chief executive, Bar Entertainment & Dance Association (21)
BEDA's membership remains steady, at around 1,400 members, as the organisation becomes the key trade body for the high street. Companies that have joined in the past 12 months include Yates and Herald Inns, which owns the Brannigans chain, as well as a large number of independents.
Jon Collins, who has been BEDA's chief executive since January 2001, points to a variety of areas in which the group has influenced Government policy in recent months, including securing an exemption for nightclubs on the controversial licensing fees "multiplier". BEDA has been countering the threat of alcohol disorder zones by lobbying police and local authorities about the benefits of business improvement districts, which offer a partnership approach to deal with the problems of late-night disorder. In a similar vein, the group has been championing the national rollout of Best Bar None awards schemes. "That's another example of something the rest of the industry was sceptical of," says Collins.
The trade may be going through a "painful" time with the new Security Industry Authority licensing scheme for door supervisors, which BEDA championed, but Collins expects the issue will be sorted out in another three or four months. The group has been involved with discussions with the Police Standards Unit about best practice in dealing with alcohol-related disorder, and it was invited to give evidence to select committees on Home Affairs and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Collins adds: "Time and time again we are showing that we are up there as the first point of call for major policy makers."