15th June 2017 Ardoe House Hotel & Spa
Application Pack
About The annual ‘Life with Style Awards’ We are so proud of this part of Scotland, our very own neighbourhood in which business and pleasure combine to make Aberdeen City and Shire such an exciting place to live and work. These Awards reflect the fantastic variety of entrepreneurs and innovative local businesses in this neck of the woods, and recognise the people that make them tick.
Why should you enter?
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There is no entry fee. You have absolutely nothing to lose and lots to gain.
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By entering this year you could turn yourself from simply a business into an “award-winning” business. Or even a “multi-award” winning business.
Some awards can be challenging and time-consuming to enter, however, the Your credibility is a significant factor in Life With Style Awards are straightforward customers choosing whether they want to and flexible - there’s no excuse not to get buy from you. Winning awards helps involved! hugely with this but so does being shortlisted. Entering the awards will improve brand awareness, provide great PR opportunities Spread the word that you have been and can help you to win new business shortlisted on social media. Don’t be shy. and new customers. Stand up and tell people at networking events. It is a great thing to be noticed for A victory is a big confidence booster, so make sure that people know. Be proud! but even if you don’t win, entering can help with teambuilding and helping The process of submitting any application employees feel valued and recognised allows you to look at your business with for their collective efforts. a different perspective. In providing the answers to get the judges’ attention, you An award win highlights your expertise. may also identify where you realise there You have a trophy to display and logos are gaps in the way you do things, to use. Use them to differentiate and prompting you to think about how you make you stand out. might improve even more.
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These awards provide external validation and recognition of your success. In a competitive environment, for all finalists, credibility in the eyes of current and potential customers is raised.
Even in tough times success should be celebrated. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a new business or an established one, everyone is judged on the content of the submission.
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Meet The Judges Karen Molloy
Ken Massie
Emma Leiper Finlayson
Karen is co-founder of a successful company, Thorpe Molloy Recruitment, she understands the challenges faced by SMEs. In addition to her own business commitments, Karen regularly works with local third sector organisations and is an active charity fund-raiser.
Ken joined Visit Scotland in 2008 as Regional Director for Aberdeen City & Shire, having been Managing Director at Northsound Radio. In 2011, Ken took on a national role within the organisation and is now Head of Strategic Partnerships, managing a team responsible for the direct delivery of key services.
An experienced fundraising professional with considerable knowledge of the third sector, Emma is Capital Appeal Manager for Sue Ryder, having previously been Fundraising Manager at Children 1st and Donor Relations Officer at the University of Aberdeen Development Trust. A keen writer, she is a regular contributor to Trend Magazine and is editor of Trend Weddings.
Simone Barnett
Karen Cross
James Grassick-Storrie
Simone is a Business, Sales & Marketing professional with over 20 years cross sector experience. Simone established Kennedy Barnett & Associates in 2015 and works with executive teams developing strategies and infrastructures to support the strategic goals and growth of their business.
Karen gained a design degree at Heriot Watt University before working as a designer for fashion brands in London. She is currently the Academic Strategic Lead for Marketing and Fashion Management at the School of Creative and Cultural Business, Robert Gordon University, and is the Course Leader for both the BA (Hons) and MSc Fashion Management courses.
James has been with the John Lewis Partnership for over 15 years. He is part of the senior team who lead the Aberdeen branch in delivering the goals of the co-owned business.
Jackie Allen
James Knowles
Jackie Allen has an extensive knowledge of the retail sector having established and operated the popular fashion boutique The B’s Knees in Oldmeldrum and Inverurie for 25 years before becoming an independent business and marketing consultant in 2012, specialising in retail and hospitality.
James is a retired local government official with considerable experience and knowledge of the area and the food sector. He continues to be involved in business development and volunteering.
Categories Local Retailer Of The Year Award
Excellence In Hairdressing Award
Open to all fashion and non-fashion retailers. All boutique, independent or specialist independent stores.
Open to hair salons and individual hairdressers.
Excellence In Beauty Award Open to beauty businesses.
Best Place To Eat Awards 3 Categories Restaurants & Bistros This category is suitable for any establishment, which serves food in a more formal setting.
The Creative Award
Open to individuals or organisations who demonstrate exceptional flair in a creative environment, such as arts, crafts, photography and interior design.
Hotel Of The Year Award Open to large or small independents, chain and hotel groups and serviced apartments.
Best New Business Award
Coffee Shops & Cafés This category is for any establishment, which serves food in a more casual style.
Open to new businesses that have launched since 1st January 2016.
Local Flavours This is open to any independent food provider also to fast food or take-a-way establishments.
Open to all bars and late night drinks destinations including hotel bars.
Best Bar Award
The Community Award Open to all third sector organisations.
Health & Wellbeing Award Open to clinics and establishments that provide professional services in the areas of dentistry, opticians and auditory enhancements. Also included in this category are aesthetic clinics and businesses that provide instruction on diet and nutrition.
Fitness Award
Open to businesses in the fitness sector that are involved in promoting health, fitness or well-being in any way.
Trend Readers’ Award Open to all businesses in the North-east of Scotland. This award can be promoted in house to customers and clients and can be voted for online.
Lasting Contribution To The North-East’s Lifestyle Scene Award Open to any organisation that has made a significant impact on the North-east’s lifestyle scene.
Entry Questions 01.
Please provide a synopsis of the business/organisation?
Max 500 words (20% of overall scoring)
The synopsis should give an all round summary of what the business/organisation does and its background. Areas that could be included are:
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Who started it and why? What are the products/services? Who its customers are. What it has achieved to date what its future aspirations are.
02.
What achievement/s in the business are you most proud of and why?
Max 1000 words (45% of the overall score)
This should focus on either solely one achievement or if there are more over the past 3 years please highlight them. Areas of achievement that could be included are:
• Overcoming adversity and perhaps diversifying in current local market conditions i.e. new services provided or new investement, refurbishment etc. • Client and customer relationship management. • Customer service. • Staff engagement. • Relevant award wins/nominations (previous 3 years).
03.
What makes your business individual or distinctive within its sector and with its clients, and gives it the ‘WOW’ factor?
Max 500 words (35% of overall score)
This answer should be used to demonstrate why you stand out as a business and what makes you a worthy winner. In answering this question consider the following:
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What makes your business unique. Highlight any business improvements you have introduced. Investment in people. How you keep ahead of your competitors. How you approach quality. Why you should win this award.
NB for all questions please provide the appropriate evidence to support your answers in the form of imagery, testimonials or certificates.
Rules — — —
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Hints & Tips All questions must be answered fully. All applications must be supplied electronically. Supporting evidence must be supplied in the form of video links or web links, jpegs and word docs. If applying for more than one category, a separate application should be submitted and tailored for each, do not repeat an answer from another or previous entry. All responses must be numbered according to each question. Where the question says ‘provide evidence’ this must be given, either within the text or as supporting evidence. All answers must be within the word count limit. 10% discretion applies. One representative from each business short listed must be able to attend the finalists evening on Wednesday 24th May. A maximum of three categories can be entered.
Closing date for entries is Wednesday 29th March 2017 at 12noon.
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The Judges’ decision is final.
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Use the word count effectively. Keep your content current and relevant. Be specific and provide credible examples. Ensure key elements of the criteria are answered in your submission. Shout loud and clear about your achievements and supply clear evidence. Only include supporting evidence that adds to and enhances your entry.
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Give facts and evidence that will grab the judges attention.
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Don’t leave it to the last minute. You can dip in and out of your submission. Allow yourself time consider your answers and overall submission properly. Think carefully about your competition and what genuinely differentiates you. Don’t lift your submission from your sales and marketing materials - answer the questions with answers that are succinct, clear and easy to read.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help - if someone you know has experience of submitting a winning entry before, ask if they could offer you advice.
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You need to be in it to win it!
How To Apply Registration
Application(s)
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Register your company for the Life With Style Awards online by clicking the ‘Register’ link, on the Trend Homepage.
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Fill in the form details including the categories you are interested in applying for. Please also inform us on how many categories you intend to enter (maximum of three).
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Fill in the rest of the details and click submit. You only need to register once regardless of how many applications you intend to enter.
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A confirmation message will be displayed and an e-mail summary will arrive shortly. Both will include a link to create your User Log-in to proceed to the application stage. The log-in allows you to save and return to your application to complete it at your leisure.
We advise you to start preparing your applications on a word processor early to allow for a stress free application. Extensions will not be given.
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This User Log-in link will not be displayed on the Trend website, we advise that you bookmark it to ensure it is not lost/forgotten.
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For security and speed we advise you to prepare and save your application with a word processing tool to allow for spelling/grammar checking, an easy transfer to the application form via copy and paste and also as a back-up. Using your User Log-in access the application form. Similar to the registration process, begin filling in the application form with your company details and category of interest. Please keep in mind if you are applying for more than one category; a separate application must be created for each one.
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Once you have filled out the details and questions, you will also have the chance to upload any materials supporting your application such as pictures and videos. Up to ten uploads are allowed per application with a maximum size of 2MB per upload.
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All files/images should be labelled clearly to ensure it matches the application. Accepted File Formats: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, csv, txt, rtf, zip, jpg, jpeg, png. Video links should be uploaded to a video hosting service; Youtube, Vimeo etc. and the link should be pasted into a word document attached with the application. Once you are satisfied with your application, you can click the submit button to complete the application. Please note all submissions are final and cannot be amended.
Trend Readers’ Award Trend readers can now nominate their favourite North-east business for this years Trend Readers’ Award! The only category of the Life With Style Awards completely up to YOU!
Open to all businesses in the North-east of Scotland, this award can be promoted in-house to clients and supporters, get trending on social media, or mention in your advertising - do whatever you can to generate as many votes as possible! Get your friends, family and clients to tweet their nomination alongside the hashtag #trendreadersaward Get tweeting!
I am voting for Trend Magazine because they are the only local guide to a modern life in Aberdeen. #trendreadersaward
Rules
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1 tweet = 1 vote. Maximum of 5 votes per username. Re-tweets will not count. Feel free to answer why you are voting for the company. Spamming will not be tolerated. Tweets under suspicion will be removed from the total vote, and may result in the nominee being disqualified.
Tweet
Tickets & Packages Table Sponsor Table of 12
Table & Award Sponsor £900
Award Sponsor Sponsorship of Award Branding on Award, Event Literature, in Trend Magazine, online and on all relevant social media posts.
£250
£1050
Flash Advertising On the screens at the Awards Ceremony
Ticket Price Standard Single Ticket
Table of 12 Sponsorship of Award Branding on Award, Event Literature, in Trend Magazine, online and on all relevant social media posts.
£100 All costs are subject to VAT. Bespoke packages are available please call 01224 596223 to enquire,
£75
Testimonials Winning the Hotel of the Year award in 2016 at the Life with Style Awards brought a huge amount of PR through not only local recognition but also social media and national interest. As a team we felt extremely proud in winning this prestigious award, it boosted the team moral and delivered great recognition within the industry. Working with Trend Magazine over the years has opened so many opportunities and we very much look forward to keep developing our successful relationship over the coming years.
Entering the Life with Style Awards was a simple, fun and highly memorable experience. We felt it helped to create a buzz about our brand throughout social media and promoted the importance of supporting local businesses. We also felt that labelling ourselves as a winner on our website and social media helped to instil customer confidence in our brand!
We absolutely love Trend Magazine and offer it to our clients in the salon – we are really passionate about supporting local, so felt it was important to enter the Trend Awards. To win one award was unreal, but to go on to win two was a total shock! We were humbled to receive such recognition and would definitely recommend entering.
FreshMex being named as a finalist in the categories of ‘Best New Business’ and ‘Best Place to Eat - Local Flavours’ at the Trend Life with Style awards in 2016 was very exciting for us personally as business owners, but also gave huge levels of exposure for the FreshMex brand and story in the Aberdeen/ shire area. We were thrilled to be awarded ‘Highly Commended Best New Business’ on the awards night as it was a real honour for our achievements to date to be recognised at the prestigious local awards. it was a great experience all round!
Ben Bel
Michelle Clark
Joanna MacDonald
Calum Wright
Malmaison, Aberdeen
@hamishmunro
Linton & Mac
FreshMex
Main Sponsors
Photography Sponsor
Audio Visual Sponsor
Champagne Sponsor
Table Decoration Sponsor
Jewellery Sponsor
Car Sponsor
Venue Sponsor
Category Sponsors
For information on entry requirements, tickets and sponsorship packages please email events@trendmagazine.co.uk or call 01224 596223.
Marshmallow Sponsor
Room Decoration Sponsor