Why enter your business?
This is a unique opportunity to showcase yourself and your company alongside some of the outstanding businesses and business people within the borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells. Be part of a new and vibrant annual awards which recognises, celebrates and promotes local business excellence.
Winning a prestigious business award will add credibility to your company, raise your profile through valuable media coverage, generate new business, inspire your staff and provide an exclusive networking opportunity for you at the awards ceremony which takes place on Thursday 19th May 2016 at Salomons Estate.
The closing date for entries to the RTW Business Awards is 6pm on Friday 15th April 2016. Each category will be shortlisted to three entries. Shortlisted companies will be notified by email on Friday 22nd April 2016. Winners will be announced at the RTW Business Awards gala dinner. Tickets will be available from 1st January 2016, priced at £95 per person or £850 for a table of 10.
We are proud to welcome former government minister, author and broadcaster Edwina Currie as the host of the awards event. She will be there to compere proceedings, hand out the awards, network with guests and engage in what she describes as ‘vigorous debates’ on the night.
Categories
New Business of the Year
You’ve come into business in the last two years (start date after 1st January 2014) with a bang and are really getting noticed for what you do. Tell us what makes you the best of a great new crop.
Green Company of the Year
Being a Green business can embrace many aspects of sustainability, including being environmentally friendly in our business approach or changes that you have made in your business to become more sustainable, save CO2 emissions, re-use, recycle and even saving money.
Creative Business of the Year
Is your business success based on innovation and creative thinking in your strategy and every day business? This award category is for any business over two years old in any sector that can demonstrate creativity as adding value to your business’s success.
Corporate Social Responsibility
If your company has developed an effective and comprehensive CSR programme that is credible, results driven and reinforces your commitment to operating in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner, your organisation is eligible to enter this award.
The award is for the organisation which has done the most to develop its social responsibility programme, and they will be judged primarily on activities undertaken in 2014/2015 although projects started before and those ongoing will be taken into account.
Our judges will be looking for good governance, management and a continuing commitment to sustainability.
Business Hero of the Year
Nominees for this award will have gone the extra mile in their job to achieve something amazing, or overcome adversity in their professional life and continued to deliver an excellent service. The person should be an ambassador for the borough of Tunbridge Wells and a role model to their colleagues.
Best Family Business of the Year
The business must have been trading for a minimum of 12 months before the closing date 15th April 2016. It must be based in the borough of Tunbridge Wells and show how the company is set up, what family members are involved (past and present), and identify the financial success of the business in relation to growth in turnover and profit and loss.
Entrepreneur of the Year
An entrepreneur is more than a business person. Entrepreneurs turn their ideas into business opportunities and may run one or more businesses. If you are innovative and have turned your big ideas into a successful venture, this is the category for you.
Young Business Person of the Year
The Young Business Person of the Year Award is open to dynamic individuals aged 30 or under running a business in the borough of Tunbridge Wells and able to demonstrate great success and drive in growing their business.
Service Excellence Award
The winner of this category will give outstanding assistance and advice to those who buy or use the business or organisation’s products of services. They will be able to provide customer testimonials to support their entry.
Outstanding Business of the Year
This is the ultimate award of all the categories and will go to the business that can show outstanding initiative, boldness and imagination in the enterprise, as well as sound management practices.
The winner must also be able to show they have a clear strategy to invest in the skills of their staff and be expected to demonstrate sustainable growth combined with a degree of commercial success that is exceptional for the size of the business.
Times of Tunbridge Wells Readers’ Choice Award
The Readers’ Choice Award is a little bit different from the rest. We want to get Times of Tunbridge Wells readers involved by asking you to nominate a local business or business person who consistently delivers outstanding customer service. It can be any company providing a product or service within the borough of Tunbridge Wells that you think is worthy of this special award.
How to enter…
To submit your entries for the RTW Business Awards please vist www.tunbridgewellsbusinessawards.co.uk
The closing date for entries is 6pm on Friday 15th April 2016.
