'Biggest celebrity ever' promised for Lancashire business awards ceremony

The North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce is keeping details of the celebrity act under wraps but has begun teasing the details on social media.

The organisation took to Twitter to say: “We never reveal who the celebrity entertainment is until the night of the ceremony - but we can say that this year is probably the most high profile celeb we've booked to date!”

It comes as the team behind the Be Inspired Business awards, the BIBAs, switches its focus from judging to finalising arrangements for the county’s biggest and most glamorous awards night, described by many as “the Oscars of the Lancashire business scene”.

Babs Murphy, the chamber’s chief executive said: “Every year, we work hard to ensure that the BIBAs ceremony is a night to remember, and that includes booking well known bands and artists to entertain our guests.

“In years gone by, we’ve been entertained by acts such as Lulu, Peter Andre, Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley, opera star Russell Watson, pop sensation Jason Donovan and, last year, Shane Ritchie and his band, but we have something extra special planned for this year’s ceremony with our biggest star name yet. But you’ll have to wait until September 16 to discover who it is.”

Babs said the BIBAs ceremony is a sell-out for 2022, with a waiting list now in operation.

It will be catered by Lytham-based Campbell and Rowley, with a menu packed with fresh, Lancashire-sourced ingredients.

Other county businesses supplying the BIBAs ceremony this year include award-winning sculptor Charles Hadcock DL who will be supplying the awards trophies, Majestic Wine of Lytham, the Boulevard Hotel in Blackpool which is offering a special rate to guests wanting overnight accommodation, and florists Margaret Mason which will be supplying decorative table centres that help to create the wow factor in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

Babs added: “It’s easy to think that once the competition entries have been judged and the finalists chosen, our work stops but, actually, there’s no let-up for the BIBAs team who are all now busy putting everything in place to ensure that the awards night is a success.

“Hosting an event as big as this, for more than a thousand guests, is no mean feat and takes an incredible amount of organisation with many moving parts that require significant attention to detail. But, as ever, I’m confident that we’ll pull it off, giving the finalists and winners a night they won’t forget in a hurry.”