6 minute read
2022 People Awards: A guide
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL PEOPLE AWARDS
THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS
As the judging process gets underway, here’s all you need to know about this year’s awards
The first round of judging
Our esteemed judges have already declared any conflicts and have been allocated their categories by our Judges Chair, Leigh Cowlishaw. Judges will each be taking a close look at the entries in their categories in order to rate them according to the criteria. As well as the written submissions they will study the supporting evidence, which might be client references, videos, examples of work, or anything else that supports the nomination. These initial ratings will determine which candidates go through to the shortlist.
The shortlist
This will be announced in the second week of June. The number of shortlisted candidates in each category will depend on the quality of the entries. Each of the shortlisted finalists will be notified by email and will also be sent marketing collateral designed for sharing with friends, colleagues and clients on social media. Even getting through to this stage is worth shouting about! commitment and we are so grateful that our judges – all of whom are very busy people – take the time to come and spend a full day making sure the awards go to the absolute best people across the whole industry,” says Cowlishaw.
“Winning a prestigious People Award is a great honour and can really influence a career. Some of our judges are past winners so they know what a difference it can make, so they're absolutely dedicated to making the right decision.”
For the Rising Star category the shortlisted candidates will attend the Judging Day to be interviewed by the allocated judges. If the quality of candidates in any category is particularly high, judges might decide to also award a highly commended or, as was the case in 2021, create a whole new category (Shining Star) for a particularly strong candidate.
The ceremony
Tickets are now on sale for this year’s glittering ceremony at the Leonardo Royal City Hotel on Tuesday September 13. The evening will begin with networking drinks and bowl food, before guests make their way into the auditorium for winners to be revealed. The celebrations will then continue into the night. For tickets go to: thebusinesstravelpeopleawards.com
The sponsors Free noW For buSineSS
hEad Of saLEs JasOn dUndErdaLE We are delighted to be sponsoring the People Awards and in particular the Industry Contribution Award. We see the business travel industry as a community of outstanding individuals and we wanted to highlight those who have really gone above and beyond to fight for business travel during its toughest period ever. Whether this is through outstanding leadership, fighting for change or lobbying the government we want to help highlight those who have bought real and positive change to the sector. FREE NOW will also be on hand to help guests get to the event not just safely but also sustainably in an electric black cab. Keep your eyes peeled for more info!
The Judging Day
The Business Travel People Awards celebrate the achievements of outstanding individuals and teams across our industry On July 7, judges will meet in central London to make the final decision. “Being a judge is a big responsibility and
SiriuS TalenT SoluTionS
CEO LynnE Griffiths The People Awards is a very special event in the business travel calendar as it recognises the individual rather than the organisation. Sirius Talent Solutions is delighted to sponsor the Rising Star award as it is vital to shine a spotlight on the younger talent rising through the ranks. As an industry specialist recruiter, we know that one of the main challenges facing our industry is a talent shortage, so it’s rewarding for us to showcase a superstar in the making! It is particularly poignant this year as the industry recovery is in full swing and the awards let us celebrate our resurgence. We always said the travel industry is a people business and the pandemic has proved this more than we ever thought possible.
HoTelHub
ChiEf COmmErCiaL OffiCEr EriC mEiErhans Few industries have been hit harder by the pandemic than travel. We understand the challenges these organisations have faced and continue to face. As we emerge from this period, it’s important to celebrate those in the community who go above and beyond, setting examples for the rest of us to follow. TMCs are at the forefront of our industry’s recovery and it is with immense pride that HotelHub is presenting the TMC of the Year award in recognition of those organisations that continue to provide support through the most trying of times, relentlessly strive to affect positive change and realise a more equitable and sustainable future.
FocuS Travel ParTnerSHiP
CEO abby PEnstOn We were incredibly touched last year when the judges acknowledged our Partnership Project Manager, Dani Ives, for the newlycreated Shining Star award so we were very keen to support this award for 2022. The diversity amongst the judges is also to be celebrated. They are individuals from all different parts of our industry and create a well-rounded panel. We eagerly await the shortlist for this year’s Business Travel People Awards and look forward to celebrating with everyone on September 13.
agiiTo
ChiEf COmmErCiaL OffiCEr stEvE banks Coming out of the pandemic has reinforced our view that our people are our biggest assets, so it’s important they get the recognition they deserve for their hard work and dedication over another challenging year in the industry. We’ve always been a strong supporter of the Business Travel People Awards in the last 11 years. They are the perfect platform to highlight the outstanding talent we have in our industry and Agiito is proud to have so many awardwinning alumni in our teams. As a TMC, we work closely with travel buyers and recognise how much their role has evolved. It’s great the Travel Buyer of the Year category has been added for 2022, so all the individuals making a difference in the industry can be recognised.
uniTed airlineS
Uk markEtinG manaGEr shELLEy Evans We’re delighted to be supporting the DE&I category at this year’s People Awards. As a global airline, our business is bringing people together and we’re committed to being a force for good in creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace and world. More recently, we have started to train at least 5,000 pilots through the United Aviate Academy, with the plan of at least half being women and people of colour.
virgin aTlanTic vP COrPOratE saLEs, tOm maynard and delTa air lineS rEGiOnaL saLEs manaGEr Uk & irELand, nadia CLintOn We’re proud to be involved in these prestigious awards to celebrate the standout individuals in our industry. As we move into the post pandemic era, supporting the travel sector in finding more sustainable ways to connect people across the globe is more important than ever before, which is why we’re proud to be sponsoring the first ever award for Sustainability Champion. The path to Net Zero 2050 is not one we can travel alone, and this award will shine a light on the people paving the way as we work as an industry-wide collective to meet our goals for the benefit of our people, customers, communities and the planet.
