The 2016 event was named Awards Show of the Year at the prestigious PPA Connect Awards in London last night (5 December), beating strong competition from the likes of the NME, UBM and Incisive Media.
Judges from the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) praised The MA for making brave and innovative changes to the long-running event, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and said: “The Publican Awards’ brilliant use of experiential ideas, a bold move in venue change and increased production investment, along with a well-planned and executed social media campaign, enabled them to truly transform and modernise this long-standing awards ceremony.”
Testament to hard work
The MA editor Ed Bedington said: “We’re delighted the Publican Awards was named Awards Show of the Year, and it’s a real testament to the hard work of the team here.
“We really wanted to pull out all the stops for the awards in their 25th anniversary year and put on a great event, so it’s a real vindication to win this award and it will drive us forward to continue that momentum and deliver an even better event in March."
Record levels of entries
He added: “With record levels of entries already into the competition for next year, we’re already off to a great start and things are shaping up nicely.”
Tim Brooke-Webb, managing director of William Reed Business Media's hospitality division, the parent company of The MA, added: "This recognition is richly deserved by a very dedicated and hard-working team.
"The crowning glory for The Publican Awards was earning a Guinness World Record at the same time as putting on the biggest and best event in the pub trade calendar.
"Our team is more used to being the people organising the awards so it is particularly exciting to be the other side of the camera for a change!"
The Publican Awards 2017 take place at Battersea Evolution on 14 March. To book your place at these award winning awards, contact Lucy Flack on 01293 610281 or email lucy.flack@wrbm.com.