STUDENT UNDERSTANDS that EUSA-run venues were surprisingly successful in Freshers’ Week, with overall takings up by as much as 18 per cent.

The increase comes despite stiff competition from rival Edinburgh venues, which have been increasingly aggressive in targeting the lucrative freshers market, typically with aggressive discounting of alcohol.

STUDENT UNDERSTANDS that EUSA-run venues were surprisingly successful in Freshers’ Week, with overall takings up by as much as 18 per cent.

The increase comes despite stiff competition from rival Edinburgh venues, which have been increasingly aggressive in targeting the lucrative freshers market, typically with aggressive discounting of alcohol.

The news continues a run of good performances by EUSA venues, with EUSA last year being one of only a few student associations in the country to make a profit on entertainment. Despite this, however, EUSA remains heavily in debt.

The results, revealed this week behind closed doors in a EUSA ‘debrief’, also seem to prove the success of the association’s policy to broaden the focus of Freshers’ Week beyond its traditionally alcohol-soaked image.

As part of this campaign, EUSA venues did not run any drinks promotions during Freshers’ Week, a move accompanied by a high-profile safe drinking campaign, and a record number of non-alcohol-related alternative events.

Student understands that takings in the Teviot Library Bar were more than double those for the previous year, largely as a result of the bar offering a wider range of food.

In addition, the catering facilities at Potterrow posted an increase of 3.4 per cent on 2007, despite the venue scrapping one outlet entirely and no longer serving hot food.

Camilla Pierry, the Committee of Management Executive Member for Bars, described this as an “indicator of the way students are responding to encouragement to use their Unions in the daytime, to socialise and meet new people rather than just for evening drinking.”

However, John Doyle, a 17-year-old fresher studying law and French, cast doubt on the success of the alternative events: “I really didn’t notice them that much.”

“They didn’t seem to be that well publicised, most of what I saw was very alcohol-related.”

A survey of students recently conducted by Student found that 20 per cent of those asked thought Freshers’ Week was too alcohol-oriented.

In addition, 73 per cent of respondents said that they had drunk more than the recommended daily amount of alcohol per day.