Punch Taverns, a leading tenanted and leased pub company in the UK, has teamed up with Winmau, the world’s leading darts brand.
The two companies will work together on the marketing campaign for the successful Punch Darts Classic competition, which for 2013 boasts an impressive £10,000 prize fund. It also has the major benefit to the dart player of being free to enter!
The pub company, which has approximately 4,500 pubs in its estate, saw a quarter of its pubs from across the UK participate in the 2012 Punch Darts Classic.
Punch Taverns has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of pubs eager to participate in the 2013 competitions, which includes a team and singles event.
Punch Buying Club Director, Andy Slee, said the competitions are a powerful business driver for pubs, as it was impossible to replicate the experiences anywhere else.
“The feedback from our pubs is that pub events, like darts nights, are a great way to drive footfall into pubs on the quieter week nights because they create a real sense of competition and community and customers love the atmosphere,” he said.
“We are one of the few companies who can deliver amateur darts competitions on a national scale and as a result we’ve seen year on year growth in the amount of pubs eager to participate. We are also seeing an increase in followers on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
“We are aiming to make them bigger and better and by working in partnership with Winmau we can reach a larger audience and the competition can gain credibility by its association with a quality and professional darts company.”
Ian Flack, Sales and Marketing Director of Winmau, explained why the international darts brand wanted to get involved with pub-level darts: “Any initiative that brings more people into our sport is a positive step, and the Punch Darts Classic is a proven format that really helps to bring the excitement of competition darts to the local pub.
“Punch are a nationwide company that is fully supportive of grass roots darts, and we are proud to be involved with the 2013 Classic to find out which pub has the best darting talent!”
Registration for the 2013 competition is now open and the first round of the competition will start in May 2013.
Visit www.punchdartsclassic.co.uk for more information. To keep updated with the competition, like ‘Punch darts classic’ on Facebook or follow @PunchDarts on Twitter.