Awards night shows business innovation is healthy

Hundreds of business people from across south east Hampshire enjoyed a great awards ceremony at Portsmouth Guildhall last night.

The News Business Excellence Awards 2009 was a chance to salute companies and organisations that are being positive and successful amid the now official recession.

BBC South Today presenter Sally Taylor MBE guided us through the evening as master of ceremonies, a consummate professional as always.

Nine awards, including runners-up and highly commended entries, reflected the merits of team work, community involvement, innovation and high achievement. Forty-eight entries made it onto the shortlist across all categories.

Amid such an amazing range of local businesses, some of them world-leading in their fields, it must have been a difficult task for the judges to decide on winners, but I was particularly impressed by Havant firm Mindsheet who won the Innovation of the Year category for their robot spy – a remote control device that combat troops can send into enemy territory to scout for hazards. It’s already had interest from the MoD.

Technograph Microcircuits Ltd was named Business of the Year for a stellar success story. The team has gone from printing sheet music to providing the circuitry behind some of the world’s most critical hardware systems. Orbiting satellites and jet propulsion systems were mentioned.

Also deserving huge praise was Solent Carpentry Services who won the Small Business of the Year category for growing its market share in the face of a hugely difficult construction sector.

Award ceremonies are an ideal chance to raise cash for local charities and from the 400+ guests it was great to see a combined donation on the night of more than £2,500 for the Rowans Hospice at Purbrook.

Thanks for organising the event must go to the News and the many sponsors including Business Link and the Portsmouth Property Association.

Chamber event reminds us to keep talking

You might expect a gathering of today’s businesses leaders to be full of doom and gloom.

But not the networking meeting I’ve just returned from – a lunch at the Rose Bowl hosted superbly as usual by Southampton & Fareham Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Representatives from around 60 businesses were there to chat, swap contact details and preview a series of Chamber events coming up in 2009.

I spoke with a wine merchant, a motor trader, various financial services directors, a head of business development and the regional sales manager for a thriving hotel group.

While everyone was sure this will be an extremely tough year – no one was making rash predictions of green shoots like a certain UK government Minister did this week – the mood was positive.

There was a feeling that firms would do well to keep talking in 2009, learn from each other and look to regional forums and other business groups for support and advice.

The message from today’s event was that if you can ride out the recession, now more than ever is the time to make friends in the business community and build relationships for the future.

Wake up and smell the fair trade coffee

As we stumble out of the pit of winter fighting off colds and flu, it’s good to know that the first ever Healthy Living show is on its way to Bournemouth very soon.

Retailers, health therapists and nutritionists will be among the exhibitors highlighting a massive selection of brands including food and drink, natural supplements and other health products.

On show will be everything from ethically sourced and eco-friendly shopping bags to herb-based hair treatments and fitness foods.

Whether you go for fair trade, veggie, vegan or just look for the healthiest option available, there is bound to be something of interest.

Experts will be on hand to discuss food intolerances, diets and other health topics and there will be free demonstrations, tastings, and workshops.

One thing that’s great about the exhibitor line-up so far is the substantial amount of local businesses involved.

And with 5,000 visitors expected from far and wide, their spending should provide a healthy tonic to the local economy too.

The show is on at the Bournemouth International Centre on Saturday 28th February and Sunday 1st March 2009.

Demand for world’s biggest atlas defies credit crunch

Given the perfect storm encircling the economy right now, it’s comforting to know there is still demand out there in at least a few sectors - including, it seems, the market for luxury atlases.
Despite a price tag of £2,400, up from £2,000 on its initial release, interest remains healthy in the world’s biggest and most expensive atlas.
Dubbed the “ultimate book about our world”, the limited-edition Earth weighs in at more than 66lbs, heavier than most airlines allow for individual baggage allowances.
Lying closed, it takes up a third of a square metre with four gatefolds opening out to two square metres each.
There are 355 maps and 800 photos across 580 pages, all contained in a hand-bound leather cover with gilded edges and silver plated corners.
More than 100 cartographers worked on the project over two years using detail from a continuously updated world database of digital mapping.
The core audience here includes private collectors, libraries, map enthusiasts and armchair travellers. The print run is only 3,000 copies with just 200 earmarked for the UK. It is already proving a good investment opportunity with a copy selling at an auction in Dubai recently for nearly £5,000.
Earth is being distributed here by the Northamptonshire firm Global Mapping whose cartographic experts were part of the worldwide production team. The company have done well with trade marketing through the Frankfurt Book Fair and pitching to consumer media via a launch led by TV presenter and environmental campaigner David Bellamy. His words sum up the appeal of the atlas: “It is a fantastic production. The book shows that we live in a wonderful world and serves as a reminder that we must stop trashing our soils, rivers and fisheries. If we don’t, what are we going to hand on to our children? The atlas presents a detailed picture of what our planet’s natural beauty could continue to look like. It tells me that nations should speak peace and conservation to each other.”