2nd Meath Business & Tourism Awards officially launched

After the success of the inaugural Meath Business & Tourism Awards last year, this year's awards promise to be even bigger and better with a host of Meath businesses showcasing their talents and skills. The November awards were launched yesterday (Tuesday 6th September) at the venue for the celebration of all things good about Meath business and tourism, Trim Castle Hotel, which will host the awards later this year. The aim of the inaugural awards was to emphasise the business talent in the county and, last year, Panda Waste, based at Beauparc, Navan, walked away with the overall award for their outstanding achievements in the field of recycling and waste management. The awards will take place in Trim Castle Hotel on Thursday 17th November and businesses will be judged in various categories under the umbrella headings of business and of tourism. The judging panel will be made up of sponsors of the event and will also include industry experts to decide on category winners. Alongside the Meath Chronicle, this year's Meath Business & Tourism Awards partners are Meath County Council and Meath Tourism, while the platinum sponsors are Generali PanEurope, based at the Johnstown Business Park in Navan since 1999 and which last year expanded its operation with 30 extra jobs for the county. Other sponsors are Trim Castle Hotel, who are hosting the awards; Steen O'Reilly & Co Solicitors, who are celebrating 100 years in business this year; Ashbourne-based Largo Foods, the leading snack food manufacturer in Ireland and owners of the successful Tayto Park, and MBM Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors, who are based in Bracetown Business Park, Clonee. Businesses can be entered in the tourism category under seven headings; Customer Service and Welcome, Dynamic Marketing Material, Marketing and Sales Professional, Conference and Incentive Business Campaign, Small Business Marketing (between one and 10 employees), Festival or Event Marketing and Market Innovation Award. This year there is a new category which promises great competition: the Best Retailer Award. The full list of categories for business are Outstanding Small/Medium Business Award, Service to Business Award - Business to Business category, Environmental Responsibility/Sustainability, Marketing, Innovation/Innovator of the Year, Best New Business and Best Not for Profit Organisation of the Year. Operations director for the Celtic Media Group, Frank Mulrennan said the awards are a celebration of Meath business and tourism talent in challenging times. "It's a challenging time for business and tourism and it's to be encouraged that awards such as these are promoted," he said. "I suppose we are operating in a counter-cyclical manner in that while there is a lot of doom and gloom around and, it has to be said, much of it justified, it is at times such as these that we need to celebrate what we have, and by that I mean the existing excellence that exists in terms of Meath business and tourism companies."