The awards event, organised by the Herald, will take place at the Grand Hotel on Friday, October 31, from 12noon-4.30pm.
The main sponsor is once again CMS. Some changes to the entry procedure have been made this year with the aim of simplifying the process for businesses – and this year there is no charge for entering.
Companies can enter as many categories as they consider appropriate, but must fill in a separate entry form for each.
This year there is no requirement to make financial information available. The emphasis is on the business explaining its own success story. That could include expansion, turnover or profit growth, industry peer recognition, training achievements – or any other measure of business success.
There are 10 categories this year, plus the overal Business of the Year award.
All but three have sponsors in place.
The categories are:
Independent Retailer of the Year (sponsored by HSBC)
Business Person of the Year (Sponsored by Natwest)
Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Business of the Year (Sponsored by The Grand Hotel)
Small Business of the Year (under 10 employees) – sponsor required
Manufacturing and Construction Company of the Year – sponsor required
Employer of the Year (Sponsored by BMI Esperance)
Professional Business of the Year (Sponsored by Lloyds TSB)
Employee of the Year – sponsor required
Quality Customer Service Award (Sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter)
Service and Support Company of the Year (Sponsored by Canford Healthcare)
Business of Year (Sponsored by CMS)
For sponsorship enquiries, phone Teresa Nemeth on 01424 856751.
You can enter the awards and order tickets for the event by going to our website, www.eastbourneherald.co.uk and clicking on Business Awards.
There will, as usual, be a top quality motivational celebrity speaker who will be announced later.