| 08/07/2010 - Winners of the ICT Excellence Awards 2009 talk about how they benefitted from winning and encourage 2010 entries |
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West Midlands’ finest ICT (Information and Communications Technology) companies are inviting entries to enter the West Midlands ICT Excellence Awards, which honour and recognise excellence amongst regional technology companies. The ICT Cluster which represents SME technology companies in the region and this year’s panel of judges face another round of tough decisions when judging the high-quality entries expected this year. Winning the awards has had a positive effect on all of last year’s winners. Here we hear how the higher credibility, morale boost and raised awareness have helped the 2009 winners succeed in 2010. Winner of Best Innovative Product and also Overall Champion - Wapple “Success at the ICT Excellence Awards has helped us prove the product to potential customers and investors. Above all the greatest impact has been the exposure of Architect as a world class and leading mobile web technology. I would recommend entering the awards - receiving awards is not just about vanity, especially if they have been thoroughly adjudicated as the ICT Excellence Awards have been.” Anne Thomas, Chief Operating Officer at Wapple. Winner of Most Improved Business - Objectivity “Winning the award was extremely motivating for our staff! It represents public recognition of what the company stands for, its achievements and is a welcome feather in our cap. Additionally, being a member of the ICT Excellence Club will undoubtedly help to further increase our profile within the West Midlands and provide access to business networks with similar quality standards and aspirations.” Rob Helle, Managing Director at Objectivity. Winner of Best Added Value Project - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust “Winning the ICT Excellence Award gave valuable recognition to the team involved and also demonstrated to the whole Trust how worthwhile the project was. This meant that when it came to rolling the scheme out to other sites they already knew about it and therefore accepted it as an ICT solution more easily” Kerry Beadling, Head of Communications at UHCW. Winner of Best Added Value Product - Dynastics “The awards are worthwhile from the perspective of both the entrants and the organisers who are genuinely looking for innovation in the region. Winning at the Awards has been very motivational for the staff. Lots of time and effort went into developing our product so we felt proud to be acknowledged by our peers in the industry. People often mention that they saw us at the awards or congratulate us for winning an award so it's helped us gain respect within the ICT community. One of the spin-off benefits is membership of the ICT Excellence Club which is a great networking opportunity.” Anthony Dent, Managing Director at Dynistics. Winner of Best Innovative Product - Integrated System Technologies Limited “Our business has grown significantly since winning the award. Our turnover has increased by over 30% and we are looking to add several staff to cope with the increase in demand for our products globally. Entering the ICT awards not only boosted the company’s profile but it sent a strong message to our staff that the work they undertake everyday is recognised as being of the highest quality. I would recommend to all aspiring ICT companies to enter the awards to highlight to staff, suppliers and customers the excellence they undertake.” Geoff Archenhold, Director at ISTL Winner of Best Knowledge Transfer - IT Futures “I would urge other businesses to enter the ICT Excellence Awards so that they too can benefit from the great free publicity and recognition in their respective marketplaces. It is a very prestigious award and we are delighted to win against some strong competition from other top universities. It is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of our staff at IT Futures, and recognition for the excellent work we do for small and medium sized enterprises.” Randeep Nagra, Marketing Manager at IT Futures. Winner of TSB Special Award - High Growth Potential Business 2009 - Mi-Zone Ltd “It was extremely worthwhile entering the ICT Excellence Awards as the kudos and exposure that it brought to my business upon winning the "Special Award for the most Innovative High Growth Potential Business" sponsored by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board, was invaluable. The biggest benefit of entering for this award is being exposed to all of the relevant departments within the Government that can provide you and your company with the vital help and assistance that you need in creating a brand new concept and innovation and ultimately bringing it through to the market. It has also enabled me to become a member of the ICT Excellence Club where other award winning companies can share their day-to-day experiences and pool their ideas and concepts with other synergetic businesses - potentially formulating collaborations.” Philip Jarrett, Managing Director at Mi-Zone. Winner of Best Innovative Service - Rosslyn Analytics “The ICT Excellence Awards differ from other award schemes in that the ICT Cluster is genuinely looking to discover and foster innovation so it’s ideal for small businesses. The biggest value to us from winning was in the brand awareness it generated. The awards are well respected so, from a customer perspective, it’s a great endorsement of our service.” Lance Mercereau, Director of Marketing, Rosslyn Analytics. Winner of Chair's Awards for Social, Environmental and Economic Impact - Start Software “There is no question that winning the award has been really positive for us at Start Software. We have proudly used the award when bidding for new business, when speaking to new prospects, and when considering new markets. We have just had our most successful year ever and this year should be even better. We have just won our biggest ever order and this will mean a step-change for our business, allowing us to employ more staff and to enter a brand new market. Winning the award has helped us to be a more confident and successful business.” Robin Bennett, Director at Start Software |
