Be smart, make your Christmas plans now

It always amazes me to think how early we need to start planning. Planning is key to maximising the potential return.

This year Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve both fall on a Saturday, so bang goes that mid-week boost. To compensate why not plan events in the weeks leading up to Christmas?

Try to get your customers to commit to events or functions you are planning. Talk to local companies and sell your premises as the premises they need to have for their Christmas party/meal/gathering. It need not be a five-course meal for 200. A group of 20 colleagues mid-week with free nibbles not only generates extra sales but may see them coming back in 2012.

Planning events over Christmas and New Year’s Eve needs thought. If you’re thinking of charging a fee for entry consider how the customer would see the charge. Would they feel that as entertainment and/or food is being provided a fee is well worth it, or would they feel that you are out to make a quick buck and, therefore, decide not only not to come to your premises over the festive period, but to use another pub in 2012.

If your pub has a strong local following then consideration should be given to their loyalty over the year and, hopefully, their continued loyalty in the forthcoming year. After all, they put the cash in your till that hopefully adds to the profit you enjoy.

Early planning may also secure the DJ you want, or that group everyone wants to see.

You could even try talking to suppliers. If you have space, talk about helping them during their busy period by taking a larger order at the end of November, but asking them to treat it as a December invoice. We have done this in the past with cases of bottles freeing up valuable space on the drays during the busy December period.

Hopefully, planning and thinking now will reward you well. Good luck, and may I be the first to wish you a very merry Christmas.