MAGAZINE

Do believe the hype

You’ve heard it all before, I know. “We were blown away by the amount of entries!” “It’s our biggest year yet!” Such hyperbole will be regularly rolled out when an organiser of an event describes the one they’re currently working on. Do you buy it, I wonder? Or are you sceptical?

Well, all I can say – hand on heart – is that the 2024 National Pub & Bar Awards really did see record entries submitted, with not only the amount received surpassing previous years, but the effort and quality behind each submission also setting a new standard. It was quite something.

You’ll see in the news piece about the awards in this issue that I attribute this increase in interest to two things. First, that more pubs and bars around the UK are putting a greater value on the National Pub & Bar Awards and what winning one of the gongs can do for a business. For us, this is obviously wonderful to witness. However, I also feel that the energy and passion that went into those submissions clearly reflected that, these days, more operators are in need of such accolades to help lift sales during a very difficult time for the sector. We know that exemplary venues across the country are doing brilliant things, but guests – who are watching their disposal spending more than ever – need constant persuading to visit these places.

If we’ve done our job right over the years, then many of you will have read the testimonials from previous National Pub & Bar Awards winners, with the likes of Brakspear, Brewhouse & Kitchen, Cubitt House and The Approachable Group all attributing a spike in footfall and sales to their award wins at this event. This is what the National Pub & Bar Awards is all about, and I can only hope that our 94 County Winners for 2024 experience the same positivity when the word gets out about their success.

Tristan O’Hana - Editor