It’s Time for the Public to Get Voting in the European Business Awards

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a European-first, organisers of the 2012/13 European Business Awards have introduced a brand new online public voting system which allows the wider business community and the general public to vote for their favourite organisations in each European country. This new introduction comes as part an overall transformation of the voting process, which has further positioned the awards as the most significant in Europe.

This year, the European Business Awards has introduced a video element to the judging process with all National Finalists producing a video submission that tells a more in depth story of their business and its successes. All videos have been uploaded onto the European Business Awards website (www.businessawardseurope.com) and can be viewed and voted for by the public between 6^th September and 17^th October 2012. One National Finalist per country will automatically become a National Champion for their individual country by receiving the highest number of public votes for that country.

A panel of expert judges will also be viewing the videos and will award National Champion status to between five and 20 other organisations from each country. National Champions will be announced in November 2012.

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards says, “Our awards programme has always been tough – we believe it needs to be in order to find the very best businesses in Europe – but it has just got a whole lot tougher! Our new voting structure, and in particular the use of video, gives our judges a much more accurate picture of the entrants and enables us to look beyond the traditional paper entry form to really understand their business strategy and to celebrate their achievements.”

He adds, “We are looking forward to seeing how the public become engaged through the online voting system. The new process provides a greater opportunity for entrants to engage with their supporters through channels such as social media and also provides them with a chance to see their achievements recognised more publicly within their own countries and across Europe.”

Between November 2012 and January 2013, the National Champions will be reassessed by a third panel of judges made up of Europe-wide business leaders, academics and entrepreneurs who will award the top 110 organisations the coveted Ruban d’Honneur status. Finally, after face-to-face presentations, the Ruban d’Honneur recipients will be honoured and the names of the overall winners will be revealed at a Gala awards ceremony in April 2013.

For more information on the European Business Awards, please visit www.businessawardseurope.com.

ENDS

About the Public Vote

The public vote will be run online at www.businessawardseurope.com from 6th September -17^th October 2012.

Visitors to the site will see details of how to vote on the home page. Step one – visitors choose a country. They can then view all entries for that country by clicking on the company name. One each video page, there is a vote button. One vote per country per person will be allowed.

There is no multiple voting mechanic. There is no need to register to vote and all results will be kept closed so they do not prejudice public opinion one way or another.

About the European Business Awards

The European Business Awards is an independent Awards programme designed to recognise and promote excellence, best practice and innovation in the European business community. This is in line with the broad aims of the European Union and business representative groups across Europe.

Celebrating its sixth successful year, the European Business Awards (EBAs) has rapidly established itself as the major accolade in European business and is widely recognised as the premier business platform across the continent. It recognises and promotes success, innovation and ethics in the European business community.

The European Business Awards serves three distinct and important purposes for the European business community:

It provides examples for the rest of the business community to aspire to
It celebrates and endorses individuals and organisations which have been successful
It provides case studies and content for learning from these exceptional organisations

The European Business Awards is a social enterprise that operates with the support of forward thinking organisations including RSM International, Infosys, Millicom International Cellular S.A. and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI). Our supporters believe it is crucial to promote and endorse business success across Europe for the region’s long term prosperity.

The Awards uncover and promote examples of individuals and organisations that have achieved outstanding results setting them apart as the leading companies, business leaders and entrepreneurs in Europe.

The high standard of support, interest and entrants is based on the quality, rigour, research and participation in the Awards. This has led to widespread media coverage across the continent. Last year alone, there were almost 4,000 items of coverage across print, broadcast, online and social media, resulting in a PR value of €3,063,160 including coverage on CNN, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, ABC, Financial Mail on Sunday, Rcezspospolita, amongst many others. The PR campaign has reached over 50 million business people.

Combined turnover of 2011 EBA Entrants = over €1 trillion; employing 2.7 million people.

The European Business Awards is now an established and fast growing business landmark for Europe.