Ed Bedington, editor of the Publican’s Morning Advertiser, which organises the awards, said: “We’ve had a great response to the launch of the awards with some of the best companies getting on board. But we appreciate entering such serious and rigorous awards is a big task, so we’re giving a little more grace time to the sector.
“This is the 25th anniversary of the awards and we want to give as many companies out there as possible the chance to enter these prestigious awards and join in what are set to be the celebrations of the year.”
The awards acknowledge excellence across 17 different categories, ranging from food to employment and operations to branding. Taking place for the first time at Battersea’s Evolution, the event will see more than 1,300 of the industry’s key players join together to celebrate the great work that goes on across the sector.
Bedington added: “Next year’s awards are going to be the biggest and best to date. I’m looking forward to getting down to judging the entries, so don’t miss your chance to get involved.”
Help with future ventures
Steve Ball, co-director of The Columbo Group, said: “Winning the award meant a great deal to us all. It was a great testament to all the hard work that we, our managers and staff have put in to the past 12 months.
“Even if we hadn’t won, the process of putting into words the achievements of the business for the application would have been a rewarding enough experience. I’ve no doubt that the accolade has and will continue to help us in our future ventures.”
St Austell’s feel-good factor
Adam Luck, estate director, of St Austell said: “St Austell Brewery was thrilled to win the best tenanted and leased pub company in the 2015 Publican Awards. It has been our ambition to win this category for a number of years and it gave the whole company a massive boost when the results were announced.
“Winning a high profile award like this has undoubtedly enhanced our reputation and I believe we have seen a step change in the quality of applications we have received for vacancies in our tenanted estate. Our existing licensees and staff have felt they were part of the success and this contributed to the feel-good factor we have enjoyed in the team this year.”