Caroline Nodder: It is this wealth of ideas from the grassroots which fuels our sector

I had the honour last week of being asked to judge the final of the Pilsner Urquell Czech Challenge competition, which saw licensees compete for a £10,000 investment in their business.

To win, the 10 finalists had to present to our judging panel their plans for the cash and how it would help them to boost trade. In these difficult times £10k is not to be sniffed at of course and the 10 had certainly done their homework.

And the experience really brought home to me what inventive and unique businesses pubs really are. The finalists were of all ages and backgrounds with pubs spread across the country - no two were alike - and each had approached the project in a totally different way. But in each case their idea was relevant to their particular business, their customers had often been involved in its inception, and the pub would certainly have benefitted from the investment long term.

And they were ambitious projects. One finalist had proposed launching an advertising campaign on the tube network in London linked in to the royal wedding and culminating in a wedding being put on as a prize at the pub on the same day.

Another presented a plan for the conversion of his conservatory into a virtual brewery tour experience and sampling room in order to educate customers about the origins and uniqueness of the beers they can drink there - and ultimately to attract more customers and sell more beer.

And the eventual winner of the competition, Mitchel Adams from the Thatchers Arms in Essex (see page 5 of this week's issue), presented his vision for the creation of a pop-up cinema and theatre in his function room which will bring the latest productions to the pub under the "Pilsner Urquell presents…" banner.

The plan had been researched meticulously, was aimed at appealing to villagers near the pub who currently have to travel some distance to see the latest films or visit a theatre, and included the addition of cabaret-style seating and a state-of-the-art sound system. He had even thought to include the addition of a special menu featuring dishes which can be quietly consumed while the film or play is under way.

Mitchel is a worthy winner and I have no doubt he will make a huge success of the project. But the key thing I took away from the judging is the enthusiasm and drive of all the finalists to move their businesses forward. Running a pub is one of the hardest jobs in the world, and I take my hat off to anyone who is able to do it and succeed. The finalists all showed they have what it takes to lead the trade forward, none of them dwelt on the negative, their ideas were progressive and forward-thinking. And I was also impressed that a brand like Pilsner Urquell had invested the time and effort in listening to their ideas and investing in them, where so many brands simply shoe-horn their own concepts into the pubs they supply.

It is this wealth of ideas from the grassroots which fuels our sector, and long may that continue.