With Freshers Week on the horizon, we’re reminding our landlords with pubs near campuses that the students’ return could bring in lots of extra custom.

The Morning Advertiser has put together a great guide for landlords on attracting students without alienating other customers. Tips include offering real ale - surprisingly popular with the student market- goodie bags and coffee and running open mic nights to attract this lucrative customer base.

Read the article for more tips on preparing your pub for the influx.

Our landlords should prepare for a bit of friendly lobbying from their customers, following the launch of a new campaign by the Lager of the British Isles (LOBI) group.

The group, who aims to promote awareness of lager that is produced within the British Isles by independent breweries, have created template emails designed for pub customers to send to their favourite pubs, asking them to serve British brands.

Pubs that stock British lagers can stand out from the crowd by downloading posters on the LOBI’s website to tell people they stock British brands.

The pub industry is uniting to clampdown against underage drinking, according to a new survey.

Test purchases carried out by Serve Legal in the first six months of 2010 found that 74 per cent of pubs visited asked the mystery customers for ID, which represents a rise of 20 per cent since 2008, and a four per cent increase on last year.

This is a positive indication that pubs are becoming increasingly aware that they need to be strict about implementing underage legislation – something that we, of course, encourage all our landlords to do. 

Licensees can now keep customers up to speed on the sporting events being shown in their pubs by sending text alerts through Sky’s new website PreviewLive.

The Text Manager service helps licensees to build a customer database online and send customers texts inviting them to events in the pub – a great way to ensure a packed pub during the upcoming football season.

The website also includes an up-to-date fixtures and events section and licensees can log in to access marketing support and promotional material. They will also be able to view special videos, including training modules developed in conjunction with the BII, on the Pub Channel section.

Visit the PreviewLive website to find out more.  

Licensees looking for business advice can now use the Pub Assist website for free.

Following a successful first year, the site has scrapped its membership fee and will now provide free advice on everything from health and safety and stock-taking, to calculating gross profits, negotiating supplier deals and employment advice.

Landlords looking for a helping hand can also download free pub quizzes and explore a range of business guides.

Visit the Pub Assist website to find out more, and don’t forget to check out the 'Licensee Support' section on our website for further hints and tips.

This month marks three years since the smoking ban was first introduced, and it seems the effects of the ban haven’t been as negative as first predicted.

In a recent survey by the Morning Advertiser, 51% of the landlords quizzed said that they opposed a total reversal of the ban, and 46% said the ban had actually had either no discernable effect or a positive effect on their business.

And, while three out of four landlords would support the introduction of a separate smoking room, the marked increase in the number of people choosing to give up the habit in light of the ban may well mean that there aren’t many customers who would wish to use it…

Beer might be our national drink, but many of us don’t realise the health benefits of a pint or two.

In a recent survey, the Beer Academy discovered that many people mistakenly believe that beer is fattening or made from chemicals, and only two per cent of people knew that beer is a source of silicon, which strengthens bones.

In fact, beer is one of the healthiest drinks available as a good source of vitamins and fibre and has a relatively low calorific value.

Landlords should think about promoting the health benefits of beer to their customers, whether it’s by displaying nutritional information in the bar or providing menus where drinkers and compare and contrast the calorie content of their favourite tipples.