Last month the Winchester BID attended the launch of 2015’s Winchester Business Excellence awards. The prestigious competition which has now entered its 13th year was welcomed in in style at a ceremony at the beautiful Norton Park Hotel. Entering business awards schemes is a great way for businesses to undertake a deep assessment of their current position, boost the morale of any staff they may have on board, and cement their place as an excellent business operating in their field. Whether you chose to enter an area specific contest such as the Winchester Business Excellence Awards or a specialised awards scheme that showcase the very best in your industry having a plaque on the wall is a great way to show off just how great you are.
If you read the business magazines that drop through your door as a member of organisations such as the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce you will see the great editorial coverage that many businesses manage to win for themselves as a result of winning, or simply being shortlisted for, a variety of awards. An award on your wall is another feather in your bow in the world of PR. Another great reason to enter awards ceremonies can be the added extras involved – for example all businesses that enter The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards in 2015 receive two free months access to the Greenleaf Online Library – granted not the best motivator for most businesses but a veritable gold mine for the kind of organisations that would be looking into such a category anyway. Do check out the Winchester Business Excellence Awards but whilst you’ve got your entering head screwed on why not have a look around for a few other schemes to try out – Winchester is a city of great businesses and many of them deserve to be award winners.
Awards ceremonies and accolades can sometimes appear to be the territory of large and well established businesses that operate with a large number of staff and a highly sophisticated office. Whilst it is true that these companies are often the recipients of awards, and the WBEA does indeed contain the 1-1 Recruitment Large Business of the Year Award, which is specifically the preserve of businesses with at least 15 full time equivalent employees. However there are also opportunities for smaller business to get involved including the Entrepreneur of the Year Award sponsored by the University of Winchester which is only open to enterprises which have been running for a minimum of 1 or a maximum of 3 years. All category winners are entered into the overall Denplan Business of the Year Award meaning that the winners of early stage awards like Entrepreneur of the Year can be entered into competition with the big leagues. If you’re looking for more good news what about the fact that the Winchester Business Excellence Awards are free to enter! You can find out more here.
Businesses within the BID area are also encouraged to enter the Winchester BID Commitment to the City Award which recognises an outstanding contribution to the business community of Winchester.
