

If the plastic glasses have holes in.

If the bands don't turn up.

If the beer has a fault.

If the staff get a bug.

If the coolers break down.

If there is a power failure.

Hop Festival is the key to our secure future here. It represents a significant percentage of our annual income.

But it comes at a price and it isn't assured.

I'll be glad when it is over. Then I will sleep.