Events For Pubs??????

[callumclarke]

Hi Guys and Girls,


I have recently agreed a deal with a family member to be the Event manager for a pub, I have started with poker nights, i now have pool comps, live bands.

Can any of you think of an event you would go to, or an event where you think would attract a different type of customer, e.g bingo during the day with o.a.p prices on food, different target audience, still bringing people through the door!

Love to hear your ideas be creative, even if it sounds stupid its only an idea, few ideas so i can brainstorm more!!

 

[callumclarke]

any Ideas people?

 

[Merchant UK]

Hi Callum,

I saw this once in a Pub in the middle of a small village, They were playing a Shooting game using two Nindeno Wii 's, Not sure how the connected them up, but there were 2 Pub teams, and most stayed there for around 2 to 3 hours playing.

There was even talk about setting up a pub Shoot out league with Different Pubs Playing via internet.

Havn't seen anything similar since??

 

[tony84]

I used to live in a pub...anything we tried didnt really take off.

However some of the things we tried were:
Karaoke,
Quiz Night,
Entertainment night (quiz, deal or no deal, free curry and shot)
Live singer (costs from £150+)
Poker,
Pool team,
football team,
Disco,

Some other ideas are:
Wine tasting nights,
Open mic night,
comedy night,
student night,
soul or jazz nights,

Some of them will only work in certain areas or if you have a function room.

 

[saxondale]

early evening gigs for families, by the time the band comes on we have to leave with the kids @ 9

 

[Mark77]

A good old drinking contest, always goes down well

 

[Consistency]

Hi Guys and Girls,


I have recently agreed a deal with a family member to be the Event manager for a pub, I have started with poker nights, i now have pool comps, live bands.

Can any of you think of an event you would go to, or an event where you think would attract a different type of customer, e.g bingo during the day with o.a.p prices on food, different target audience, still bringing people through the door!

Love to hear your ideas be creative, even if it sounds stupid its only an idea, few ideas so i can brainstorm more!!

All these OAP discounts gets on my pip! Not all of them are bad off, not all of them have worked all their life. There are old people well off getting an heating allowance and young families struggling to keep their houses warm in private tenancies with aluminium window frames that attract the cold.

To get back to the original question, I hear bowling is popular these days.

 

[GreatSEO]

Cocktail nights

Free food tasting (different cultures - hot food is a great one leads people to buying drinks to cool of the tongue)

A ladies night only with selected entertainment

An awards night for the best pint puller in all the locals with a small prize (could get media attention)

There are so many

Dave

 

[Mark77]

All these OAP discounts gets on my pip! Not all of them are bad off, not all of them have worked all their life. There are old people well off getting an heating allowance and young families struggling to keep their houses warm in private tenancies with aluminium window frames that attract the cold.

_______________________________________________

Whilst all of them may not be "bad off", many are living on basic state pension and cannot go out to work any more.... hence the OAP discount! Regarding heating allowance, it could be fair to say that older people suffer the cold more - rugs on legs, electric blankets etc!!

If a discount for the poorer OAP's attracts them to the pub its a win win. Landlord take more readies and old Tom has a merry Christmas like the rest of us. Cheers

 

[Consistency]

All these OAP discounts gets on my pip! Not all of them are bad off, not all of them have worked all their life. There are old people well off getting an heating allowance and young families struggling to keep their houses warm in private tenancies with aluminium window frames that attract the cold.

_______________________________________________

Whilst all of them may not be "bad off", many are living on basic state pension and cannot go out to work any more.... hence the OAP discount! Regarding heating allowance, it could be fair to say that older people suffer the cold more - rugs on legs, electric blankets etc!!

If a discount for the poorer OAP's attracts them to the pub its a win win. Landlord take more readies and old Tom has a merry Christmas like the rest of us. Cheers

Is it possible that babies feel the cold as much or more than the elderly who cannot cover themselves if they accidentally kick their blankets off?

Old people cannot go to work anymore but there are still many who are well off. I remember a few years ago there was an old man who was moaning about how he was going to pay for his fourth holiday when the council tax goes up. I kid you not. He was 74. Lived with his wife in a lovely house in a nice close and owned a motor home and yes he made the maximum use of an OAP discounts he could get.

 

[patientlady]

A good old drinking contest, always goes down well

Ha ha but totally illegal

 

[katy25]

You can think about another game...have you heard about mafia?????)

 

[oldeagleeye]

Quote.

I have recently agreed a deal with a family member to be the Event manager for a pub, I have started with poker nights, i now have pool comps, live bands.

You only recently agreed to adopt the glorious title of 'Events' manager and your already into poker nights - pool compts and live bands. What you really mean is that your making a list of possible opportunities.

Sorry chum but having been a publican and a finance director for years I can tell you that apart from a very rare gig most events are a complete waste of time. All great fun of course but the bottom line is they don't put cash in the bank.

Take Wide Screen TV for example.Sky charge according to the rateable value of the property and I think it was just over £500 a month in my last pub 5 years ago. That means you have got to take an extra 150 pints every week just to pay for it.

You talk about Live Bands. I have had live bands do gigs for free because I had a huge storeroom where I let them practice free. So no charge for the band but what about the extra staff. The extra cleaning up and the real cracker the cost of 2 doormen on the 2 entrance/exits. Add it all up and your talking at least £600- £800 in extra expenses.

In real terms almost 1000 extra pints on the night just to break even. That takes some doing when the typical spend on a pub night out has dropped from just under £20 quid p.p to about £10. Try charging an entrance fee then and it cuts down the takings.

I am sorry to be so negaitive OP but my own experience and that of several friends who have all run successful pubs and some still do is that entertainment is at best a reward for loyal customers say once a month. The rest of the time it is get rid of all staff and the husband & wife run in the traditional manner sharing shifts between then and when you look at the bottom line the old business model still works.

Thatis to earn a living wage. The only way really to increase that to pay for a nice car/holiday is also tradional - the late night lock in. Now that can be a nice little earner. Thepunter are so keen to go on i used to send the barmaid round with a glass to pay her wages for 2 hrs.

A fiver each to include another pint. So 10 of them and she gets a nice £25 quid double pay and after that pint it is top bar - spirits only.

Just a little tip for a newbie 'Events' manager and make sure you pull the bloody curtains.

Rob

 

[Jason_Fisher]

How this industry nowadays? I have been through some villages and there are so many run down pubs, i mean in my village, we had 4 pubs, a welfare/social club and a snooker club. The snooker club has been knocked down and houses built, one pub has been knocked down and Tesco Express been built, 2 pubs are like ghost towns, but the welfare/social club seems to be doing really well.

The welfare/social club run lots of events, and the beer is cheap, but they don't do food. They have darts nights, poker nights, salsa dancing nights, they have an act on fri and sat night, pool night, lock ins, always good deals to be had for the 'football drinking game' on a saturday afternoon, not so much advertised though

They seem to be doing really well, however they have a comittee who raise money, a few football teams, cricket team etc, so get some regulars that way.

Can this industry still be successful in villages for a 'good' wage? Like you say nice car etc. Or is it going to get even worse?

 

[Jason_Fisher]

Also on that, the welfare/social club have regulars who help out with 'door work' , bar staff etc in return for beer tokens

 

[WaterCoolersDirect]

How about a comedy night? In our local town there was a pub that did a comedy night once a month and it was ALWAYS completely packed. It got to the stage where you had to buy tickets in advance to get in. It was always on a Tuesday - obviously greatly increasing the number of punters on a usual quiet night.

It was probably so popular because there aren't many places that people can see affordable comedy at the moment.

Or you could think about doing something like a steak night - a set price for a starter and a steak or something??

 

[oldeagleeye]

There is in fact a great opportunity out there and Jason has nailed it. The Members Only Social Club.

Where else can you go for a safe drink out and that is where the new trade is. The ordinary adult family who at the moment have few places to go other than a restaraunt and lets face it. Even if you could afford £50 quid a night to eat out who would want to.

The members only social club then offers a complelely different atmosphere similar to the wine bar I used to own and where the punters came out to enjoy themselves in a nice social environment - as opposed to a pub where they go to get pisssed. Where a pool cue is not a pool cue - it is a weapon.

And finlly. Don't be fooled into thinking that the pubs you see putting on entertainment are makig money out of it. They are usually managed houses where the onbject is volume sales just to keep the brewery working full time. The customers cash cows piddling it all down the drain.

Rob

 

[Consistency]

Quote.

I have recently agreed a deal with a family member to be the Event manager for a pub, I have started with poker nights, i now have pool comps, live bands.

You only recently agreed to adopt the glorious title of 'Events' manager and your already into poker nights - pool compts and live bands. What you really mean is that your making a list of possible opportunities.

Sorry chum but having been a publican and a finance director for years I can tell you that apart from a very rare gig most events are a complete waste of time. All great fun of course but the bottom line is they don't put cash in the bank.

Take Wide Screen TV for example.Sky charge according to the rateable value of the property and I think it was just over £500 a month in my last pub 5 years ago. That means you have got to take an extra 150 pints every week just to pay for it.

You talk about Live Bands. I have had live bands do gigs for free because I had a huge storeroom where I let them practice free. So no charge for the band but what about the extra staff. The extra cleaning up and the real cracker the cost of 2 doormen on the 2 entrance/exits. Add it all up and your talking at least £600- £800 in extra expenses.

In real terms almost 1000 extra pints on the night just to break even. That takes some doing when the typical spend on a pub night out has dropped from just under £20 quid p.p to about £10. Try charging an entrance fee then and it cuts down the takings.

I am sorry to be so negaitive OP but my own experience and that of several friends who have all run successful pubs and some still do is that entertainment is at best a reward for loyal customers say once a month. The rest of the time it is get rid of all staff and the husband & wife run in the traditional manner sharing shifts between then and when you look at the bottom line the old business model still works.

Thatis to earn a living wage. The only way really to increase that to pay for a nice car/holiday is also tradional - the late night lock in. Now that can be a nice little earner. Thepunter are so keen to go on i used to send the barmaid round with a glass to pay her wages for 2 hrs.

A fiver each to include another pint. So 10 of them and she gets a nice £25 quid double pay and after that pint it is top bar - spirits only.

Just a little tip for a newbie 'Events' manager and make sure you pull the bloody curtains.

Rob

Going off the subject about events but about management, as this was discussed in a thread elsewhere. My whole point was that someone should know their industry and learn the industry before becoming managers, not becoming a high flier as they call themselves and think they can manage anything.

I am viewed by some as perhaps a dinosaur because we will only have people in management positions who know the industry and a lot about it. There are managers who think managing a hairdressers is the same as managing a building company or managing a pub is the same as managing a security company.

The quote here is quite in depth and there is a lot of experience. From people outside looking in it can look as though, "Oh that pub has got an event on, oh look it has got a great big screen, they are raking it in today" but on the inside as the poster here is, the real picture is very very different indeed.

I am sorry to veer off on this thread but this does in my view prove the point that there is a lot to gain from experience. The average customer will pay £2. odd or whatever it is for their pint, I have no idea of the cost and probably think that they are being slightly ripped off, but there is so much overheads behind it that only being on the inside of the industry can really show. There are a lot of doormen who will not work for less than £10 and hour.

Experience counts for a lot.

 

[Hungry Marketing]

my local pub have weekly Wii contests which like a previous post I think is a great idea, also I arrange charity events for my local pubs which always go down well with the local community.

 

[oldeagleeye]

Conistancy a good post till you got to the point about doormen. That used to be the case £10 - £17 quid top whack. They all have to be licensed now and charge professional fees usually £20 - £25 an hour and they know you can't put a gig on without them so can command the fees.

Now who mentioned a steak night. You have got to be joking. Punters will suffer a boney bit of chicken leg or even greasy nuggets and chips in a basket - but steak. It;s either too rare or too well done and it would end up costing the publican a fortune and food anywy is not a road to riches.

True the daytime trade in food used to be great but business lunches now are taboo as far a most companies are concerned. As for the evening trade.

Well you serve up steak pie and chips and see how many pints you sell afterwards.

There is only one way to describe the pub trade today and there are about 40,000 leaseholders out there shouting the same thing.

Get me out of this jungle I am a publican destined to end up in Carey Street.


Rob

For you young whippersnappers out there - Carey Street in London is where the first bankruptcy courts were establised.

 

[Consistency]

Conistancy a good post till you got to the point about doormen. That used to be the case £10 - £17 quid top whack. They all have to be licensed now and charge professional fees usually £20 - £25 an hour and they know you can't put a gig on without them so can command the fees.
.

You are absolutely right about the doorman, we do event work as a security company, rarely as there are a lot of pubs who need them and the doorman want high rates of pay for what they do. The £10 is the minimum of what we find they will work for and that is their take home pay.

This puts us as a company at having to charge more as we have to cover their taxes and national insurance and the extra 11% plus we have to cover insurances.

So when we look at all the extra costs involved it does mount up. Gone are the days where the landlord used to have a regular stood on the door in return for a free bottle of "newkey brown" or whatever it was.

The prices of doormen is expensive and is indeed a higher cost to the landlord than what people think it is.

Although they charge a high fee there are some right diiickheads who are doormen, they like the glamour of the suit but they can be as slow as anybody else.

 

[JackieC]

A Murder Mystery Night. Inclusive (or not) of a meal during which some of the murder acting can be carried out.

 

[oldeagleeye]

Jackie. Unfortunately punters on a night out ain't that skilled in multi-tasking. As with a quiz nite if they have to think they ain't drinling. Murder mystery nights are OK to fill hotel beds but not for pubs and in my old one you had to assume that on a friday night every punter had a blade or gun and you dare not leave a metal candlestick around.

Actually I am surpised they havent updated Cluedo and replaced the candlestick with a snooker cue and the dagger with a Stanly knive.

Never mind. The New Sherlock is absolutely BRILL.

Rob

 

[getsetgonline]

Comedy Nights do very well....we run comedy events in a purpose built venue. We do attract big names but that costs, however for pubs, open mic nights are great with plenty budding comics around. Gong nights are also good.

 

[callumclarke]

Wow, Firstly I would like to thank you for your ideas and opinions, I would like to also make it clear that I have over 3 years exp in this pub, I would also like to point out I have run a team of 16 sales people, I would also say I have a good understanding of marketing, I would like to ask for your help can help me with my next questions?

From what I have seen the comedy night seems to be a big hit on say a Tuesday night, Where would I find good local comedians? how much do they normally charge? How much should a ticket be?

OLDEAGLEEYE you sound very wise in some of the comments you have made, you maybe sound a little negative, we are the only freehold where we are which gives us a massive advantage,

A fiver each to include another pint. So 10 of them and she gets a nice £25 quid double pay and after that pint it is top bar - spirits only" This sounds like something I am going to put in place, so thank you!

 

[Consistency]

I do not think at all that oldeagleeye sounds negative, the voice of experience is not always fresh flowers and a blooming cashflow, there is a realism that hits hard.

3 years may sound like a lot of experience and it is more experience than many who think they know it all because they have done business studies at university but it really is not that long at all.

 

[callumclarke]

That is very true and I do not pretend to, hence the reason I am being proactive and asking people for suggestion.

The word "maybe" used when explaining OLDEALGEEYE views means I am not saying he is not right in a number of points he has made, the majority of his points where 100% correct and I have taken them bored, however when mentioning that nothing works well, here is an example.

3 Thursday ago there was only 3 people who came in all night, brought 2 cokes each, 6 cokes around £8 for the whole night, turnover (JOKE),
After putting the poker night on 3 weeks later on the same night, we had over 50 people and we only used myself and my family member to serve and organize, now that is showing growth on your turnover and profit!

Due to the recession, nowadays people won't just come in we have to attract them in, there are still people with money in their pockets in this recession, with determination and structure we can make good money in this recession!

 

[oldeagleeye]

Sorry Callum but as an events manger you leave a lot to be desired. A boh standard DJ costs £250 quid a night. Atypical club comedian would cost about the same for 30 mins so you would need 4 or 5 on a night. Now you might just about recover the cost with entry fees but we then hit that old hurdle again. All the other expenses and I'll tell you this.

There is nothing moresould destroying to take say £5,000 on a night. Have all that hardwork only to find the bottom line after you have paid everyone else off is that you have only earned about the same for your own back pocket as having a few punters in on a quiet monday lunchtime and no I am not being negaitive tat is the reality of the licensed trade today.

You are in fact better off as a manger and keeping your head down.

 

[oldeagleeye]

Just saw you lates post OP. You can't rely on family working for nought. You have to cost those services in and even if the family own the freehold they should make an allowance for book rent. Given that your numbers look like shite.

50 punters @ average £10 spend =- £500. GP @ 40% £200. 3 bar staff £75 quid min. I day electric and heating £20 quid. I days rates £20 I days insurance and telephone £5 . Pipe cleaning and urlage £15 quid Balance £65 quid to to cover promotion and the owners wages and that is without any book rent. Boy oh boy is that the road to riches.

This is why pubs are closing by the 1000s. The site is worth more as a building site.

The mention of which. If the family do own the freehold there is a business model that can be highly profitable. Like most properties however it depnds on location. If there are pics of the pub and location the OP the PM me and I would be happy to see if it would work for you.

Rob

 

[callumclarke]

OLDEAGLEEYE the phrase "been there, done that, got the t-shirt - lost the t-shirt" springs to mind here.
I would like to thank you for your posts however I feel we are coming to the end of the road, the road that started with me being asking for proactive ideas, the road ending with the drunk man at the bar giving you advice about how to do something and how it went wrong.

I am sure you are very wise however I am more sure that pubs can make a profit, I am sure I can turn this round! Thank you once again

 

[getsetgonline]

A comedy night can be put together for £400 to include a headline, compere and one other comedian. £250 would get you a good national comedy circut act - you would only need 3 acts with the headline always costing the most.

Our nights range from typical club acts through to TV profile acts and would certainly recommend this be looked at. Comedy is on the up at the moment!

 

[callumclarke]

Fresh Venture you do exactly what your name portrays, fresh suggestions on the idea, you mentioned
"£250 would get you a good national comedy circuit act"
do you have websites that you would recommend or know off? We are based in Sudbury in Suffolk?

 

[getsetgonline]

PM your address. We also book comedians so will get you a price on a package with local comedians.

 

[patientlady]

Hi Callum
You have the freehold which is certainly a plus! What style of pub are you? You have mentioned poker nights, darts etc - are you in the local council estate or in a rural village. Is your drinks offering correct for your venue? What is your food offering?
To be able to offer helpful assistance we need more information...

 

[Merchant UK]

A good old drinking contest, always goes down well

I always did the bottom shelf in my younger days, some of the crap i used to drink, Damm the landlord that had 3 rows of imperial Russian stout

My head didn't stop spinning for 3 days

 

[eventdomain]

Going off the subject about events but about management, as this was discussed in a thread elsewhere. My whole point was that someone should know their industry and learn the industry before becoming managers, not becoming a high flier as they call themselves and think they can manage anything.

Having been a Venue Manager, and also involved in the Pub game, it seems the title of 'Event Manager' is wrong, for when a public house asks for Management, what the job entails is actually 'sales' eg: they want someone to come up with ideas and sell ideas to make money, so its not really management of people here at all.

When I worked in retail for 10 years, most managers who were titled 'Management Trainees' couldn't manage to save their lives, were in charge of teams of experienced veterens and degree holders too, just tried to change stuff and live out the fantasy of being a 'Professional' without the true skills to do it.

Most companies just want 'money makers' - not Event Organisers.
--------------------

Drink prices, they all seem to be the same sort of range £2.00ish, where I worked they were £2.30 a pint, £1.70 for a short - but its really the bottled 'designer' beers that get me £3 to £4 each.... no wonder a night 'in' and a trip to the off-license is better, as you can get drunk on £10 no problem whatsoever.

The average cost for a round? might not be much change from £20....

So an evening out could be:

Start at the local: £30 (2 rounds per person)

Nightclub: £50 (includes entrance fee)

Food: £7

Cab: £10

Total: £97......

yes, seriously. Call that Friday night - what about Sat?

 

[downsouth]

--------------------

Drink prices, they all seem to be the same sort of range £2.00ish, where I worked they were £2.30 a pint, £1.70 for a short - but its really the bottled 'designer' beers that get me £3 to £4 each.... no wonder a night 'in' and a trip to the off-license is better, as you can get drunk on £10 no problem whatsoever.

The average cost for a round? might not be much change from £20....

So an evening out could be:

Start at the local: £30 (2 rounds per person)

Nightclub: £50 (includes entrance fee)

Food: £7

Cab: £10

Total: £97......

yes, seriously. Call that Friday night - what about Sat?

Same again, just called a 'saturday'

 

[SillyJokes]

What about a traditional music session once a month, if you can find the musicians, or an open mic session if you think 'folk' wouldn't fit.

I like playing music and have started going to the pub again to do so. It's not a lot of money for you but I assume it's a free way to get about 8 to 10 people in on a quiet night.

 

[oldeagleeye]

OLDEAGLEEYE the phrase “been there, done that, got the t-shirt – lost the t-shirt” springs to mind here.
I would like to thank you for your posts however I feel we are coming to the end of the road, the road that started with me being asking for proactive ideas, the road ending with the drunk man at the bar giving you advice about how to do something and how it went wrong.

I am sure you are very wise however I am more sure that pubs can make a profit, I am sure I can turn this round! Thank you once again

HOW DARE you call me a drunk at the end of the bar. My pub was so successful that Puch wanted to throw £250,000 at me but I am a businessman and wasn't having it because I lknew what that meant.

Time you bought the tee-shirt then and a big sandwich board and don't foreget to write 'Events Manager' at the top. No-one else would believe you. You know nought. Your chasing fools gold.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS

BTW. To maximise profits brew your own beer from the leeks and sell it to the ladies. It help with the farting contest. Mind you. It's the old merrygoround again. The more you take on leek beer the more toilet paper you will have to buy and gawd knows the cost of cleaning up what with all those penny - 50p - dustbin lid situations in the ladies loo.

Take my word for it.

Learn how to play spoof and have a few lock-ins instead otherwise plonker comes to mind.


Rob

 

[Urban Publications]

The only pub I see that is really busy, busy enough to make a decent profit anyway are Wetherspoons, cheap beer, cheap food, cheap breakfast and not one event in sight, another pub in our area runs a comedy night, it gets really busy ON comedy night, the rest of the week its crap.

After going out the other night and spending £9.70 on a Rum & Coke and a glass of wine, I could sit at home with a half bottle of Rum, a bottle of wine for the other half for that sort of money, the best bit I can watch something other than football on the big screen, and spark a fag up whilst doing so too.

I think the way forward is comedy and bring something to the table thats different, in NY the comedy clubs have open mic nights where members fo the public can have a bash at stand up, (saves money on hiring half decent comedians) and they are very popular, to be honest I have never seen anything like that in the UK before either, someone else may quote me on that.

Or you could nick wetherspoons business model, nicking the model does give less credability to your job title as Events Manager though.