As you’ll already know, the Be Inspired Business Awards, also known as the BIBAs, is an annual business awards competition held in Lancashire that recognise and celebrate the achievements of businesses of all sizes and industries across the county. But what goes on behind the scenes of this prestigious event? Let’s take a look.
The planning process for the BIBAs starts months in advance. The BIBAs team, which comprises a group of people co-opted from their day jobs at the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce including Babs, Jonathan & Mark, begins by deciding the categories and criteria for each award. They then open the application process to businesses across the county, inviting them to submit their entries for consideration.
Once the application deadline has passed, the team performs a sift of all the entries to validate and verify them before passing them to the judges.
The next step is the judging process itself. A panel of independent judges, comprising local industry experts, business leaders, and previous award winners, carefully review and score the applications for each category. The judges then interview the applicants before visiting them in their places of work to gain a better understanding of their operations and impact on the county.
Once the finalists have been announced, the BIBAs team turns its attention to the awards ceremony itself. They work tirelessly to create a memorable and entertaining event for the finalists, sponsors, and attendees. The team coordinates with the venue, caterers, and other largely Lancashire-based suppliers to ensure everything runs smoothly, as well as securing the entertainment for the night (which is kept a closely guarded secret until the ceremony itself!)
On the day of the ceremony, the team goes into overdrive! They manage the logistics of the event, ensuring that over 1,000 guests, including finalists and sponsors are in attendance and properly seated, and work with the venue, caterers and events management specialists to make sure everything stays on schedule.
The BIBAs is a significant undertaking that requires months of planning and a dedicated team to pull off. From the initial planning stages to the ceremony itself, the team behind the awards works tirelessly to ensure the event is a success and that the achievements of businesses across Lancashire are recognised and celebrated.