CASK ALE WEEK 1 OCTOBER – 9 OCTOBER 2011

The dates have been agreed for this year’s Cask Ale Week which will be the 1st week in October (1st – 9th covering two weekends). This will coincide with the release of the Cask Report, an analysis of the state of play of the cask beer market. Twinning the event will generate significant interest by the press in cask beer over the period of Cask Ale Week.

CAMRA will again be mobilising their 122,000 membership to support the event and encourage pubs to participate. Publican’s Morning Advertiser will publicise the event in the trade media.

OBJECTIVES:

· Reward pubs that actively sell cask with increased footfall.

· Highlight Cask Marque pubs with the consumer.

· Show consumers the wide range of beers available.

· Encourage trial by new drinkers.

· Create awareness with bar staff of the beer flavours and facts about beers and breweries by the use of Cyclops.

· Provide guidance to bar staff on how to operate Try Before You Buy.

THEME

The theme for the week will be ‘Try Before You Buy’ and we will be asking all Cask Marque pubs to offer this facility. Guidelines will be issued on how to enact Try Before You Buy. We will be sending merchandising kits to all Cask Marque pubs and artwork will be made available to pub groups and brand owners who wish to link with this promotional event. Non Cask Marque pubs can enrol for £20+VAT and receive a merchandising kit and all participating pubs will be included on the Cask Ale Week website and the event will be highlighted on the iPhone app “CaskFinder”.

As in previous years we hope that retailers will use the event to promote their pubs by organising other activities such as 1/3 pint promotions, pub quizzes, beer festivals and meet the brewer evenings. There is an opportunity to promote food and beer on menus.

LAST YEAR

Below is a summary of some of the activity that occurred last year:

· Ale Team Launch – by The Handpull Brewers, which was featured on You Tube

· Monday – UK radio day where we had 23 stations running features on cask ale – 4 BBC radio interviews pre event

· 197 press articles

· 10,000 supplier kits in the market place (2,000 kits produced by SIBA)

· Sold 1,600 generic kits

· 7,257 pubs registered on Cask Ale Week website

· Launch of the iPhone app “CaskFinder”

· 200,000 Cask Ale Week supplements in The Independent and e-mail competition

· 3,700 people visited the Cask Ale Week website on one day

· On Twitter and Facebook we have over 1,000 followers on each

· Good coverage in trade press

· Greene King mobile bar cycled around London

· FemAle Day gathering at Summerstown Coffee House in London

· Marstons projecting Hobgoblin imagery onto Tower of London

· Ember Inns – brew your own beer competition

· Numerous brewery open days

ACTION

When you have decided how to use Cask Ale Week let us know and we will promote your involvement. MDA our handling house are producing our merchandising kits and either Cask Marque or MDA can supply artwork.

Roger Clayson, Annabel Smith and myself are available to talk about this event . Let’s make the most of this opportunity to promote cask.

Paul Nunny

Director of Cask Marque