Companies across Coventry and Warwickshire are missing out on raising their profile at home and abroad – by failing to nominate themselves for one of the most prestigious business awards in the world.
That was the message from a meeting held at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber House headquarters in the city.
Around 60 high profile business and civic leaders attended the event at the invitation of the Lord Lieutenants of Warwickshire and the West Midlands to discuss the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
The Coventry and Warwickshire region, they heard, is one of the least represented areas when it comes to nominations for the awards and the Chamber, Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and regional Lieutenancies want to address that.
Guests heard from previous winners, including Rhead Group and Jaguar Land Rover, who recently picked up Queen’s Awards, and Alumet, who won in 2009.
David Burbidge, Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands, said the purpose of the event at the Chamber was to raise the profile of the awards regionally and to demystify the nomination process.
He said: “There are so many great businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire and they can benefit from the great profile and credibility that comes with a Queen’s Award.
“There could be a number of reasons why this region doesn’t produce as many nominations as others so it is important that we raise the awareness of the process.
“Companies need to nominate themselves and there is no great mystery to it – it can be done by filling in a form online and I believe it’s absolutely worth the time and the effort to do it.
“This is one of the most prestigious awards in the world and while it certainly helps companies domestically, it’s looked upon extremely favourably when businesses are trading overseas.
“The Royal Family has such wonderful standing around the world so to have a Queen’s Award signature on a company’s literature is extremely impressive and helps to open doors.
“It was great to be able to hear from recent and past winners because they are the best example that this region can be successful when it comes to the Queen’s Award.
“We will be holding an event in July that looks in more detail at how to nominate yourself as a business but this meeting was very much about beginning the process of raising awareness and trying to get more Coventry and Warwickshire companies to put themselves forward.”
Angela Tellyn, partnership manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “As we emerge from recession, it’s vital that companies shout about their achievements and awards are a great way of setting yourself apart from your competition.
“The Queen’s Award is one of the most prestigious awards in the world so we would urge as many businesses as possible to nominate themselves.”
For more information on the event in July or for more information on the Queen’s Award email [email protected]