by Alastair Campbell
We recently reported on the return of the Bank Holiday season in the UK - but April has one extra event that could put members' club furniture in demand among revellers.
Tuesday, April 23rd is St George's Day, and as patron saint of England, the anniversary of his death is marked in many pubs and clubs across the country with social events and special offers, traditional British meals and discounts on drinks.
With Easter out of the way at the end of March, and no further bank holidays until May Day on May 6th, it's the perfect opportunity for club owners and operators to drum up some extra midweek business, as many patriotic English club members will be making a special effort to go out, even if they are working the following day.
However, you'll need to make sure your club furniture is up to the task of accommodating those celebrating St George and all other things patriotically English - either by ensuring you have enough seating space to meet demand, or that the chairs and tables you have are not past their best.
You can often increase your seating capacity slightly simply by adding a couple of new pieces alongside your existing furniture, and a comfortable sofa or a couple of leather armchairs can make your whole venue look refreshed and renewed without the need to totally replace your existing club furniture.
This is the perfect opportunity to do so, as St George holds a particular affiliation with one of the best-known clubs - that's because, as well as being England's patron saint, he is also the patron saint of Scouting.
As such, you may wish to invest in some members' club furniture suitable for younger people - if appropriate to your club - and turn this year's event into a family day with typically English food on the menu and any activities you think might pull in a crowd.
St George's Day is often seen as the poor relation to St Patrick's Day, but it is also a much less rowdy and more family-friendly affair, and one that is well worth capitalising on, in light of the first warm and sunny days of 2013 finally making an appearance in early April.