Business Awards: Workshops for entrants

Entrants for the Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards 2011 are being offered expert advice from this year's judges and other past winners.
The entire judging panel will be on hand to talk to business owners through applications, the judging processes and their own experiences in two workshops next month.
Convenor of judges Kim Martin told The Daily Post the workshops were a great opportunity to find out who the judges were, what they were looking for and what your business could gain from the process.
"They will provide a bit of inspiration and real stories of the benefits for businesses."
Martin said the events also offered people the chance to better understand the awards process.
"Come along if you are unsure - meet the judges, meet past winners and understand the process before you make any decisions. A lot of people think it is all about financial performance, but that is only part of it."
Two judges are allocated to each of the six business award categories and read all the entries thoroughly looking at:
Leadership
Customer focus
Quality
People management
Innovation and knowledge
Planning
Marketing
Business performance
Community and environment
Judges, who volunteer their time, spend up to two hours visiting each business.
"Then we sit down as a group and decide who the top three are."
Sometimes there are clear finalists, but she said the decisions were often incredibly difficult.
Finalists then have to make a 30-minute presentation to the full panel of judges and, while it is a hectic weekend for all involved, Martin also described it as exciting.
"We basically wipe the slate clean and this is their chance to get their message across."
Then the judging panel selects its category winners and the supreme Westpac Business of the Year recipient, which will be announced at the gala dinner on September 30.
Martin said it was an exciting night for the judges, who get to know the finalists pretty well.
"We have to be very careful with our body language so we don't give anything away in advance. It is great to see the award winners celebrating their success, but it can be quite challenging as the people who don't win can be very disappointed."
For this reason, judges prepare their feedback to all entrants ahead of the awards night so it can be sent out immediately, helping people understand where they can improve their business and their entry.
"Not everybody can win. They are still great businesses, they just aren't the winner on the day."
She said the process of entering and the resulting feedback could be very valuable to businesses, providing advice on what they do well and where they can improve from judges with a wide range of experience.
"Two esteemed business people come in and have a detailed look at your business. People pay thousands of dollars to get that sort of assessment. This costs nothing but your time."
For firms with an existing business plan, she said the entry process was relatively simple.
"If you don't [have a plan], this is a good excuse to make one. It is a good opportunity to work on your business."
Martin is pleased with the calibre of judges this year and said many had put themselves forward for the role, despite busy schedules of their own.
"They are people who genuinely want to contribute to the business community."
For information on the award entry workshops on Wednesday, May 4, and Thursday, May 12, visit the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce website www.rotoruachamber.co.nz.
 
Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Award judges 2011
Sue Canning - AMP

Justine Crozier - Waiariki Institute of Technology

Tania Davis - Zero to 100 Automotive

Brendon Good - Westend New World

Mijo Katavic - Castlecorp

Pam McGrath - Buried Village

Tupara Morrison - ID Group Holdings

Rob Parry - McDonald's Rotorua

Chelydra Percy - Scion

Merepeka Raukawa-Tait - Idea Services

Lloyd Upston - Westpac

Tim Wild - Bright, Wild & Thomas Limited