The deadline for entries for the South Wales Argus Business Awards is Friday, September 24, so there is still plenty of time for Gwent businesses to share their success and be in with a chance of winning one of the coveted prizes.

One Gwent business, Inspired Business Media, has stepped up to support the awards as sponsor of the Training and Development category.

Who are you and what do you do?

We are Inspired Business Media. We are business engagement experts who facilitate educational, networking, business and solution providing opportunities for senior executives through our conferences, luxury networking dinners and virtual events. Our physical events are held in cities such as London, New York and Amsterdam at luxury venues and our virtual events connect business executives across the globe. Our business network consists of C-level executives and have built relationships with professionals from the likes of Lego, Coca Cola, Disney, Subway and DHL. Our clients who help our network solve their business challenges include industry technology leaders such as Google, Facebook, Dell, HP, IBM, CISCO, Adobe, Oracle and Amazon.

Why are you sponsoring your specific award?

We chose to sponsor the award for Training and Development as we are extremely passionate about professional and personal development within business, it’s at the heart of everything we do. We believe that investing in people and nurturing talent through training and development opportunities is vital to business success. We are proud to have created development opportunities for our team over the years and, as a result, our business has become stronger, As a company, we always strive to grow, nurture and reward our team members for their progression and hard work, therefore recognising organisations or individuals that provide these educational opportunities was the natural choice for us.

Why are awards important?

Celebrating and recognising the success of businesses in South Wales has always been important to us. However as the pandemic has had such a huge impact on all of us in a multitude of ways it’s more important than ever that we shine a light on these organisations.

We cannot ignore how hard it has been on independent and small businesses, therefore, it is important that we recognise the strength, resilience and determination of those who continued to deliver through this unprecedented time.

The business community in South Wales may be small but it is mighty and what better way to come together after feeling so apart for so long than celebrating each other and our achievements.

Why do you believe it's important to showcase and celebrate local businesses, organisations and individuals?

As we emerge from lockdown, we all need to support and showcase local businesses in any way that we can. These awards are a perfect way to recognise the businesses of South Wales and celebrate their achievements. Business owners and customers alike can support local talent in a multitude of ways. This could be a simple as up a coffee from your local cafe instead of visiting a large chain or sharing a post or entering a competition on social media, no action is too small.

Why is it important to sponsor the South Wales Argus Business Awards?

Being a South Wales born, independent business, we recognise the importance of supporting local businesses and sponsoring a South Wales Argus Business Award is a perfect way to show that support to the business community. We have created some fantastic relationships with fellow Welsh businesses over the years, have been lucky enough to support various organisations and have been supported ourselves in various ways. It’s events like the South Wales Argus Business Awards that strengthen this community of Welsh businesses and shine a light on some incredible organisations and individuals.

What message do you have for those businesses and organisations considering entering the awards?

What have you got to lose? Many businesses have been through the toughest period they will probably ever face so now is the time to recognise your achievements, your strength and your determination by shining a light on your business.

The 2020/21 categories and their sponsors are: Lead sponsor and Business of the Year: Newport City Council; Innovative Business of the Year: Western Power Distribution; Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Icon Creative Design; Lifetime Achievement Award: TBC; Family Business of the Year Award: Azets; Large Business of the Year: RDP Law; Small Business of the Year: Kymin; Start Up Business of the Year Award: Educ8 Group; Contribution to the Community Award: Monmouthshire Building Society; Customer Service Award: Friars Walk/The Kingsway Centre; Training and Development Business of the Year: Inspired Media; Best BID Business of the Year: Newport Now Business Improvement District/Kevin Ward Media; Environmental Business of the Year: Cintec International; Hospitality Business of the Year: TBC; and Digital Technology Business of the Year: TBC.

Closing date for entries is Friday, September 24. The awards evening will be on November 18.

For full details on the awards and how to enter go to southwalesargus.co.uk/businessawards