1. Take time on your Nomination
Please don’t sell your company short by leaving it to the last day. There is ample time between the Nominations opening and the closing date to marshal your most effective case.
Use that lead-in time to gather your thoughts and position your company’s/individual’s success over the past year persuasively.
What truly marks out the year as standout? What have you done or achieved that is so much better than you’d expected, or had done last year, or is better than your competitors?
2. Give measures of success
Saying “We’ve had a great year” really isn’t enough. Everyone says that. The Judges will want to know more precisely what has been great. For example, are sales up? Have you taken on more people? Or entered a new business area, launched a new product or opened up another outlet? Or increased marketing successfully? Or acquired a company? Or won an award?
Anything which makes it clear that your success is based on something tangible.
3. Awards are open to all
The Awards are free to enter and can be won by any company: previous EntreConf attendee, new on the scene, partners, non-partners. If you’re in the region and have had a strong performance in one of our categories, then you can win.
Please note for the following categories:
Scale-up, demonstrable scale-up in the last 2 to 3 years with 10 plus employees at the start of the period.
Small Business Entrepreneur, needs to have 10 or fewer employees.
Young Entrepreneur, open to anyone under the age of 30 on September 1 2024.
4. Make sure you qualify
Winners need to have an active presence in the south west and/or South Wales. If you’re close enough and much of your business is here, then you’ll be in. If in doubt – ask us!
You can enter any category into which your business fits. So you might enter both Sustainability and Science. Or Young Entrepreneur and Media. You decide: it’s free!
5. If you’re using social media, then be active!
Imagine a pitch which says, “We’ve successfully used social media to build our customer base” – and then the reality that you’ve tweeted only twice since the summer! Again, Judges will be looking at any and all aspects of your business.
6. Prospects: talk up your future plans
It’s one thing for you to say you’re great. It’s another to plan out just how strong you’ll be in years to come. We want to see concepts and ideas of progression of where the business is heading. The more specific the better.
7. Put yourself in the shoes of the Judges
The Awards are decided by our independent Judges. They’ll look at your Nomination, visit your website and maybe even visit your business.
And then they – and they alone – will decide.
The Judges will be faced with a number of Finalists in each category. Imagine what it’d be like wading through a big pack of info. Make it easy for them. Write clearly with key points. Short sentences are good. Bullets also. Please try to keep it concise.
Try to create some empathy with those judging you. Emotion is fine. If it really would mean the world to you to win this Award – steady! – then say so.
8. Use social media to promote involvement with the Awards
If you know you’ll be entering for the Awards, then stick it out there on social media, making sure you tag use the hashtag #EntreConfAwards. The Awards is also closely associated to the main EntreConf event in June. We would recommend sharing any involvement with this too using the hashtags #EntreConf2024 and #TheFutureIsUnwritten.
9. Enjoy the Nomination process!
This is one of the very few opportunities in professional life to tell people about just how and why your business, project or individual is exceptional. We all work so hard, all believe so hard in what we do. So enjoy the chance to assemble your arguments and to say EXACTLY why you are great!
10. Keep 26 September clear!
Just imagine how great it would feel to win a EntreConf Award…