Poet in a Pub?

Poet in a Pub?

I do love to hear of pubs finding novel ways to attract new customers. How about the idea of “Poet in the Pub” being tried in a number of Hampshire pubs?

According to the Hampshire Chronicle, The Three Horseshoes at Bighton near Alresford will host comedy ‘stand-up’ Elvis McGonagall on Wednesday June 2nd.

Customers are invited to write a short poem or limerick on the back of special Poet in the Pub beer mats and then Elvis will read these out before sharing a selection of his own unique poetry.

The theme is the village you live or drink in so it also helps to reinforce the message that the pub sits at the heart of the local community.

The idea comes from the Hampshire County Council’s rural arts scheme, known as Hog the Limelight, who usually bring their events to village halls. When they approached local landlords about using pubs instead they were met with an enthusiastic response.

The innovative pubs taking part are: (sorry you've already missed the first one!)

Wednesday 26 May 2010
The Cricketers Arms
Tangley, Andover SP11 OSH
tel 01264 730283

Wednesday 2 June 2010
Three Horseshoes
Bighton, Alresford SO24 9RE
tel 01962 732859

Wednesday 9 June 2010
Horse and Groom,
Woodgreen, Fordingbridge SP6 2AS
tel 01725 510739

You can either pick up a beer mat from one of the pubs or download a copy by clicking on Poet in a Pub beer mat.

Any pubs out there with other innovative ways of attracting new customers or bring back existing ones more frequently. Of course my favourite, easy and effective method is the one you'll find at www.myfavouritepubwalks.com/publicans.

The Pub Walker
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Walkers – A Menace or Meal Ticket for Publicans?

Walkers – A Menace or Meal Ticket for Publicans?

Publicans seem to give walkers a very mixed reception. Some welcome them with open arms with a “Walkers’ Special” on the menu, whilst others curse them for clogging up their car parks over lunchtime and then disappearing for a few hours simply to call in for one quick drink on their return.

So how do you turn a menace into a meal ticket?

Some thoughts:

- There are 8 million regular walkers in England along, that’s 8 million people working up a hunger and a thirst each month, every month. (Source – Sport England survey)

- Walking is Britain’s most popular outdoor activity. Generally, people on higher incomes participate more in recreational walking than people on lower incomes. (Source – The Ramblers)

- 891 million day trips for leisure in Great Britain in 1998 included a ‘walk, hill walk or ramble’. This is 15% of the total of all leisure day trips. The figures are old but the popularity of walking is even higher today. (Source – The Ramblers)

- Increasing numbers of young people are giving up the stuffy atmosphere of the gym (saving a fortune on their memberships) and getting out into the countryside for their exercise instead. (Source – The Ramblers)

- Ever increasing numbers of older people join walking groups too and we all hear constantly about the power of the “grey pound”.

Need I say more? This is a huge market and many like nothing more than to finish their walk at a traditional pub. Certainly that is my experience from the many walkers I know.

So my advice is seize the opportunity and get a pub walk written down that leads those hungry and thirsty walkers straight to your door, rather than someone else’s. Have copies available in the bar to take away, send it to your local paper and get it on the internet! When people enjoy a walk and are welcomed at the pub, they do it again and again and what’s more they tell their friends.

If you think your car park is being abused by walkers, rather than turn them away with a rude notice, think about what you can do to get them through the door instead, even it its just making sure you have a copy of the menu and the specials board outside (many pubs still don’t).

Finally, why not even offer a free meal to the walker that produces the best walk from your pub? And again tell your local paper. You could be surprised at how this takes off!

For more information on attracting walkers to your pub, visit www.myfavouritepubwalks.com/publicans.

The Pub Walker
MyFavouritePubWalks.com
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