We need you to identify Cateys success stories

As we approach the start of the London Games, athletes and competitors across the globe will be putting the finishing touches to their preparations, hoping they'll be able to look back on 2012 as the year they achieved Olympic gold.

For a group of lucky hospitality professionals, meanwhile, 2012 will forever be remembered as the year they won a Catey.

When the then Caterer and Hotelkeeper editor, Joe Hyam, seeded the Cateys back in 1984, he could never have imagined that they would grow into the defining awards system in the UK hospitality industry.

Since then, hundreds of Catey statues have been awarded and now take pride of place in hotels, restaurants, offices and homes across the country.

These statues can denote many things: a lifetime of selfless service to the industry, perhaps, or an ability to cook like a god; a peerless talent for getting the most out of a team or a complex project expertly delivered.

But whatever skill each Catey represents, all have one thing in common: they were awarded to an exemplary individual, team or business in recognition of hard work, dedication and inspiration - and, crucially, they provide the rest of the industry with a benchmark of operational excellence to which they can aspire.

Now, we need your help in identifying another roster of Cateys success stories to inspire the industry. Who are the people and businesses you most admire? Who, in your opinion, has earned the right to own a Catey statue?

The deadline for entries for most categories is 10 February, with entries for self-nominated categories due four weeks later, on 9 March.

For full details, go to www.cateys.com.

By Mark Lewis

E-mail your comments to Mark Lewis here.

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