Leading UK pub company Punch Taverns is encouraging its licensees to score big this month as World Cup fever creates opportunities to capitalise on food and drink sales during this major international sporting event. Through a specially designed webinar, titled #eatingdrinkingfootball, developed in partnership with hospitality learning and development solutions provider Charnwood Training Group, 59 Punch Taverns licensees from across the UK collaborated virtually in a web-based workshop that shared proven methods for marketing meals, snacks and drinks to football fans.
The free, 30-minute training module, presented in conjunction with Brakes, was hosted at Charnwood’s Hospitality & Catering Academy, in Nottingham, where Charnwood learners can gain experience and nationally recognised qualifications in a real work environment. The facility includes training suites, a training kitchen and cellar as well as a fully operational public bar, restaurant and conference centre.
Other tips shared focused on ‘Vertical Dining’, revealing new ways to keep punters in pubs for longer during the World Cup or any other major sporting event, quick and easy hand held snacking ideas, a demo of how to prepare and serve hand-held food, how to identify merchandising hot spots, how to supplement your income during high footfall periods, plus the latest eat-in or takeaway food packaging solutions.
This pilot #eatingdrinkingfootball webinar, live-streamed on 5th June, heralds the launch of a full series of newly created ‘Punch Progress’ learning and development webinars over the next 12 months, each designed to provide critical advice, inspirational and practical tips for growing profits in pubs. Topics will include apprenticeships, finance management, creative tactics and developing your pub team.
With licensee feedback indicating that the session content and ability to login remotely were well received, Jeremy Scorer, managing partner of Charnwood Training Group, expressed delight at the decision to roll out a schedule of new webinars over the coming year: “Having had experience as a pub landlord, I am acutely aware of how important major sporting tournaments are for driving food and drink sales. It’s encouraging to see Punch has harnessed the business potential, ensuring that its licensees are fully equipped to meet the expectations and needs of their customers.”
Helen Willis, learning and development manager at Punch Taverns, agreed, praising the web-based delivery method: “The high turnout and positive feedback of the World Cup webinar was pivotal to our decision to develop a programme of similar sessions for the coming year. The format was crucial; being able to deliver the course online gave us a far greater reach and was more convenient, as our licensees could join the event without leaving their pub. I look forward to partnering with Charnwood Academy to deliver more webinars over the coming year.”
Visit the webinars page on the Punch Buying Club for more information and to recap on previous webinars: www.punchbuyingclub.com.
To learn more about the Charnwood Academy and its associated courses, email Samantha Shaw on [email protected] or call 0845 437 4000.