Forget the recession.  In these times of doom and gloom we need something to put a smile on our faces.  And winning an award can certainly do that!

2009 marks the sixth year for the BAHBAs and it is set to be bigger and better than before with eight new sponsors and sixteen categories.

The Awards were officially launched at the Thistle Hotel on Tuesday 16 June at a party that was attended by many of the city’s leading businesspeople including the Mayor, sponsors, judges and last year’s winners and finalists.

New sponsors this year include RedSeven, Kelta HR, Wired Sussex, Veolia Environmental Services, QED, Nido Marketing, Neilson Active Holidays and Absolute Brighton.

They join The Argus, University of Brighton, Hilton Brighton Metropole, MDhub, Brighton Primary Care Trust, Royal Mail and Nixon McInnes.

New awards include:
Sponsored by the University of Brighton, The Award for Innovation in Business is open to any business based in, or operating from, the city of Brighton & Hove. The award recognises those businesses that have stolen a march on their competitors through the use of technological, operational or marketing innovations.

The search for the Best Place to Visit in Brighton and Hove is sponsored by QED. More than half of Brighton’s visitors are people who have been before and who love to come back for more! Is your place an undiscovered gem or one that attracts more and more visitors each year?  Where is the place that most enriches the city and makes Brighton one of the UK’s most popular destinations?

Ian Lucas, MD of Redseven, was last year’s winner of the Sussex Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year which takes a bow as a new BAHBA category.  The combination of vision, creativity, acumen, dedication and energy that makes for a successful entrepreneur is a rare thing and this award celebrates those who have used these qualities to achieve outstanding commercial success and profitability.

Chairman of the judges, Tony Mernagh, the Executive Director of the Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership (BHEP), said how much he was looking forward to reviewing the entries and meeting the potential winners and encouraged all those at the reception to get busy and enter.

The judges are looking for companies and organisations that really capture the spirit of Brighton & Hove.  Innovation and leadership are considered more important than size or revenue.  Visit the web site to find out more about each of the sixteen categories.

Entering the awards could not be easier.  It costs £50 (ex vat) for one entry and £75 (ex vat) to enter as many times as you like.  Decide how many times you wish to enter. Address the criteria outlined.  And click to pay.  Simples!

All finalists will receive a free place at the awards ceremony.

And once more we shall be holding the event on a Friday, 9 October 2009 at the Brighton Hilton Metropole.  MC for the evening will be announced at a later date.

Stand up comedian Stephen Grant announced the winners of the 5th annual Brighton and Hove Business Awards at the Hilton Brighton Metropole no Friday 26 September. The gala business event was attended by over 400 business representatives from across the city.

The title of Outstanding Brightonian was awarded to Peter Field, who was recently appointed Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant for East Sussex, and has involved himself in the issues facing single homeless people in Brighton for over 40 years.

Other big winners on the night were Leapfrogg, which was named best place to work, Infinity Foods claimed the responsible business award whilst The Gingerman Restaurants took the award for Business Growth.

In addition, all food to be served at the event was locally sourced by the Hilton Metropole, reducing the BAHBA carbon footprint.

Organisers of the BAHBAs reported an incredible number of over 200 entries from 150 companies to arrive at a shortlist of 34 companies for 14 awards.

Latest additions include discounts for Champagne, bespoke jewellery, hotel visits and a massive £250 voucher for law services, as well as a bar of chocolate and a bottle of wine!

These delights, along with condoms, pedometers, CDs, bubbles, mints and Royal Mail First Day Cover will be presented to BAHBA guests at the end of the evening.

If you haven’t already booked your seat, there is still time!

The Hilton Metropole has kindly agreed a great rate for anyone wishing to stay over on the night of the BAHBAs - @ £70 B&B inc VAT & Breakfast.

These goody bags always manage to cause a stir, and local businesses and award finalists are racing to get their products included in the last few weeks up to the networking event of the year. Offerings so far have been impressive.

Treasures included to date are; pedometers from Legal & General, wooden luggage tags from Velvet, bubbles from Southern Water, condoms, hackysacks and CDs.

This opportunity is available to all Brighton businesses - large and small - to make the most of a captive and connected audience.

Contact us at bahba@midnight.co.uk, and get involved!

Some of the Brighton’s biggest and best – and youngest and newest – make the list of 33 finalists.

The list reflects the commercial energy of the Brighton business scene. The city was recently named the nation’s most entrepreneurial in the UK with over 50 percent stating they have thought about starting their own business and a higher proportion (12%) than average (9.3%) of entrepreneurs already self employed and on the road to being their own bosses.

For the fifth consecutive year, the BAHBAs have attracted an increasing number of entries from all sectors of the city. The creative industries, which make up 10.7% of the city workforce, are well represented this year with entries from jewellers, animators, dancers and digital designers.

Dany Louise, Creative Industries Manager at Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “We have been really impressed by the number and quality of the Creative Industries applications this year, with both established creative companies entering, and some very quirky and interesting new young enterprises. We wish them all great success!”

Now in their fifth year, the BAHBAs are firmly established as the city’s premier business awards scheme. Designed to raise awareness and to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of Brighton and Hove, the BAHBAs acknowledge and celebrate those companies, organisations and individuals who are helping to build the Brighton brand.

Tony Mernagh, Executive Director of the Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership, took the Chair to lead the judges in their decisions this year.

He said: “Deciding between a stunning array of applicants did not make the judges job easy and one particular category was revisited four times to choose the winner.

“As a consequence we have arrived at an exciting shortlist that captures all that is great about the rich variety of businesses that we have in the city.”

The scheme is supported by some of the city’s leading companies including local rags to riches success story, iCrossing, Legal & General, Brighton and Hove City Teaching Primary Care Trust, MDHub, Hilton Brighton Metropole, First Capital Connect, NixonMcInnes, Brighton & Hove City Council, The Argus, University of Brighton and award organisers, Midnight Communications

The sponsors were this year joined for the first time by Royal Mail and Allied Irish Bank.

Mike Wilkins, Senior Manager of Corporate Business at Allied Irish, helped to judge the Award for the Best Place to Work and commented: “These awards recognise those businesses who understand that the key to creating and maintaining a thriving work force and successful business is investing in staff and the environment in which they operate.”

New for 2008 is the Award for Equality and Diversity in the Workplace which celebrates the efforts of businesses in Brighton & Hove to realise the potential of everyone in the local labour market by applying good equality and diversity practices in the workplace. It is sponsored by The Brighton & Hove LEADER Group, which includes Brighton & Hove City Council, DMH Stallard, EOPPS, Sussex Hospitals, Sussex University, Brighton University and Quantum Recruitment.

Brighton has long enjoyed its reputation as the digital hub of the UK, being known the world over as Silicon Beach. And this year NixonMcInnes has sponsored the search for the most Awesome use of Digital Media - to identify those individuals, companies and organisations which do most to raise the bar and enhance Brighton’s reputation for delivering digital goodness on a global scale.

The winners will be announced at the awards dinner which takes place on Friday 26 September in the Oxford Room of the Hilton Brighton Metropole before an audience of around 500 city representatives.

The awards have been supported by a whole range of Brighton businesses – from the largest to the smallest and the oldest to the newest.

Most popular category of all has been The New Kids on the Block – closely followed by The Creative Industries award.

The Independent Retailer and Best Place to Entertain your Clients both proved as popular as ever and, of course, these are supported by the search for the Best Customer Service in Brighton.

The judges certainly have a massive job on their hands!

But business in Brighton and Hove isn’t just about making a profit. Entries for awards such as Equality & Diversity, Responsible Business, Healthiest Workplace and Business in the Community have never been so well supported.

Don’t you just LOVE Brighton??

And the search goes on for The Outstanding Brightonian – do make your nominations via the site.

Thanks to all our sponsors who make the Brighton and Hove Business Awards a reality. Could not do it without you!

The BAHBA Team

The MDHub is proud sponsor of the Business Growth Award in the 2008 Brighton and Hove Business Awards – the BAHBAs – for the third year running.

Says Phil Green: “Growing businesses are the lifeblood of the local and national economy, generating new jobs and creating new opportunities for everyone to enjoy. This is what the Hub is all about.

“Great businesses, great awards, great city, great networking – get involved!”

Last year’s winner of the Business Growth Award was Spannerworks - a true local success story of bedroom to international boardroom in ten years – and MDHub member.

Arjo Ghosh, Chief Executive of iCrossing UK, said: “Winning a BAHBA helped us develop our local profile and bring pride to our work. As well as being recognised by our own business community, it was also great fun and a brilliant way to celebrate success.

“I would urge all MDHub members to take the time to enter.”

The 2006 winner, Brighton Sheet Metal, is also an MDHub member.

“There are a number of positives to come out of BSM winning the Growth award,” says Bill Taylor. “The impact on staff morale and attitude to the company has been very positive together with the knowledge that Brighton and Hove still recognise manufacturing as part of the local economy.

“Also using the award to impress potential customers has helped in winning a number of new contracts in a difficult time for manufacturing.”

The Most Awesome Use of Digital Media

Brighton has long enjoyed its reputation as the digital hub of the UK, being known the world over as Silicon Beach.

Now local digital media companies are being encouraged to have their work recognised by entering the Most Awesome Use of Digital Media category in the Brighton and Hove Business Awards – the BAHBAs.

The new award has been sponsored by the one of the UK’s leading specialist social media agencies, Nixon McInnes. The judges will be looking to identify those individuals, companies and organisations which do most to raise the bar and enhance Brighton’s reputation for delivering digital goodness on a global scale.

Will McInnes, managing director of NixonMcInnes, said: “Being a Brighton business to our very core, we are fiercely proud of the BAHBAs as a different, riotous and much-deserved celebration of the city’s business community. Brighton is one of the most exciting cities in the coutnry and we expect to see some stunning and innovative work submitted for this award.”

Now in their fifth year, the BAHBAs are firmly established as the city’s premier business awards scheme – with more entries than any similar schemes. Designed to raise awareness and to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of Brighton & Hove, the BAHBAs acknowledge and celebrate those companies, organisations and individuals who are helping to build the Brighton brand.

Closing date for the Awards is 10 July. Enter online at www.bahba.co.uk

The awards take place on Friday 26 September and will once more be staged in the Oxford Room of the Hilton Brighton Metropole

NixonMcInnes is a specialist social media agency that enables major international brands to make sense of new forms of online social media and technology and then harness them to improve their relationships with the world. Current clients include MoreThan, O2, Fat Face, Thomas Cook Group, University of Southampton, Stannah Stairlifts, BMW, Barclays Bank and Family Investments.

Local employers who care about the health and wellbeing of their staff are being encouraged to enter the 2008 Healthiest Workplace Award, at the Brighton & Hove Business Awards, by Brighton and Hove City Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT).

It’s the second year the PCT has sponsored this award in the prestigious Brighton and Hove Business Awards (BAHBAs).

“Good health is good business,” says Tom Scanlon, the PCT’s director of public health.

“The city has the highest absenteeism rate in the South East area yet we know many local employers care about the health and well-being of their staff and actively promote healthy living and a healthy work-life balance. Employers around the city are also increasingly taking up the services for staff available through the primary care trust - smoking cessation support, diet and exercise opportunities and mental wellbeing support,” he says.

“We are proud to sponsor the Healthiest Workplace Award for the second year running to recognise the achievements of these employers and look forward to receiving lots of entries,” he adds.

The judges will be looking for the business that does the most to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of its employees while actively promoting healthy living and working conditions.

To find out more and how to enter click on the Brighton & Hove Business Awards website at www.bahbas.org.uk The closing date for entries is Thursday 10 July and the awards event is at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on 26 September.

Paul Bonett, director of the Kemp Town estate agents Bonett’s, was last year’s Healthiest Workplace Award winner.

He says: “It was great to be the first winners of the Healthiest Workplace Award in recognition of our attitude to health, such as cycling to appointments, supporting healthy food choices and out of work sports activities. Encouraging staff to live healthily positively affects your bottom line in more ways than one! Show you care and enter this year’s award.”

Brighton and Hove City Teaching Primary Care Trust is sponsoring the award as part of the partnership work with Brighton and Hove City Council through the Health, Work and Wellbeing initiative with businesses across the city.

“Staff are at the heart of every business. To help businesses promote staff health and wellbeing and realise their business potential, we have also launched a new Health, Work and Wellbeing website with healthy workplace guidelines, information about local training, events and resources to support employers to create businesses fit for the future,” says Louise Sigfrid, healthy workplace adviser.

The new website is at www.workwellbrightonhove.nhs.uk