The waiting is over, the Drogheda & District Business Excellence Awards, is now open for entries.

The Awards recognise and reward excellence, innovation and success. Open to all businesses of all sizes and from any industry sector – companies from Drogheda and its environs are now being invited to take part in this year’s celebration of business excellence. By entering the Awards you can turn up the volume on your achievements and demonstrate that you are a truly exceptional organisation.

This is your chance to test yourself against the very best in local business.

The benefits of entering the Drogheda & District Business Excellence Awards extend far beyond picking up one of the prestigious trophies in November.

The event provides businesses with an opportunity to reflect on their success. Often in the busy environment of everyday business, achievements can be easily forgotten. Completing the entry form allows you to pause and consider what contributed to your success and where you can go from here.

Being selected as a winner or finalist is a great achievement and a real opportunity to generate positive publicity for your business across all media.

And what better way to make your business stand out than being an Excellence Award winner. You can demonstrate to your current and future customers, employees and competitors that yours is an exceptional business.

Over the last number of years many local businesses have been the proud recipients of a Business Excellence Award and we have asked a few of them to share with you their experience.

Some of the first winners of a prestigious Business Excellence Award were Arrow Tours and Calipo Film and Theatre Company.

Calipo Film and Theatre won Best Innovation Award in 2005.  “Winning this Award has brought Calipo Film and Theatre Company widespread recognition from the business community in County Louth. People now realise that the arts is a business too and receiving recognition for what we do from such an expert panel in the business community has been of immense importance.”

When Arrow Tours won the Best E-Business Award Ben Greene saw it as a vindication and endorsement of the vast resources and energy the Company had  poured into producing a technology-based solution to the challenges facing the travel industry. It recognised courage at a time of threat, of commitment at a time of uncertainty and of creativity and originality when there were no paths or precedents to follow.”

More recently the Best Innovation Award was won by MOR Solutions, ‘We see the competition as important in developing our business in Drogheda and the North East.   We believe the process of competing with the best of companies in the Greater Drogheda Area is good for every business involved; both in terms of company profile and business development."

Free to enter, the prestigious Awards are open to Chamber members and non-members and we would encourage all businesses to enter at least one of the ten categories – the Lifetime Achievement Award is voted on by the Drogheda & District Chamber Council.

This years Premier sponsors are Anglo Printers and Outsource Support Services.

Categories are:

Best New Business Sponsored by Murphy Environment

Best Established Business Sponsored by La Spa Therapie

Best Small Business Sponsored by Optimum Ltd

Best Medium to Large Business Sponsored by VHI Healthcare

Best Business to Business Sponsored by Louth County Enterprise Board

Customer Excellence in Retail & Services Sponsored by National Irish Bank

Customer Excellence in Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality Sponsored by ADS Solutions

Environment Award Sponsored by Irish Cement

Best Internet & ICT Award To be presented by our Premier sponsors Community Commitment Sponsored by Drogheda Concentrates

Lifetime Achievement Award Sponsored by Panda Waste Services

Short listed finalists will be announced in late October before preparing to make their presentations in person before an independent expert judging panel in early November.  Winners will be unveiled at the gala awards ceremony at the Boyne Valley Hotel on Saturday 8 November 2008.

Application forms can be downloaded from www.droghedachamber.com or call the Chamber office on 041 983 3544.

The closing date for completed entries is Friday 3 October 2008.