So, the World Cup has been going a few days, and England started their World Cup campaign strongly by comfortably beating Iran in the opening game. While it may be time to celebrate and be hopeful, we can go all the way to the final on the 18th December,, it’s also a time for operators to be vigilant and proactive, particularly in that this world cup coincides with Christmas celebrations and parties which will be starting shortly.
With events like the World Cup comes a large amount of responsibility that each venue must consider to ensure legal safety as well as best practice. It is essential that business owners keep in good contact with the police and the local authorities’ licensing officers to inform them of their plans for the matches. Many police forces and licensing officers will proactively contact a premises to offer advice and set out expectations. Letters have already landed on doormats with the early Christmas cards but we would recommend attending any pub watch meetings in your area to find out the concerns of the authorities and fellow operators.
You should always check the mandatory premises licence conditions as well as those that are specifically tailored to your venue to ensure compliance.
Showing World Cup games and hosting festive period parties each come with their own considerations that the licensed industry has been familiar with for many years. This year, however, we are all faced with the unique challenge of the two occurring at the same time. Both can be crucial money spinners for operators, which are particularly essential as the industry tries to fight back following crisis after crisis. We would recommend operators think very hard about how to navigate these two revenue streams to maximize profits while also avoiding enforcement that could jeopardise the business altogether. Time spent now looking and implementing working practices could save time and gain money later in the month, especially if staff are well trained and understand how the premise may operate differently on the big days.
Should you require any advice about operations or issues due to trading please do not hesitate to contact the legal helpline on 0330 058 3878