Pub landlords were given a state of the industry update and told which wines to sell behind the bar by expert Oz Clarke at an upbeat business seminar.

About 80 people from the pub and club industry attended a meeting of the Anglia region of the BII – the professional body for the licensed retail sector – at the Assembly House in Norwich today.

Among the speakers was wine expert Oz Clarke who gave publicans an idea of the best wines to serve in their pubs, and gave a funny speech to cheer everybody up, lambasting the French, Americans and Germans in equal measure.

Pubs across the country are facing tough times with the recession hitting potential customers in their pockets, but Mr Clarke praised publicans in Norwich and spoke about his trips to the award-winning Fat Cat in West End Street.

'I can always remember going into the Fat Cat, but never leaving,' he said. Other speakers urged publicans to make the most of their businesses, and Roger Cawdron, landlord at the Ribs of Beef in Wensum Street, and chairman of the BII Anglia region, said: 'It's all about the survival of the fittest, staying ahead of the competition and bucking the trend.'

Speakers also urged publicans to advertise more on social media sites.

The Evening News has been urging people to return to pubs in our Love your Local campaign, and reporter David Bale was given a round of applause by the licensees at the meeting in thanks for the paper's support.

To see more stories from the campaign visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/loveyourlocal.

What ideas did your pub pick up at the meeting? Call David Bale on 01603 772427 or email david.bale2@archant.co.uk.