And the entries are now….open!
The inaugural Wimborne Business Awards got off to a flying start when business leaders attended a breakfast launch at the Allendale Centre.
As reported on Dorset Biz News, the Minster town is the latest location chosen for the fast-growing, and grassroots, business awards scheme.
The awards, organised by Marketing West Events, will focus on promoting the range and quality of local businesses.
Entry is free and open for all to enter.
Speakers at the launch event included:
- Nigel Reeve, of Marketing West Events
- Cllr Jeff Hart from Wimborne Minster Town Council
- Tammy Sleet of Wimborne BID
- Tracie Beardsley, PR and marketing expert
Subjects covered included the chance for local businesses to promote themselves, the awards website – wimbornebusinessawards.co.uk – how to enter, the judging process, category sponsorship opportunities and the awards ceremony scheduled for late April 2022.
Nigel, pictured left, said: “The response so far has been exceptional.
“I’d like to thank Wimborne BID for their great support in getting these awards up and running.
“Entries are now open via the awards website and the first entry was in by late morning.
“Also, category sponsors are already on board including Yellow Buses and the NFU.
“We are expecting a high number of entries and I’ve predicted the number we will have, written it in an envelope, sealed it and locked it away.
“It will be opened at the April awards ceremony in front of the attendees and those watching the live streaming.
“Let’s see how close I am.”
The award categories are:
- Best Place to Work
- Best Use of Innovation
- Cafe, Pub, Casual Dining
- Excellence in Customer Service
- Family Business of the Year
- Green/Eco-Business of the Year
- Health, Beauty and Fitness
- Independent Business of the Year
- Local Artisans and Local Producers
- New Business of the Year
- Outstanding Community Support
- Professional Services Business
- Retail Business of the Year
- Young Entrepreneur/Rising Star
- The Dorset Mind Excellence in the Community Award
- Overall Business of the Year
Closing date for entries is March 7, 2022.
Customer, as well as business, nominations are very welcome.
The judging will be independent and online with no outside influence.
Comments from guests at the launch included:
- “Anything that will help to keep Wimborne full of individual shops and raise the profile of local businesses in the town has got to be a good thing” – Victoria Sturgess, Owner, Black Pug Books.
- “The awards are a great idea for the business community and the town as a whole. It’s a great opportunity for businesses to interact with each other and help one another in this challenging climate. The chance to meet some business owners today has been wonderful with the pandemic stopping us from having the opportunity to get together to share ideas” – Kat Valenti, Landlady, The Green Man.
- “I really praise this initiative. I love Wimborne and these awards will really help to showcase the wonderful breadth of businesses we have in our town and applaud and recognise the entrepreneurial spirit that is so evident here”- Cllr Jeff Hart, member of Wimborne Minster Town Council.
- “Wimborne has a vibrant, active business community that deserves this kind of recognition” – Tammy Sleet, Manager, Wimborne BID.
- “The awards are an amazing idea and I love the fact you can get customers to nominate your business as well as nominating yourself. I will certainly be asking my customers to nominate us” – Duncan Jones, Owner, FishCove Aquatics.
- “Anything that gives businesses a positive platform is to be applauded. I set up Dorset Shop Local Guide on Instagram because I am passionate about small businesses in Dorset and wanted to make it easier for people to find them and thereby support them. I’m right behind these awards” – James Inge, DorsetShopLocalGuide.
- “There’s that saying – ‘ask a busy person if you want something done. I think it should be ‘ask a business person…’. Business owners are such doers. They are the lifeblood of a town and play a very important role in the wider community that often goes unrecognised. The first ever Wimborne Business Awards are a brilliant way to spotlight the success of local businesses on their own patch and a chance for them to give themselves a much-deserved pat on their own backs” – Tracie Beardsley, PR and marketing specialist for small businesses who represents many Wimborne-based clients and is helping to support the awards.
wimbornebusinessawards.co.uk
Wimborne Business Awards sponsors and supporters
