Let me entertain you

We all like a quiet night in, but it's not so desirable if you operate a restaurant or bar. With competition as it is you cannot simply build a wine list and expect people to arrive on your doorstep; you need to convince people they are going to have a good time. And one way to improve a wet Wednesday is to develop events that suit the venue and create a buzz for your bar and your bank balance.

"I was thinking of closing on Monday nights because it was so quiet," says Matt Beaton, general manager of Yo! Below in London's West End. "But we had a brainstorming session about promoting an event that would fit the concept of the bar and came up with an open mike night." The musical talent event raised takings from £100 to £1,000 and has proved so popular it has been moved to Wednesday. "Unfortunately, that means we have the problem with Monday again," says Beaton ruefully. "We're considering having a quiz."

The concept of a quiz is not such a tired idea as you might suppose. Fashionable London pub-bars such as the Endurance in Soho and the Gunmakers in Clerkenwell are offering quizzes with a difference. "I didn't want a traditional pub quiz," says Gunmakers manager Francis McCahon. "I wanted something that targeted our clientele, so I approached the Ben Sherman shop near by and suggested we do a monthly quiz specifically for them and their friends, and it's been a great success." The questions aimed at the fashion-conscious crowd have helped raise income by 25%.

But these types of event would not work for all restaurants, surely? Probably not, but promotions that suit the particular venue certainly will. Franck Hardy, restaurant manager for the One-O-One eatery in London's Knightsbridge, was conducting the annual review of how to improve revenue when executive chef Pascal Proyart piped up with the idea of offering cooking lessons and dinner.

"This became our regular Cook & Eat event that we run once or twice a month and has been sold out since August last year," says Hardy. "It's a fun experience for the customers and the staff, and each 30-person session brings us in £2,400 we did not previously have." Of course, it always helps to have an up-and-coming celebrity chef in your kitchen, but customers always enjoy seeing behind the scenes and learning the tips of the trade, whoever is in control of the stoves.

A further advantage to promoting an event is that it can attract new customers. For example, the Slug & Lettuce bar in York ran a competition for fine art students at a local college to display their work in the venue. "It brought new people into the bar to look at and judge the art work who would not necessarily have visited otherwise," says Paul Filler, brand manager for Slug & Lettuce. "The association with art has been so beneficial to our brand we have extended the competition this year to include outlets and colleges in Nottingham and Bath."

So, are you convinced about the benefits of an inspirational event but stuck for ideas? Well, read on for some tips on how to create the perfect night in. Effective event promotion may well be the reason that, in a crowded street of bars and restaurants, some joints are jumping while others have the lights on but nobody's home.

Edutainment

I don't like the word either, but it sums up perfectly the event that mixes education and entertainment - occasions such as cocktail training, cookery lessons, wine tastings and food matching. Very useful for attracting an interested clientele who are more likely to repeat-visit. Making the night as social as possible, with the emphasis on the entertainment part of the equation, will aid success.

Leading London bars such as Match, Eclipse and Isola have all offered cocktail training. Chefs Eric Chavot at the Capital hotel and Pascal Proyart at One-O-One, both situated in Knightsbridge, offer cookery lessons to keen customers, while Jaan, the restaurant in the Swissôtel, Temple Place, London, promotes food-and-wine matching evenings.

Speed-dating

Initially dismissed as a US craze, this novel approach to dating looks set to be around for some time. A group of single people spends a minimum of five minutes with each other as they rotate their attentions through everyone in the group. It's a great way to fill up an early weekday or a private room, and you are guaranteed the wine is going to flow freely. However, associate yourself with an established company, not dodgy Derek and his copy of the classifieds.

Vinopolis, London's wine museum, bar and restaurant, staged the largest speed-dating event in the country, called Chemistry, in January and is doing it again on 19-20 September. Conran's Bluebird restaurant in London's Chelsea recently hired one of its private rooms to the upmarket speed-dating agency for the "wealthy and attractive" called Gorgeous Get Togethers.

Film night

With advances in technology it's easier than ever to have a cinema-style experience on a budget. Use the magic of the movies to create a regular film night or an occasional themed event. You could upsell the martinis on a James Bond evening, or finally get rid of that backlog of cigars on Columbo night - although you're probably best avoiding Peter Greenaway's The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover.

Mayfair's Noble Rot restaurant is starting a film night in September with a screening of Casablanca. Chi, a new Birmingham style bar opening in October, will have a cinema screen; and the Highgate in London's Kentish Town hosts a monthly showcase for emerging film directors.

Music

If music be the food of love, let's try and add it to the bill. Music can make an effective event, as long as it is suited to the venue. A thrash metal night isn't going to cut it at one of Gordon Ramsay's establishments (unless it's in the kitchen) but a string quartet might. The right selection of a DJ or the creation of a theme can lift a quiet night in a bar. As for restaurants, if you don't fancy donning an Elvis suit, think creatively and offer something such as a bring-your-own music night.

Bar Med has staged a nationwide DJ competition that has added £35,000 to their turnover, while London's Landmark hotel promotes a successful "jazz brunch" every Sunday.

Quiz night

The most unfashionable things become trendy again eventually, and now it's quiz night's turn. The idea need not conjure up images of garishly decorated 1980s pubs and episodes of Bullseye any more, as the new Q&A sessions are much more sussed. The secret is to create a quiz with an "angle". Approach local sports teams and offer a sports quiz; speak to film or book clubs and produce movie or literature questions. Or why not a food and wine quiz using your own menu and list as examples or clues?

The new style of quiz can be experienced at London pubs the Gunmakers in Clerkenwell and the Endurance in Soho.

Creative thinking

Spend some time thinking of new ideas which will capture the attention of the press and the public. Some restaurant-bars run one-off promotions simply to get press coverage. Below are a few of the more "creative" ideas that may provide some inspiration.

London private members' club Boujis offers lessons in pole dancing. Atlantic Bar & Grill recently ran a promotion that gave diners the chance to win their starter, or even their whole meal, on the roll of a dice. Finally, in happy contrast to its ultra-fashionable reputation, Mash bar in London offers tours around its microbrewery.

Art

Art on the walls not only looks good but can earn you a commission if a piece of work is sold. It also provides the opportunity to stage events built around different artists. This helps to bring in new customers and garner press coverage.

The Quod restaurant in London's Haymarket sells all the art hanging on its walls, as does One-O-One in Knightsbridge, while Slug & Lettuce venues nationwide have gained from promoting art competitions.