Pubs are brewing a party for the royal wedding
A royal wedding, St George's Day, and bank holidays galore represent a big opportunity for pubs to lift sales. Phil Mellows sees how party plans are progressing and experts offer tips on themed activities.
Whether we do it for the country, for the royal family, because we love
a wedding or whether it's simply that four bank holidays in two weekends is too good an opportunity to miss, the nation will be in a festive mood at the end
of April.
By taking only three days off work it's possible to segue Easter into the royal wedding and May Day to make an 11-day holiday. And, after a long winter, it represents a great opportunity for pubs to throw open their doors to the revelling masses.
It's an opportunity you'll still have to prepare for, though, and brewer Wells & Young's is among those supporting the trade. Its Bombardier brand is already closely associated with St George's Day, which just happens to fall on the first Saturday of this bumper period, and so, with its themed 'Great English Knees Up' promotional kits, the brewer is hoping to help pubs thrive.
The kits include two bespoke pump-clips for St George's Day and the royal wedding, plus merchandise including bunting, table talkers and posters — and plenty of ideas on how to increase sales.
"Every year, St George's Day has grown," says Chris Lewis, marketing director at Wells & Young's.
"And this year, the pub trade can gain a huge boost by celebrating with a great English knees-up, starting on Good Friday and running until the May Day bank holiday."
Attraction
Key to attracting punters over the period will be a range of themed activities and promotions. Ann Elliott, managing director of Elliott Marketing & PR, suggests screening the wedding live, inviting customers to come along dressed up, perhaps as a prince or a bride, or hosting a royal look-alike competition.
"Put your pub at the centre of your community by helping to organise street parties and providing food and drink," she says. "Organise outside celebrations — consider hiring a marquee."
Other ideas include screening wedding-related films, playing romantic music, having themed quizzes, a wedding-themed menu or, as wholesaler Booker suggests, host your own wedding reception.
"Invite your customers to have a good old knees-up on the day. As the wedding will be shown on terrestrial TV, everyone can watch the proceedings as they unfold while they sample some of the best food and drink you have to offer," said a spokeswoman. "The royal wedding couldn't have come at a better time. This is just what the nation needs to escape from austerity Britain and where better to celebrate it than your local, the great British pub?"
This is particularly true of pubs based in the capital, as two London-based pub operators have demonstrated.
The ETM Group, for example, is offering the first couple called William and Kate to present themselves at its two pubs a three-course "royal feast" and a bottle of wine for free, while fellow London pub group Renaissance has planned a Royal Memorabilia Swap Shop for its five pubs in the capital on the wedding day, offering drinkers the chance to swap their royal-related cutlery and crockery for food and drink.
Outside London, brewer Marston's is even offering one couple a wedding to commemorate the day at a pub in the Cotswolds. Its Hobgoblin beer, which was first brewed to celebrate the wedding of a local landlord, is being positioned as the "unofficial beer of weddings". The main thrust of the campaign is an all-expenses-paid alternative wedding on 29 April for one lucky couple at the Old Swan & Minster Mill boutique hotel, in Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire. Wychwood characters will be in attendance at the ceremony, with the Hobgoblin himself as the master of ceremonies.
However, not everyone will be wanting to bask in the glow of Wills and Kate's love, so don't forget that you could make your pub a wedding-free zone.
About half the Castle Rock Brewery's 21 pubs around Nottingham will be wedding-free, says commercial manager Charlie Blomeley. "It's important to give everyone what they want," he says.
Tequila Rose cocktail competition
Tequila Rose is looking for ideas for royal wedding cocktails using the strawberry cream liqueur, offering prizes to the top three recipes.
Email your entries to KC Brands' chief executive Mark Todd at znex.gbqq@xpoenaqf.pb.hx, no later than four weeks after the date of this issue. You must be over 18 and run an on-licensed premises.
Entries will be judged within
six weeks and the results posted on the Tequila Rose website: www.kcbrands.co.uk
The winner will receive three cases of Tequila Rose, with a second prize of two cases.
Meanwhile, Todd has come up with three of his own recipes to inspire you:
Tequila Rose Royale: one measure of ice-cold Tequila Rose with a splash of Chambord and garnished with a strawberry.
Big Willy: one measure of Tequila Rose with one measure of tequila shaken over ice.
Cutey Katey: one measure of Tequila Rose plus one measure of peach schnapps mixed with extra cream.
Tips on marketing your event
• Don't wait until the big day — start organising themed events now and market them as early as possible
• Take advantage of the extension of opening hours to 1am on 30 April and 1 May
• Make sure your pub pops up in web searches by making links to nearby royal places of interest and highlighting any royal connections
• Offer deals to couples celebrating their anniversaries
• Contact the media centre at www.visitbritain.com for advice and marketing opportunities
