Richmond Business Awards nominations for 2017 are closing soon - this is what you need to know

Organised by Richmond Chamber of Commerce in association with the Richmond and Twickenham Times, the awards launched at a gala evening at St Mary’s University at the end of May.

It culminates in an extravagant black tie gala at Twickenham stadium on November 10.

Nominations for this year are closing very soon, on October 6. Nominate now at www.richmondbusinessawards.com

Richmond Chamber of Commerce CEO Anne Newton said: “We at the Richmond Chamber of Commerce and the Richmond and Twickenham Times are delighted to yet again be providing more than 5,000 businesses across the Richmond upon Thames area the opportunity to enter these Richmond Business Awards 2017 and benefit not only from the opportunity of improving their business from judging panel's feedback, but also from winning and enjoying enormous local PR exposure and a great evening of celebration too at the Black Tie Gala at the RFU on 10th November; it really is the business event of the year, so book your tickets and tables now at www.richmondbusinessawards.com.”

A broad cross section of domestic and international businesses and non-profits large and small from all sectors such as retail, engineering, services, sport, science and tech have benefited hugely from winning as is clear from previous winner Derek Mason, who spoke so compellingly about his own Award winning experience at the launch.

Mr Mason is a founding director at the multi-award winning structural engineering consultancy Super Structures Associats (SSA) in Twickenham.

Based in Twickenham, he has over 30 years’ experience in projects from small domestic developments to approving the design of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.

He founded SSA six years ago and hasn’t looked back since joining Richmond Chamber of Commerce and entering the awards.

He said: “I tried the usual set of excuses why not to enter, but I was convinced me to give it a go, which I did. I did not win anything that year, but the experience was really worthwhile.

“I received some feedback from the judges via the judging panel's chair, that I then used the following year, when I won the Highly Commended Award for Best Professional Practice in 2013. The benefits I believe of entering and winning can be summarised as:

Benefits of Entering Business Awards:

· Additional publicity and exposure for you and the business

· Helps you stand out from the crowd

· Increased trust with your clients

· Better staff moral

· Improved reputation and gives you credibility in your sector

· Good PR material

· Feedback from judges can help for future entries

· Networking with other good businesses – potential clients

· Preparing the entry forces you to evaluate your business critically

· Financial benefits can be substantial

Financial Benefits of Entering Business Awards:

· Large Award-winning companies (AWC’s) 48% increase operating income and 37% growth in sales (Source – British Quality Foundation (BQF))

· SME Award-winning companies 63% increase operating income and 39% growth in sales (Source – British Quality Foundation)

Study by University of Leicester for BQF and European Foundation for Quality Management of 120 Businesses in two categories over 11 years showed the following:

· AWC’s showed improved financial performance within 1 year of winning first award

· After 3 years AWC’s >17% sales and >36% share value

· After 11 years AWC’s >77% sales and >18% operating income

Mr Mason added: “SSA also won the Commended Award for the Best Small Business in 2015 and the Highly Commended Award for Best Professional Practice in 2016, so it shows that persistence pays off.

“Personally, I have doubled the turnover of my business in the last two years to a healthy six-figure turnover and a large part of this can be attributed to winning these Richmond Business Awards, as it has raised our profile in the local area and in our industry and has made us stand out above our competitors.

“You may have noticed at the beginning that my company is described as a multi-award winning practice; as long as you have won two or more awards, you can say that, but it starts with the first one, which helps you stand out amongst your competitors.

“I would therefore encourage you to enter the Awards this year, as they say with the lottery, you have to be in it to win it. You have nothing to lose, but so much to gain. Good luck!"

Sponsorship opportunities

For sponsorship opportunities, email ceo@richmondchamberofcommerce.co.uk. As you can see from our sponsors' line-up, you will be in excellent company and our sponsors are hugely appreciated by us all at the Chamber, RTT and of course widely across the business community - thank you for all you do!

Headline Sponsor: St Mary’s University – Sponsors of Best New Start-Up and Best Charity or Social Enterprise

Vice-Chancellor of St Mary’s University, Francis Campbell said: “We are proud to sponsor these awards. Fostering entrepreneurship and encouraging our student body to build links with local businesses are key parts of how we deliver such good graduate outcomes. I am sure that our students will be inspired by, and make the most of the opportunity our relationship with the Chamber of Commerce presents.”

Bluebird Care Richmond and Twickenham – Sponsors of the People’s Choice

“Bluebird Care has been supporting people across Richmond for ten years. We are delighted to support the People’s Choice award.”

Santander – Sponsors of Best Business in Overseas Trade

Santander, Business Bank of the Year for a third consecutive year (Moneyfacts, 2015-2017), are proud to be supporting these awards.

NatWest – Sponsors of Best Female Entrepreneur

“From tangible day-to-day support from the relationship manager to introductions to relevant organisations, we at NatWest want to go beyond providing financial services and help female entrepreneurs achieve their business ambitions as entrepreneurs.”

Minesoft Ltd– Sponsors Best Innovation

Innovation breathes life and wins business at home and abroad. In today’s evermore competitive world, Minesoft is delighted to sponsor the 2017 Richmond Business Award for outstanding innovation!

The Lensbury – Sponsors of Best Customer Service

“We are proud to be a supporter of the Richmond Business Awards and look forward to seeing the “best and brightest” of Richmond business’ in the shortlist for the 2017 Awards!”

Butterworth Laboratories – Sponsors of Best Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility

For the third year running Butterworth’s are proud to be again sponsoring the award for best achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility.

Upcoming Chamber Events

October 17 - Chamber Business Masterclass: Mobile Marketing

October 26 - Chamber Business Evening at the iconic Pitch View Suite, Marriott Hotel, Twickenham

November 7 - Chamber Tea Morning at Rosie Chai Tea Room in Twickenham

November 10 - Richmond Business Awards

November 23 - Chamber Business Breakfast with Golf at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club

December 5 - Chamber Coffee Morning at Côte Bistro, Richmond

December 8 - Chamber Afternoon Tea at the House of Lords

December 12 - Chamber Business Evening at Bacco, Richmond

December 14 - Chamber Festive Business Breakfast at Whole Foods Market Richmond

February 6, 2018 - Chamber Tea Morning at RosieChai Tea Room in Twickenham