On your marks for Lancashire business awards glory

The Be Inspired Business Awards – the BIBAs – has today launched its 2016 campaign.

There are prize categories for the biggest and smallest firms, manufacturers, service businesses as well as the individuals who make them successful.

The prizes will be handed out at an awards ceremony at the Blackpool Tower on Friday, September 16 which is expected to be attended by the leading lights of the county’s business community.

Adam Amstrong, transformation leader at the awards’ headline sponsor Saatchi and Saatchi, said he had been “inspired” by the businesses he met when he was judging the awards’ Business of the Year category in 2015.

He said: “Year after year, the BIBAs has raised the bar for Lancashire firms seeking to be recognised for their achievements.

“The calibre of firms I met last year were constantly evolving to meet the demands they face and, speaking with my fellow judges, I know this applied to every award category.

“I have no doubt the BIBAs will continue to challenge its applicants to raise their game to be named the very best of the best, and I have every confidence that the business community of Lancashire will respond.”

The North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, which hosts the annual awards, will again be holding a boot camp event to prepare its applicants for its judging process.

It has assembled a team of experts to provide support at a session held at the Chamber’s Fylde Coast Office in Blackpool on March 4.

The training will be based upon research undertaken by the Chamber and experts at Lancaster University Management School to bench-mark the BIBAs against the leading business awards in the world. It will provide advice on how to make your application stand out from the competition and to prepare to two further rounds of judging which will take place before the awards’ winners are selected.