Drogheda Business Excellence Awards : 2007 Drogheda Business Excellence Awards

Drogheda Business Excellence Awards Sponsors 2008

2007 Drogheda Business Excellence Awards

The Drogheda Business Excellence Awards 2007 was once again held in the Boyne Valley Hotel and Country Club last Saturday. Hosted by the Drogheda Chamber, the glamorous glitzy event was attended by over 300 guests and was considered “the highlight of the business social calendar.”

There was a tremendous buzz as guests arrived in the Stameen Room for a champagne drinks reception, which was sponsored by Donal Kinsella. As guests were seated for dinner, Denise Fay of Achieve Marketing on behalf of the Council of the Drogheda Chamber welcomed everyone to the awards, and gave a warm welcome in particular to the many sponsors, without whom the night would not have been possible. She then handed over to the guest presenter for the evening, RTE’s Mr Bryan Dobson, which after three years presenting the awards was considered an honorary Drogheda man!

The Chamber’s President, Mr. Eugene Kierans took to the stage during the evening and as always, welcomed and entertained the gathered audience.

Between courses, Bryan Dobson invited the main sponsors to the stage to speak about their reasons for sponsoring such a prestigious event. Nessa O'Brien of Scotch Hall and John Bannon of Outsource Support Services spoke about the need for maintaining high standards in business but also encouraging the community level of involvement between businesses.

This year saw a new format whereby all short-listed companies had an opportunity to speak to the audience in a pre-recorded session. As there is only one ultimate category winner, it was a great opportunity for those short-listed to speak about their business and what winning an award would mean to them. All short-listed companies were winners to get that far in the process.

Following dinner Bryan Dobson announced the four shortlisted companies in the nine categories and guests sat on the edge of their seats as the category sponsors opened the gold envelopes one by one to revel the winners. The winning companies were then invited to the stage to receive their award from the category sponsor.

This year the winners were presented with a copy of the commissioned painting of “The Drogheda Boat” by artist Mr. Sean O’Dwyer. The unveiling of this commissioned painting by The Chamber was one of the highlights of the night.

Holger Schweitzer, Archaeologist in charge of the boat, explained the importance of this great find in the River Boyne at Drogheda. Bryan Dobson asked Holger “Is this find of National importance” Holger’s reply was “No that it was of International importance and that the boat is the only one of its kind ever found, this boat must remain in Drogheda.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award was then presented to Mr Jim Corcoran for his outstanding commitment to the town of Drogheda and his contribution to the business community. Mr. Corcoran received his award from President Eugene Kierans and got a standing ovation. Mr Corcoran made a short speech saying how honoured he was to receive such a prestigious award. He then thanked the Chamber Council for selecting him for the award and paid great tribute to the President and the Drogheda Chamber for all their help and support over the years.

Guests enjoyed the rest of the evening dancing until the early hours. The dance-floor was packed at all times, even during the slow sets!

The Chamber President, Council and staff are delighted that the evening went so well and would like to thank everybody that was involved. They are already looking forward to planning next year’s event!

And the winners are....................................

Best New Business Award

Best Small Business Award

Best Innovation Award

Best Medium to Large Business Award

Best Business to Business Award

Best Environmental

Customer Excellence Award in Retail and Services

Customer Excellence Award in Tourism and Hospitality

Community Commitment Award

Lifetime Achievement Award