Pub activities: this one's for the lads

When popping in for a pint with a bunch of mates, men are often after more. Many seek an activity to entertain them, from traditional pursuits to something more imaginative. Tony Halstead explores some of the best ways to pull in male punters

There's a lot more to luring male drinkers across the threshold of a pub than installing the latest

AWP machine, setting up a dartboard or purchasing a new pool table.

All three may be part and parcel of traditional pub entertainment, but modern-day males increasingly want to search out something different, and more licensees are finding they have to go the extra mile to establish a unique selling point.

Pub games such as pool and darts are no longer male-dominated games anyway. The sight of women at the pool table and the oche is now a standard feature of most pubs, so operators who can devise new and novel attractions are most likely to pull in the lads.

Stephen Martin, category marketing manager at Punch Taverns, says a great sporting offer is crucial in attracting male audiences into pubs. "Great screening of sport coupled with the right food offer is key,"

he says.

"A decent standing area for drinking is very important in attracting and maintaining male custom. The pint is king, so the environment in which it is enjoyed must be right — and that means a quality serve, speedy service and a changing draught (beer) offer to satisfy changing tastes, priced accordingly for the market place and demographic," Martin adds.

"Word-of-mouth recommendation is paramount, so if you are pleasing your locals, there is every chance they will encourage their mates to join them for a drink," he goes on.

Licensed trade chartered surveyor Stephen Taylor, managing director of Guy Simmonds, says male-orientated pubs can still flourish, but there have been subtle changes to this market in recent years

"There is still a niche for male-oriented pubs, and still plenty of wet-led boozers but licensees cannot afford to target their business at just one group.

"At many pubs, early doors teatime trade is still the domain of men, who tend to dominate between 5pm and 7pm at the end of the working day," he says.

Getting the retail offer right is the key to luring male drinkers into pubs, says Aubrey Taylor, retail development manager at Charles Wells.

Live TV football and sponsorship of pub games teams continue to be the traditional stand-bys used by licensees to entice men.

"I really don't think that there has been any re-invention of male

pub attractions," says Taylor. "Live TV sport attracts different customers, depending on whether it's

soccer, rugby or cricket, but it's all about getting the retail offer right.

"Cask ale is becoming king in many pubs when there is a big sports event being screened," he adds.

Director of pub operations for Lancashire-based Daniel Thwaites, Andrew Buchanan, urges pubs to be cautious when it comes to depending on male-oriented gatherings.

"Gone are the days of hostile, unwelcome pubs. They simply would not survive in these harsh times.

"Who would want to exclude 50% of their local market? There is no divide in what a male or female expects when they visit their local," he says. "Ever-popular pub games such as darts have seen changes, with ladies' teams every bit as popular as the blokes'," he adds.

A clean sweep of World Cup fever​

A special World Cup sweepstake run by digital gaming and entertainment machine supplier Games Media in the summer illustrated the impact high-profile pub promotions can have on driving male footfall.

The sweepstake, which ran in pubs across the country, saw 10,000 customers register for the promotion, which was operated through the company's network of video amusement with prizes (VAWP) machines.

Players registered by entering their details at the terminal and were randomly allocated countries taking part in the tournament via a text message. All players with the name of the eventual World Cup winners went into a draw to win a holiday to one of the countries competing in the semi-final.

All players knocked out went into another draw to win tickets for a future England international at Wembley. PoS publicity and in-house TV monitors promoted the event in venues to achieve maximum profile.

"It shows how easily machines can be integrated into the marketing mix for big sporting fixtures and can deliver considerable benefit for pub venues by encouraging customers to take part," says Games Media's marketing director Christine Jinks.

Blue Bar at the Sir Robert Peel, Kingston, south-west London​

The Blue Bar has proved that striptease nights and pole-dancing have not lost their appeal.

The Punch Taverns leased pub is regarded as one of the region's premier dance and stripper venues and has been making a name for itself for the past 30 years or so.

A separate part of the pub, the Blue Bar, is sectioned off to house the shows taking place every night of the week, with three separate sessions on Fridays and Saturdays.

Admission to the events is free but each member of the audience is expected to cough up a minimum of £1 to the dancers for each performance.

Normal bar prices apply, with £4 pitchers of beer or lager available on the night to keep drinkers well-occupied.

Each session is governed by strict rules, with no photography or filming permitted, and only over-21s admitted to the raunchy performances.

Other events feature a monthly performance of rock and goth music by local stars the Corruption Girls and the popular "Get 'em off" striptease nights each month.

"We have become the best-known striptease and erotic dance venue in the area and regularly attract 50 or more punters for each session," says Lee Elvey, who books the pub's dancers.

Paying the dancers and performers entirely out of collections from the audience limits the cost of staging the events.

The Lass o' Gowrie, Manchester ​

This busy city-centre pub is alive with all manner of pub games and entertainment, thanks to the enthusiasm of operators Gareth Kavanagh and Lisa Davies.

Comedy nights, live bands, poetry and live theatre nights, a book club, beer and food festivals and live TV sport are just some of the attractions for customers.

One event attracting a strong male following is the pub's twice-yearly "biking nights" run in conjunction with the Manchester Wheelers' Club.

The interactive bike racing comprises two life-sized bikes hooked up to an overhead projector which allows players to compete against one another or pit their wits against the Wheelers' reigning champion.

Players fork out £5 per race, with the cash going to charity, and the event attracting between 50 and 70 players each session.

Normal bar prices apply and a value-for-money chilli and baked potato supper is also available.

"It's a highly popular event," says pub manager Davies.

"The races are accompanied by a live reggae DJ, which makes for a fantastic atmosphere, so these nights are always eagerly awaited."

Overheads are limited, thanks to the Wheelers' Club, which provides the equipment — and the pub's till rings with the increase in takings.