The hunt is on for the county’s top businesswomen in a glittering awards night supported by Lancashire Life
Do you know an inspiring businesswoman who deserves to be in the spotlight at a glittering awards night? If so, the organisers of Lancashire’s Enterprise Vision Awards want to hear from you.
These awards, known as the EVAs, throw the spotlight on the growing legion of successful businesswomen across the county. The awards are now in their fourth year and they have grown into one of the major events in the county’s business calendar.
This year’s ceremony will attract more than 600 guests to the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool and Lancashire Life is delighted to be one of the sponsors of this exciting event.
Launched back in 2011 by Coral Horn of the Pink Link Ladies networking group, the awards aim to recognise those women who are doing great things in business and are an inspiration for others. They could be running their own company or setting a shining example in their profession.
Coral said: ‘Over my years of experience in working with women in business, I have found they have a tendency to overlook their achievements in favour of simply getting on with the job in hand. It’s only when they take a step back and reflect, do they realise just how successful they are. The awards were launched in a bid to combat this and really start celebrating those women who are making an enormous contribution to our economy and providing employment across the north west.’
The awards have seen popularity and loyalty grow each year and 2014 will see last year’s headline sponsor, NatWest returning for a second year.
The award categories include Business Woman of the Year, Professional Services as well as categories such as Training and Coaching in order to reflect those industries which employ a high number of women. This year has also seen the introduction of Online Business and Hospitality Business categories to specifically recognise individuals who are at the forefront of these sectors.
Indeed, one of the EVA’s most prestigious awards is the Inspirational Woman of the Year category, sponsored by NatWest which was last year won by Jane Halpin and Denise Armer of Unique Kidz & Co who also took the title in the New Business award in 2012 for their company which provides after-school and holiday clubs for children and teenagers with disabilities.
‘The categories have developed as the awards have grown. We’ve been simply overwhelmed by the number of entries that we receive year on year and we have adapted to recognise and accommodate the industries that our entrants are coming from.
‘We have seen entries from a really exciting mixture of businesses, from artisan wine companies to financial and legal firms that are working hard to influence the way their industry operates.
‘Each year we uncover some truly inspirational stories from our entrants and never cease to be amazed by some of the incredible things achieved, often in the face of immense adversity which is something that we strive to recognise,’ added Coral.
How to enter
The awards are now open for entries and nominations. Those looking to enter can find out more at the free EVA’s launch events being held at Lancaster and Morecambe College on 29th April and Preston College on 2nd May. More information is also available at www.enterprisevisionawards.co.uk.
Entries will close on Monday 16th June 2014 and the winners will be announced at the glittering black-tie ceremony on 26th September 2014 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
