The awards are open from today (16 April) for licensees’ entries across 15 exciting categories, which celebrate all different types of pub.
The categories are:
- Best Beer Bar/Pub
- Best Spirits Bar/Pub
- Best Wine Bar/Pub
- Best Cider Bar/Pub
- Best Entertainment Pub; Best Family Pub
- Best Food Pub
- Best Turnaround Pub
- Best Sports Pub
- Best Bar Team
- Best Newcomer
- Best Community Pub
- Best Partnership Pub (formerly Best Tenanted/Leased Pub)
- Best Freehouse
- Best Managed Pub
New for this year is Best Beer Pub, which recognises pubs for who beer sales (whether cask, craft, lager) have been a key part of their success in the past year. This replaces Best Cask beer Pub.
Awards are judged through an initial paper judging by a panel of industry experts including industry body chiefs, pub guide editors and business journalists.
Finalists are then site visited by judges from mid-June to the end of July, for them to see the business in action and discover more from finalists about their site’s business success and development in the past year.
Regional winners are then selected for each category across six UK regions who are announced in August. From these 90 regional winners and following further judging 15 national category champions are selected who will be announced at an exciting eighties-themed awards night at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London on Thursday, 10 September.
The award’s champion of champions – the Sky Great British Pub of the Year 2015 – is also announced at the glittering award’s night.
Winning benefits
Winning the awards is an excellent way to generate excellent PR for your pub, drive extra trade to your site, help you recruit top new staff and give your team a well-deserved pat on the back.
Susie Clarke, licensee of the Grafton in Kentish Town, London, the winners of the Great British Pub of the Year 2014 said: “The benefits of winning the awards have been threefold. We’ve certainly become much more well-known within the industry since winning the award. Also our team are brimming with pride to be working at the Great British Pub of The Year; it gave everyone the pat on the back they deserved and real sense of collective achievement.”
She adds: “We believe the award has played a significant part in the growth of our business since September; we’ve seen interactions on social media between potential customers discussing the pub. Having heard that we are Great British Pub of The Year gives potential customers a certain level of confidence in what we do before they’ve set foot through the door.”
Valuable entry process
Kevin Abbott, licensee of the Anchor in Wingham, Kent, winner of Best Entertainment Pub 2014 said licensees can benefit from the awards simply from filling in the application form. “It’s a great exercise in stepping back from the business and working out all your achievements, as well as areas you might be able to improve. I shall definitely be entering again this year.”
The closing date for entries is Friday, 22 May 2015, with entries completed on-line.
Ed Bedington, editor of the Publican’s Morning Advertiser, said: “Entering awards give you a great opportunity to earn valuable recognition both within the trade, and with your customer base, as well as attracting new business should you take home a title. You only have to look to the success of previous entrants to give you reasons to enter. I’m looking forward to seeing what makes the best in the trade tick.”
For more information and entry forms see www.greatbritishpubawards.co.uk