The ceremony took place last month (15 September) at the company’s flagship venue - the Grosvenor in Manchester - with more than 250 employees in attendance.
It was themed around Las Vegas in a bid to give teams a flavour of what is to come ahead of a planned managers’ incentive trip to the city next year.
Every team member across the 24-strong estate was invited the celebration evening - a move the business believes sets it apart within the operator-managed pub model.
Furthermore, the night saw £1,750 raised for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Award categories recognised achievements across the business including areas such as entertainment, sport, social media and community engagement while the top accolade, Pub Manager of the Year, which went to Martin Lambe of the Grosvenor in Manchester.
People business
Managing director Chris Tulloch said: “Blind Tiger Inns is, and always has been, a people business.
“As the operator-managed model has grown across the pub sector, we believe our commitment to inviting every team member to an all-expenses paid black tie event genuinely sets us apart.
“The Tigers isn’t just our awards night. It’s our opportunity to bring everyone together, celebrate success, recognise hard work and show our teams how important they are to our business.
“We have invested heavily in our incentive programme this year, giving bar teams and managers the opportunity to visit Amsterdam, Paris, Edinburgh and Miami.
“Next year’s Las Vegas trip for managers is another example of our commitment to rewarding hard work and creating memorable opportunities for our people.
“Looking around a room filled with more than 250 members of the Blind Tiger team was a proud moment for us.”
Looking ahead
He added: “As we move towards our 10th anniversary in 2027, we’re already asking ourselves how we can make next year’s celebrations even bigger and better.”
Meanwhile, at The Morning Advertiser’s MA Leaders Club conference last June, Tulloch outlined the group’s expansion strategy.
He said: “If there’s a good opportunity, we’re not going to push to do it just for the sake of it.
“We’ve never chased numbers and we never will because there’s no point.
“We’d rather have 10 profitable sites than 30 costing us.”
