SSE attended the Enterprising Solutions Awards last night at the V&A Museum, and despite our esteemed CEO being on the judging panel, we had no idea about the winners. Click on the previous link or read this article to see the full list. I was delighted to see Sunlight win an award (for best new SE), as I think they are a really credible organisation that delivers and has its values written through it; and was great to see lots of them enjoying the ceremony and the event to the full. The main winner, presented by new Minister for the Third Sector Kevin Brennan, was Phone Co-op, which is well deserved. I remember switching our broadband to them about 3 years ago, and they have our business on customer service and price as well as the added social value.
Most people around me were particularly taken with NMC Design and Print (check out the site) and they showed their entrepreneurial spirit by promoting themselves and their services wholeheartedly in the networking afterwards. Well done to Dan and Alan (who I chatted to for a while) and the rest of their team. They’re on our list for our next design and print job.
And, of course, well done to the team at SEC, especially Mamoona Shah who looked somewhat frenzied when we arrived (as is the nature of these things), but pleased and relaxed later on. The event went without a hitch pretty much, and there was a very good buzz at the networking afterwards. Difficult to get a dynamic energy going in such a grand, enormous hall, but the networking cut through the church-like atmosphere and the enjoyment took off from there (NB – this may be connected to alcohol consumption). I stumbled across 3 SSE Fellows chatting away (and monopolising the hamburger canapes), chatted to the good people from the Westminster Children’s Society, and chewed the fat with several of the nominees and award winners. Also had great chats with Alex Bellinger of SmallBizPod and with Caryl and Vandna from Voice4Change.
Gossip was thin on the ground (though perhaps the after-party might have been more fruitful in that respect), but I was thoroughly delighted to be barely recognised by Liz from the OTS because I was wearing a suit…a definite compliment, I think.
