Best Bar None - the UK's national awards scheme for best practice in the licensed trade

The Home Office, the ATCM, BBN, and the WSTA are proud to announce the launch of their joint conference – Is Big Society a Partnership? Alcohol, Partnership and Evidence, taking place on 15th March 2011, at the QEII Conference Centre, Westminster, London.

This conference will provide you with the most up to date picture of Government thinking and enable key players in the industry to share their reactions to Government thinking. You will have the opportunity to learn about new evidence, and compelling reasons on how to improve the night time economy.

We will discuss the goals of the reformed licensing act and debate strategies for achieving these, giving you the chance to shape the debate on how new legislation will be implemented.

You will be joined by key players from the police, health managers, local government officials, senior drinks companies executives, and licensees. You will see and hear what works, what the new priorities are and help to shape the reaction and next stages.

Highlights of the agenda include:

• New Legislation on licensing
• Saving on Police and Health costs
• The costs and impact of social responsibility
• How the suppliers, retailers and public authorities can work together
• Alternatives to regulation
• Growing the Night Time Economy

Tickets to this prestigious, unique event are only £50 to ATCM, BBN and WSTA members or £100 for all other delegates. However places are limited so click here to book your ticket now.

Who will attend?

• Heads of Pub Companies
• MPs
• Licensees
• Retailers
• Head of Local Government
• NHS Executives and Chiefs
• Town Centre Managers
• Night Time Economy Managers
• Police
• Fire service
• Head of drinks industry suppliers
• Quangos and NGO Chiefs

This event is generously sponsored by:

Within 24 hours of the launch, more than 15% of the licensed trade in Ipswich signed up to join Best Bar None. That continues to grow, said Caroline Elias, Ipswich Best Bar None Officer. "Such has been the interest shown by pubs and clubs, social clubs and hotels that we had to extend the period for applications to the end of November."

Best Bar None Ipswich is sponsored by Ipswich Town Football Club and Hawk Express Cabs Ltd. The 'Safer Night Out' message is also being marketed through www.ipswichbestbarnone.co.uk, by links with University Campus Suffolk and the Town Pastors, and through DVDs aimed at businesses in the licensed trade.

We've uploaded the PowerPoint presentations from this year's Best Bar None Practitioner's Conference at Ramside Hall in Durham and you can find them here.

100 delegates met in Durham yesterday at the 3^rd Annual National Best Bar None Practitioners Conference generously sponsored by Heineken, whose support enabled Best Bar None to provide this extremely valuable event for its practitioners.

 Held in Durham, home to the 2009 Best Bar None Most Innovative Scheme Winners – Durham BBN, delegates enjoyed an evening tour of the City’s top Best Bar None accredited nightspots hosted by BBN Durham, before rising the next day to attend the main event.

 Lord Redesdale, Chairman of Best Bar None opened the conference, challenging attendees to learn more about how to get the most out of their schemes and expand the excellent work of Best Bar None schemes nationally.

 Jon Stoddart, Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary, followed sharing his experiences of the benefits of Durham’s Best Bar None’s scheme on the reduction of alcohol harm in the city, emphasising its vital role in significantly reducing crime in the city.

 Speaking after his presentation Jon Stoddart said “Best Bar None Durham is a fantastic success story. It would be great to see more cities gaining the benefits that we have seen by embarking on a Best Bar None Scheme. It has been a major contributor to safety in Durham city centre”