Award Categories

Business of the Year

Gold Sponsor: Barking & Dagenham Borough Council

Barking and Dagenham Council is delighted to sponsor the Business of the Year Award in recognition of the diversity and high quality of the borough’s businesses.

This is the top award and carries a cash prize. You cannot apply for this award. It is only open to the winners of each of the other categories and each winner is automatically considered for the award by the judging panel.

Innovation

Gold Sponsor: SPX Rail Systems

SPX Rail Systems is a business unit within the SPX Corporation, USA, a Fortune 500 Company. SPX Rail Systems supplies railway infrastructure equipment in the UK and Internationally for both track switching machines and road/rail level crossing barriers.

For this category entrants should demonstrate how they have managed to successfully introduce new ideas, techniques or technology into their organisation or marketplace. Entries for innovation may take the form of a product, service or process.

What the judges will be looking for:

1. What is the idea, how was it innovative to your business?
2. How was the idea implemented within your business?
3. How has the idea impacted upon your business?

Green Business

Gold Sponsor: Laing O’Rourke

Laing O’Rourke Construction Ltd are a staunch supporter of the local efforts being made to promote regeneration of this area of London. Projects being delivered include Newham Building Schools for the Future Programme, Olympics, London Gateway Port and CrossRail Station Canary Wharf. Laing O’Rourke continues to drive 21st century thinking into the design and delivery of projects and invites like-minded organisations to engage with them.

This award is for a business that can show its products or services contribute to environmental sustainability. This could be because it is specifically a green business, supplying eco-friendly products or services, or because good environmental practices have been adopted which have improved or will improve the local or global environment.

What judges will be looking for:

1. How your company has reduced its carbon footprint or other examples of environmental best practice.
2. Business benefits of your environmental products or actions.
3. Evidence of positive sustainable impact where possible.

Supporting Education, Training or Development

*Gold Sponsor: Skills, Learning and Employment, Barking and Dagenham Borough Council

The Council’s Skills, Learning and Employment (SLE) team is delighted to sponsor this award in recognition of the importance of developing workplace skills and qualifications. SLE works to secure better jobs for local people, and to assist young people to realise their full potential through work-related learning.

Entrants for this category should be able to demonstrate how their business supports education, training or development within its workforce. It could be by supporting young people through an apprentice programme; providing work ‘tasters’ or placements, or by offering employment opportunities to people in the local community with learning difficulties or disabilities

What the judges will be looking for:

1. How the company demonstrates its commitment to the areas of education, training or development with local young people or adults.
2. Evidence that training objectives supported the business, and were accomplished.
3. How the future training and development priorities of the company will benefit local people.

Customer Service

Gold Sponsor: Bouygues Development

Bouygues Development is an experienced developer which operates in a number of market sectors in the UK including housing, commercial office space, mixed use developments and major regeneration schemes. Bouygues Development is part of Bouygues Construction – a world-leading construction and services group. Generating value through creativity and delivery, Bouygues Development enables environments and communities to thrive.

This award will be given to the company that can best demonstrate that it pays attention to the needs of its customers and works hard to maintain their loyalty. Entrants must show that they deliver high standards of service and have measurable ways of maintaining that service.

What the judges will be looking for:

1. A clear example of excellent customer service.
2. How you have identified your customer’s needs.
3. How you demonstrate your commitment to customer service.

Marketing Excellence

Gold Sponsor: Sanofi-Aventis

Sanofi-aventis, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, has been associated with Dagenham for 75 years through its manufacturing centre where life-saving medicines, including oncology drugs for treatment of various cancers, are distributed to over 80 countries worldwide. Sanofi-aventis’ global headquarters are in Paris with UK headquarters in Guildford, Surrey.

This award recognises the implementation of marketing to improve business performance and results. This can relate to the company as a whole or a specific project. Entries will be required to demonstrate an accomplishment which has had a positive and measurable impact on turnover within the last 12 months.

What the judges will be looking for:

1. An innovative or creative marketing campaign or initiative.
2. An overview of your marketing plan/strategy.

Best New Business

Silver Sponsor: Barking & Dagenham Small Business Centre

As part of the East London Small Business Centre, the UK’s longest established enterprise agency, the Barking & Dagenham Small Business Centre (BDSBC), are proud to sponsor this year’s Best New Business Award. BDSBC provides free, impartial and confidential support, advice and guidance to the new and established entrepreneurs of East London.

This category is open to all businesses registered in the borough of Barking & Dagenham that have started within the last two years. Entrants must be able to show how their business has progressed in line with their business plan. Success will be proven by the business and its employees having a clear understanding of their products, competitors and the marketplace in which the business operates.

What the judges will be looking for:

1. When was your business formed?
2. How has your business performed against your business plan, including major obstacles overcome and major successes?
3. What plan does your business have for the next three years?

Growth Business of the Year

Silver Sponsor: Germinate Business Ltd

We are excited about the 2010 Barking & Dagenham Business Awards. Barking & Dagenham is a location with good potential for generations of business success. The Awards give businesses & entrepreneurs recognition for their creativity, innovation, growth, good customer service as well as other areas; we are happy to support.

Entrants for the growth business category need to demonstrate business growth within their competitive marketplace.

What the judges will be looking for:

1. How does your business fit into your marketplace?
2. What are your business’s financial figures year on year (this information will remain confidential)?
3. What were your plans and targets to date?
4. What are your growth targets for the future?

Business Person of the Year

Bronze Sponsor: Barking & Dagenham Chamber of Commerce

The Barking and Dagenham Chamber of Commerce Award is supported by Barking College, The Mall Shopping Centre/DTZ, Sanofi-Aventis.

Barking & Dagenham Chamber of Commerce is a not for profit business organisation, promoting the furtherance of trading and defending the interests of those doing business in Barking & Dagenham. We exist to help business in the borough to prosper. Help your business succeed through membership with the Chamber.

This category is open to either a business owner or employee who has demonstrated outstanding abilities in running and developing their business. You cannot nominate yourself for this award and must be nominated by someone else.

What the judges will be looking for:

1. The person must be working for or own a successful business or not-for-profit organisation in the borough.
2. They must be able to show how their role has been instrumental in the growth/success in the company.
3. They are well respected by customers and staff of the business.

Sole Trader/Micro-business including E-business

Bronze Sponsor: Knowledge Dock, University of East London

Knowledge Dock is the University of East London’s (UEL) enterprise development service. We connect entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs and large organisations to the academic expertise and facilities at UEL in order to innovate and grow their business.

This category is open to anyone who is running a small business with five employees or fewer. You could be working from home, hot-desking, running an online business, could be a sole trader, market trader or running a small shop. The main criteria is that your business is thriving.

What the judges will be looking for:

1. Creativity and innovation on limited resources.
2. Evidence of achievement and sustainability.
3. Clear vision for the future.

Community Involvement including Social Enterprise

Bronze Sponsor: Apollo Property Services Group

With over 30 years of experience working within the Public Sector, the Apollo Group is now one of the fastest growing property services companies in the UK. Delivering new build, refurbishment and maintenance work for local authorities and housing associations, we believe passionately that better housing will help to revitalise society.

This award is open to businesses, voluntary and community organisations who either have a clear social purpose, such as a social enterprise or who have made an outstanding contribution to their local community. This could be by delivering services to local residents or it could be their work in the wider or global community. Entrants for the Community Involvement award will be measured on their social impact and not on their financial support to organisations.

Key Criteria:

1. Do you have clear social objectives?
2. Can you demonstrate a track record of delivery?
3. What has been the impact within the community of your involvement?