THE Nottingham Post Business Awards, due to take place on May 23 at the East Midlands Conference Centre, are the region's most prestigious celebration of business talent across all of the sectors represented in the county.
Among those involved in the awards are a range of leading businesses and organisations, each lending their sponsorship and expertise to the award categories. Their involvement has extended to assembling their own judging panels to assess the wealth of entrants and selecting the right finalists for each category.
This year, the Sales and Marketing Award has been sponsored by the University of Nottingham, one of the country's leading institutions for higher education and an organisation with key insights into the region's business structure.
Chris Jagger, chief estates and facilities officer at the university, spoke about its involvement in the awards.
"The University of Nottingham is delighted to be supporting the Sales and Marketing Award, which celebrates sales and marketing excellence in the region," he said.
The university plays a key role in the business success of the region as a whole and works to give students and graduates the very best skills to succeed in a modern and competitive business environment.
Chris said: "One of the most sought-after universities among graduate employers, the university is committed to providing students with the best possible opportunities for personal and career development as well as providing inspirational teaching."
As such an important and influential educational body, the university is ideally placed to provide the business awards with its own expertise, not only selecting appropriate finalists, but adding to the strengthening business community that has been created thanks to the nomination and selection process.
In order for the future of the region's economic stability to increase its impact on a national scale, it is vital that influential bodies such as the university meet with other growing and established business to create a thriving commercial forum that adds real benefit to the area it works in.
As well as offering important insights into the sales and marketing sector, the university adds substantially to the local economy, attracting students from all over the country and the globe to study at the acclaimed institution.
The Business School is just one of its world-leading departments.
"The university's Business School is highly ranked internationally and offers a wide range of subjects to encourage innovative business practice and creativity, working closely with key regional, national and international businesses," Chris said. "Many graduates have developed into successful business entrepreneurs in their own right and are a credit to the university and to the local region."
A clear example of the many ways in which academic institutions have an important part to play in the structure of the regional business economy, the university is pleased to support the Nottingham Post Business Award and recognises the substantial sales and marketing industry that thrives in Nottingham and the surrounding county.