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Business of the Year

This is the premier award in the Cumbria and North Lancs business year. Open to any business which can demonstrate a successful track record of excellence and achievement. We are looking for enterprises of any size, working in any sector, including commercial, industrial, agricultural and tourism. The winning company will show significant advancement this year. Success could be measured in exceptional development, increased trading profit, new products or service development or new production techniques. Since this is THE year's top award you will need to be the best at what you do and be able to demonstrate that in your entry.

Retailer of the Year

Selling directly to the public is a special skill and this award is targeted at businesses who excel at this. Likely candidates might be specialist retailers which offer products via the internet, by post, or on the phone. Equally, they could be retailers who have found success by selling through shops, stores or other outlets – in short we are looking for a business of any size that has become a winner by selling people what they want, when and how they want it. Your business should demonstrate an excellent track record in customer service, proven success within your marketplace, and convincing marketing initiatives with positive results. The winner of this award will be able to demonstrate how it stays ahead of the competition.

Training and Development Award

Good quality training is the key to success for any business. Employee’s who know what to do, and the safest and most efficient ways to do it, are the cornerstone of a successful enterprise. This award recognises firms who are committed to recruiting local people from a variety of backgrounds, overcoming inequality and developing and supporting their workforce. The winner of this award will be a business which demonstrates the benefits of development to their organisation, the results they have achieved and why they are an exceptional example to other businesses.

New Business of the Year

For businesses established less than three years, this will put an innovative, growing company on centre stage. Firms from any sector that can show evidence of enterprise and imagination will do well in this category. Launching your own business requires a whole range of skills and qualities and this award is designed to recognise and celebrate them. You might be a manufacturer establishing a market, a business providing a service, or an enterprise involved in tourism or agriculture. We are looking for small businesses striving for success in any sector.

Innovation and Technology

An innovative attitude and pioneering spirit are key in this category. Applications will be accepted from all kinds of businesses, whether large companies or small independent workshops. Ingenuity, determination and talent are qualities we are particularly looking for, as well as use of innovation or application of technology. The winner might have designed and launched an innovative product, process or scheme to become a leader in its particular field, or harnessed groundbreaking technology.

Team of the Year

This award is every business’s opportunity to put forward a team of people who have really made a difference. They might show an ability to bring new solutions to an old problem and benefit the way an enterprise works, or a fantastic performance in production, sales or another discipline. Equally it might be a group, or complete workforce, who have brought a new meaning to the term Customer Service, or whose attitude and example stimulates others. This award is your chance to put heroic employees into the spotlight.

Hotel of the Year

Hotels come in all shapes and sizes and this award highlights the cream of the crop. The key to a good hotel is its staff, knowing what their guests want and working hard to make sure that expectations are exceeded. Food, bedrooms, bars and dining rooms are all important and so are those extra special facilities. However, quality of service is fundamental to any successful hotel and this means having flexible staff equipped to meet every need in an atmosphere where people can relax, unwind and enjoy a hard-earned holiday.

Place to Stay Award

This award is for those responsible for the enormous variety of places to stay throughout our region – excluding hotels which have a category of their own. It includes bed and breakfasts, small pubs and restaurants with rooms, hostels, holiday villages, caravan sites and the complete spectrum of vacation rental property of all shapes and sizes. The individuals and companies that make up this sector are the corner stone of the tourism industry in our area. We are looking for the hospitality, quality and value which brings guests back again and again. The size of the accommodation is not as important as the warmth of the welcome.

Tourist attraction/Tour Operator of the Year

The natural beauty of our region makes it a ‘must see’ destination for many tourists, but once they are here people want to enjoy exploring the many and varied attractions that will make their visit a memorable one. This award recognises the many enterprises that have been developed to make holidays complete, or the tour operators who show groups of different aspects of our countryside and lakes, even introducing them to activities that can take place here. We want to know how you have improved your services for tourists in the past year to enhance their experience.

Green Business Award

This category is for any enterprise that has taken positive action to demonstrate an awareness of green issues. It could be that you have introduced processes, which will result in a genuine improvement to the environment. Alternatively, it could be a business that has ‘gone green’, by developing initiatives which demonstrate an awareness of environmental issues, or embarking on an education exercise to spread the word to others.

Social & Community Development

This award is all about enterprises which put something back into their local community, or show that the bottom line isn’t their only driving factor. It is open to charities and all kinds of social enterprises as well as conventional companies. The latter might have allowed community organizations, schools or charities to use the resources of the business or given them ideas, advice, money or expertise.