We are a region of business champions

Apr 22 2008 By Steve Brown, The Journal

THE North East Business Awards are, in my view, more important this year than ever. The region has had a tough few months.

Northern Rock has dealt a bitter blow to our confidence and the regional business psyche and we seem to have suffered a spate of national news stories that didn’t exactly portray the North East in the best light – whether it was losing data, the David Abrahams Labour Party funding issue or the missing man from “Seaton Canoe”. Our three premiership football teams also went through a spell of making the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

So, it’s absolutely essential that we don’t let all this obscure the great and very positive things that are happening in the region. The North East remains a robust, vibrant and progressive regional economy and now, more than ever, we should shout this from the rooftops.

This is where the North East Business Awards can play a part. It is a celebration of success, it highlights great work and great companies and it makes people feel good about what’s happening. This feels timely and very appropriate.

Despite the challenging times, support for the awards has been as strong as ever. The three sub-regional dinners sold out again and to get nearly 800 people for the regional final belies any sense of disinterest or the awards not being a real priority for the business community.

Difficult economic times have also not impacted on companies entering the awards. Entry levels are slightly down on the record number achieved last year, but 91% of companies entering are new. That’s a remarkable statistic and sends a real message that the North East is alive with fresh, successful companies confident that they have a positive story to tell.

Encouragingly, the Export Award has seen a big growth in entries this year and, once again, the Small Business Award was hotly contested with over 50 entries. Small businesses are, of course, one of the key areas of focus for Business Link and we are delighted this year to have this revamped organisation as our major partner. They have been engaged, supportive and absolutely true to the spirit of the Business Awards – to encourage North East companies to succeed.

No other region can boast a business event as big or as organised as these awards. We cite 10 reasons as to why they have been so successful:

Tradition – The regional Business Award format is now in it’s eighth year. It is a tried and trusted formula that offers a consistent benchmark for judging performance.

Engagement – Since 2001, nearly 1,900 different companies in the North East have entered one of the Award categories. That is a fantastic endorsement of the event and shows that the event really means something to the business community. Companies of all shapes and sizes, and in all sectors, get involved.

Gravitas – A key ingredient of the Business Awards is the tremendous support we get from our Award sponsors. Organisations such as Greggs, HSBC, Northumbrian Water, Eversheds, UKTI and KPMG give the event credibility and gravitas.

Support – It’s not just the Award sponsors who add to the sense of real business support. Other aspects of the event are sponsored and we particularly value the support given by Business Link North East

Independence – The Journal and the Evening Gazette do not get involved in the judging process. We take on the role of organiser and promoter and we effectively sub-contract the judging to teams of experts, relevant to each
category.

Integrity – Over 100 people are part of the various judging panels. They are all senior people in the region and they bring integrity, professionalism and diligence to arguably the most important part of the Business Awards event – ensuring we get the right winners!

Relevance – While we safeguard the consistency and tradition of the Business Awards, we do work hard to keep the event fresh, relevant and moving forward. This year, again, some of our winners will go forward to represent the North East at the National Chamber of Commerce Awards.

Promotion – The Awards get fantastic promotion, not just through our range of titles, but often through TV coverage, website promotion and through other business events across the region. Any Business Award winner will tell you that they get a massive amount of exposure and external coverage.

Organisation – A dedicated Business Awards event organiser ensures that the event operates to the highest standards. Organising four dinners, co-ordinating judging panels, commissioning audio-visual support, handling hundreds of entries and dealing with a large cast of sponsors is no mean feat. Top class organisation underpins the event.

Audience – The Business Awards are nothing without an audience. Therefore, the core asset of the event is that well over 2,000 business people attend one of the four dinners and thousands of newspaper readers will read about the successful companies doing well. The North East Business Awards is now a mature brand and a true marque of quality in the region.

So, that’s why we believe so passionately in these company awards and that’s why we’ll protect this vital event so strongly and try to build and improve on it each year.

Following hot on the heels of these awards is the North East Business Executive of the Year and our search begins shortly for the individuals behind the great companies you will see on display tonight.

A new category has been added this year: ‘Non Executive Director of the Year’ – an attempt to highlight the massively significant role played by many unsung heroes in companies of all shapes and sizes. It is the 25th year of this event and the awards dinner on October 30 will be a special one.

But back with the North East Business Awards and the companies which have been competing for the regional accolade. Once again, I am sure that you will be impressed by the breadth, creativity and sheer excellence of the finalists. Our 30 finalists show North East business in a brilliant light and they do so much to counter-balance some of the more negative things the region has had to contend with. I hope that this event is a suitable and fitting platform for these businesses to really shine.

To use a football analogy, tonight is the ‘Champions League’ the place where the winners meet the winners. Good luck to all the finalists – they are a credit to our region.