Best Development of an Existing Awards Event
CILIP, Yoto Carnegies 2024
The 2024 Yoto Carnegies set a new benchmark for children’s book awards, significantly enhancing audience engagement, industry visibility, and accessibility. Moving the ceremony to the Cambridge Theatre, home of Matilda The Musical, created a unique, immersive experience for young attendees, reinforcing the awards’ core mission of fostering a love of reading. Attendance quadrupled from 2023, with over 1000 guests—including more than 700 children and young people—benefiting from interactive elements such as a pre-ceremony Q&A with shortlisted authors and illustrators.
The event saw a 54% increase in media coverage, reflecting its growing cultural impact. Sponsor engagement reached new heights, with Yoto’s branding prominently featured and Scholastic maximising its presence with an on-site book sales booth. The ceremony also championed inclusivity, welcoming a school for blind and visually impaired students, incorporating subtitled videos, and ensuring step-free access.
Despite the event’s growth, costs remained controlled, increasing by just 6.5% while attendance soared. Challenges such as last-minute performer changes and AV issues were seamlessly managed, enhancing the overall experience. With overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees, industry professionals, and sponsors, the event’s success has secured its return to the Cambridge Theatre for 2025, ensuring continued growth and impact for years to come.
Dezeen Awards, Dezeen
Dezeen Awards is the world’s most popular and accessible architecture, interiors and design awards programme.
Diversified UK & Europe, routeone Awards
The routeone Awards is the UK coach and bus industry’s most prestigious awards programme, recognising excellence in operations and individual achievement. Since its launch in 2005, it has become the industry’s highest honour, known for its independent judging process, peer-led nominations, and glamorous black-tie ceremony.
The 2024 event marked the 18th year of the awards and was the most successful yet, attracting a record 900 attendees with a waitlist. A move to The Vox, Birmingham, provided a premium setting and enhanced networking opportunities, reinforcing the event’s reputation as the industry’s must-attend gathering.
A strategic, eight-month marketing campaign maximised visibility for partners, nominees, finalists, and winners, ensuring engagement across the industry and beyond. Tailored publicity support helped operators showcase their success through regional media, amplifying their achievements within their communities.
The awards’ credibility is upheld by a carefully selected, fully independent judging panel, composed of respected industry figures who volunteer their time. The multi-stage judging process ensures winners are chosen on merit, maintaining the integrity and prestige that sets the routeone Awards apart.
By continually evolving while maintaining fairness and transparency, the routeone Awards remains the definitive industry benchmark, delivering outstanding value for participants and partners alike.
Dods Events and Cabinet Office, The Civil Service Awards
The Civil Service Awards is the ‘Oscars’ of the Civil Service calendar. It is the largest annual programme designed to recognise and celebrate the wealth of inspirational individuals and innovative project teams across the UK Civil Service.
This unique awards programme showcases civil servants that go above and beyond their day job to help spread best practice, shared learning and leadership.
Financial Times & Schroders Business Book of the Year Award 2024, Financial Times in partnership with Schroders
The Financial Times & Schroders Business Book of the Year Award 2024 celebrated its 20th anniversary with a bold transformation, reinforcing its position as the most prestigious global business book award.
This milestone edition introduced a luxury-inspired rebrand, featuring a modern 3D book motif, high-end stage design, and a premium event experience. The shortlist announcement was unveiled in New York for the first time, while the winner’s ceremony at The Peninsula London welcomed keynote speaker Sharon White and a distinguished audience of industry leaders.
With record-breaking digital engagement, the award generated more live-stream views, social impressions, and website visits, ensuring unparalleled global reach than ever before.
The strategic partnership with Schroders strengthened the award’s commercial impact, delivering in FT Media Value, with extensive coverage.
By combining heritage with innovation, the 2024 edition elevated the award to new heights, setting the benchmark for business literature recognition.
Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Business Awards
The Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Business Awards is a flagship event that celebrates the innovation, resilience, and success of businesses across some of London’s most prestigious and entrepreneurial boroughs Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster. The Awards year upon year brings together a record number of attendees, nominees, and sponsors, reflecting its growing significance and reach within the local business community. It was created and is organised by the team at the Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Chamber of Commerce.
Last year’s event successfully met both its commercial and strategic objectives—strengthening the Chamber’s brand, deepening member engagement, and generating sustainable revenue through strong sponsorship partnerships, including our headline sponsors The City of Westminster and Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Faced with growing demand, we overcame challenges by securing a larger venue and forming a dedicated Business Awards Committee from our Executive Board, ensuring a seamless planning and delivery process.
From a packed programme and inspirational keynote speakers to high-profile media coverage and unmatched networking opportunities, the Awards stand out for their ability to blend prestige with community spirit. Above all, the event reinforced the Chamber’s commitment to empowering local businesses, recognising excellence, and creating a platform for growth, collaboration, and long-term impact.
The Salon Awards
The Salon Awards is the UK’s premier awards program dedicated to recognising excellence in the hair industry. Designed for both salons and individual professionals, it provides a platform for competitors to showcase their expertise at a local level, judged only against their peers in their area. Our mission is to celebrate talent, elevate professional profiles, offer valuable marketing opportunities, and ultimately drive industry standards while enhancing real-life client experiences.
Judged by experts within the industry, the Salon Awards has been a launchpad for many rising stars—helping them expand their businesses, transition into education, or build careers in fashion, TV, and celebrity hairstyling. Following a rigorous entry and judging process, the winners are honoured at high-energy, in-person award celebrations held over three geographically split event nights, ensuring industry talent is recognised and celebrated on a national scale.
The PIE, The PIEoneer Awards 2024
The winners of The PIEoneer Awards 2024, spanning 20 categories, were revealed at a glamorous gala held at the prestigious Guildhall in London – bigger and better than ever before despite being in their eighth year.
Celebrating the best and brightest in a sector facing challenges that are always changing means that our events team has had to be just as innovative and adaptable as the nominees we honour at the awards.
In a stunning celebration of talent and achievement, 21 winners (including joint winners in one category) were recognised for their exceptional contributions to international education over the past year. An additional 28 finalists were also highly commended for their efforts.
The 2024 awards were a testament to the continued growth and adaptability of the international education sector, as individuals and organisations pushed the boundaries of what’s possible.
The UK Hair and Beauty Awards
The Hair and Beauty Awards (HBA) offers a unique platform that connects small businesses with high-profile industry experts and individuals, fostering invaluable networking opportunities. Since our inception in 2021, we have experienced remarkable growth, expanding from 400 attendees to 1,500 in just a few years, with projections of nearly 1,800 participants for our 2025 event.
Our high-budget event reinvests all proceeds back into creating an unforgettable experience, featuring a celebrity headliner each year for a special performance that draws guests in. While we prioritise the celebratory atmosphere over the awards themselves, our hard work and dedication—often spending 16-hour days—have propelled us beyond our initial expectations.
Building a passionate and committed team has been vital to our success. This year marks our first foray into sponsorships, having previously relied solely on ticket sales. With a growing fan base, we are excited to partner with major sponsors. The HBA is a red carpet event designed for everyone, offering fabulous food, great music, and the chance to meet celebrities—making it a dream experience for all. We would be honoured to receive recognition for our relentless efforts in creating this unique celebration.
