However, this time I was lucky enough to be sitting on the serene side of the table.
Despite my own frantic journey last year en route to the industry’s top prize, being crowned Licensee of the Year was, without doubt, worthy of every restless round, because it has presented me with opportunities I could never have previously dreamed of: sharing best practice with like-minded licensees at UK roadshows, contributing to trade publications, assisting the BII in selecting its new chairman, deciding on the successor to my throne, and developing a precious network of professional contacts and first-class friends at every level in my chosen workplace.
A lasting memory for me is speaking at the PMA’s MA300 multiple operator club in Brighton last September.
Had I known the calibre of the audience beforehand, I would have packed a pair of perfumed brown trousers and skin-tight tungsten bicycle clips.
Even so, the kindness and camaraderie shown towards me afterwards by each alehouse heavyweight quickly convinced me that I had Renouncing crown after whirlwind year made no mistake in committing a life’s work to hospitality.
'Lucky'
I have been incredibly lucky to rub eyeballs with some of the industry’s very best people.
A recent lunch meeting with one dignitary left me with invaluable insight, deep laughter-lines, and a belly chock-full of fire.
The next LOYA victors, crowned on 2 June, will quickly discover that collecting this prestigious award opens many doors, provides a pathway for self-development, and delivers an overwhelming sense of personal and professional pride.
Taking the title also brings industry-wide exposure, uninterrupted interrogation, and a tidy sum of PMA print deadlines!
More importantly, and entirely selfishly, I will at long last discover if it is the time-honoured tradition of Club LOYA that the reigning winner has to buy the first round at every single gathering.
I consider it a huge honour to have been selected by the BII as a fitting ambassador in my field, and hope, at the same time, I have duly repaid the generous trust placed in me to promote the enjoyment of beer and the unique role of the pub.