BIBAs 2024 finalists have been announced!

And the finalists are…

The BIBAs journey has one last stop to make – and we now know who will be lining up in September for one last step towards glory.

All 20 categories have a full assemble of finalists – from Micro to Business of the Year, Service to Scale-Up and construction to community – and all will be awaiting their fate come 20th September.

The final destination for all finalists will be the Blackpool Tower Ballroom when the resort welcomes more than 1,100 decision-makers and the Lancashire business community for a night like no other.

From the hundreds of businesses which entered back in the winter months, to the interviews in the spring and the final miles of the BIBAs on Tour which ended last week, the wait is almost over.

The journey began with the call for applications, inviting businesses from all sectors to showcase their achievements and aspirations.

This year’s applications saw an overwhelming response, reflecting the diverse and vibrant business community in Lancashire. Each applicant undergoes a thorough evaluation to ensure they meet the high standards set by the BIBAs.

Hundreds of miles have been covered in June during the BIBAs on Tour phase of the journey where all finalists were visited so the judges could see where the magic happens – from back offices to warehouses, farmland to construction sites – the iconic black bus rolled across Lancashire to find out more about those who threw their hat into the ring to go for “the one they all want to win”.

Twenty days, with more than 100 judges and 160 visits taking place – this is the biggest BIBAs on Tour.

Babs Murphy, chief executive of the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, who organise to the awards, said: “As with very year, the BIBAs journey is never the same and the calibre of the categories always seems to go up a notch – and 2024 has been no different.

“We’ve seen lots of different businesses entering the awards this year, as well as the organisations that come back for the challenge and seem to relish the opportunity to either defend their crowns or go for it again.

“And now we have our finalists all ready to wait a few short months before their names go up in lights at Blackpool Tower. We cannot wait to welcome all the finalists and guests for a night to remember.”