The Northern Ireland pub industry, which will be one of the many sectors honoured at the Awards, generates approximately 1billion annually to the local economy and employs around 34,000 people – almost 5% of total employment in Northern Ireland (*1). In addition, three quarters (77%) of all visitors to Northern Ireland pay a visit to a pub during their stay, so it is clear what a vital role the local food and drink industry plays in stimulating and sustaining tourism. Building on the success of its inaugural event, the 2010 Molson Coors Licensed & Catering News Awards are set to be an illustrious and prestigious affair with 49 finalists shortlisted across 15 categories. The finalists were announced at Morrison's Bar in Belfast in the presence of David Sterling, Permanent Secretary for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI), leading industry figures, award sponsors and members of the Northern Ireland licensed and tourism industry including finalists and past winners. This year, accolades for Publican of the Year and Hospitality Trainee of the Year have been added to the list of original categories, including the coveted Industry Achievement Award, which last year was awarded to Patsy Lavery of Lavery's Bar. The dynamic driving force behind this important industry event is Licensed & Catering News (LCN) - the authoritative voice of the trade in Northern Ireland since 1940 - and this year's ceremony is expected to be particularly spectacular as the magazine is also celebrating its platinum anniversary. The Molson Coors LCN Awards were launched in 2009 to celebrate excellence and to reward and acknowledge the outstanding achievements, hard work and dedication of Northern Ireland's most innovative businesses and individuals in the licensed, catering, and tourism and hospitality industries. These awards also help to keep trade standards at their optimum 'five star' level as well as recognise entrepreneurial spirit from within this diverse industry, which is a major contributor to the Northern Irish economy. They are the only awards in Northern Ireland to cover a broad spectrum of the hospitality industry. Bill Penton, publisher of Licensed & Catering News, commented: "We are proud to launch the second annual Licensed and Catering News Awards and are delighted to welcome Molson Coors on board as title sponsor of the Awards. In 2009 the inaugural Awards provided a positive focal point for businesses within the licensed catering, hospitality and tourism industry during an extremely difficult trading climate" Bill continued: "The feedback from last year was overwhelmingly positive and many winners in 2009 reported a direct increase in footfall in their businesses. We wish all our finalists good luck at the Awards." Niall McMullan, head of sales, Northern Ireland, Molson Coors said: "Molson Coors are delighted to be the title sponsor of the most comprehensive awards for the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland. We believe that this awards ceremony is a very important event in the annual trade calendar as it celebrates the success and commitment to excellence of everyone within our local licensed, catering, hospitality and tourism sectors. The awards provide a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the industry. "We would like to thank all the people that entered the awards and wish all the finalists the very best of luck," Niall continued. Independent specialist company, Spotcheck NI, is judging the awards and partner, Jill Beasant commented: "Northern Ireland has a great deal to be proud of in terms of our hospitality industry. Standards here are extremely high and this year's finalists have had to compete seriously hard to win their place amongst the finalists." "We are completely independent of LCN and our unbiased approach underpins the credibility of the awards and provides entrants with the confidence that they will be judged fairly," Jill added. The judging process included visits from mystery guests, written submissions and face-to-face interviews depending on the category. Mystery guests and judges looked for establishments who could demonstrate their operational expertise, their clear focus on providing a great experience for their guests, and their ability to create a standard of excellence that sets a shining example within the sector. The Molson Coors LCN Awards take place on Friday, October 8, 2010 at the Ramada Hotel, Belfast. For further information or to book a table contact Michelle Morgan on 028 9045 7457 or email michelle.morgan@pentonpublications.co.uk