The FLTA Awards 2014 – it’s time to get involved!

HSS: The Awards have been going strong for two decades now. Will the FLTA keep with the same tried-and-trusted formula – or can we expect some changes for 2014?

Peter Harvey: You can expect some exciting changes! Each year we aim to deliver an Awards show that is better than the last… but in planning Awards 2014 I believe we have excelled ourselves. We’ve consulted far and wide and have come up with a number of innovations that we believe will make Awards 2014 our best event ever.

HSS: That’s quite a bold claim… can you give us some insights into your plans?

PH: I don’t want to give everything away – we want to keep a few surprises – but I can tell you that the show will contain more humour and will have a very “live” feel.

HSS: How will you achieve that? 

PH: We will be using a ‘house band’ to play all the walk up tracks as well as providing the high-tempo entertainment later in the evening. That’s bound to create a lot more energy and excitement on the night. 

HSS: Talking of excitement, the fork truck industry can be a lively audience – how do you plan to address that?

PH: Yes, the Awards generates a great deal of tension and excitement on the night – but for 2014 we have recruited one of the country’s top entertainers for this kind of event.  I can’t reveal his name yet, but he’s brilliant at galvanising a crowd with lots of humour, whilst also maintaining the necessary order so that everyone can hear what’s going on. 

 

 

HSS: Any other innovations you can reveal?

PH: Yes. One big change is the creation of a dedicated lounge exclusively for our guests.  It will be directly across the corridor from the main event room but will offer a quiet space for those who don’t want to dance or listen to the band. It will be the ideal place for relaxing, networking and catching up with old friends or making new ones.  In the past, people have had to go to the main bar but this rather breaks up the party.  Everyone I have spoken to loves the idea of a dedicated lounge area so close to the action

HSS: What about the awards themselves… any change there?  

PH: The aim of the Awards has always been to recognise and reward excellence across the whole of the fork lift truck industry. Having started with the product Awards, we then introduced awards to recognise those individuals whose contribution has been over and above the call of duty. We then extended the categories to include a Safe Site award for companies that own and operate fork lift trucks.

Last year we acknowledged the vital role played by dealerships with the massively successful Customer Focus Award – which rewards the dealer who has provided the most innovative or appropriate solution to a customer’s particular materials handling requirements. It was so popular that we have decided to retain it for 2014.

The great thing about this award is that it involves a live vote on the night – which really adds to the drama…

HSS: It has been said that it’s only the big companies who win…

PH: That simply isn’t true!  Every year there are a number of new or almost unheard of companies make it into our “Pick of the Year” and a surprising number go on to actually collect an Archie.  That’s part of the appeal of the awards – that it is open to everyone – not just FLTA members – and that the whole process from nominations to final voting is totally transparent.  

Larger companies are often in the frame simply because they invest heavily in new product development so it would be something of a surprise if several of them weren’t on the shortlist. 

However, the awards are a bit like the FA Cup in that although everyone expects the larger, wealthier clubs to win, every year there are surprises when an underdog triumphs… as happened at the last awards with BMB  Weatherproof Canopies winning the Environment Award. 

Moreover, winners of the individual awards tend to come from smaller, independent companies and dealerships.

It really is a myth that only the big boys pick up the honours.  Literally anyone can win.

HSS: So, how can companies enter?

PH: Entering the Awards for Excellence is easy, open to anyone and can now be done online.  Visit www.fork-truck.org.uk/awards and you’ll find the relevant forms and advice.

HSS: It’s not just about the Awards though, is it?

PH: Certainly not. This event offers a truly unique opportunity for those involved in the industry, in any capacity, to meet up and network or simply have a fantastic time. A glamorous black-tie event like this brings together several hundred key materials handling figures from across the globe, so there’s bound to be a few deals to be discussed…

 

 

HSS: It sounds like there’s a lot of work being put into this year’s Awards. Anyone who has attended will appreciate that a great deal of money is invested in staging it. Is it really worth it?  

PH: The Awards have been a fixture on the materials handling calendar for more than two decades. They are the single most effective and widely recognised way of rewarding and encouraging those who work in the industry to strive for higher and higher standards. They promote our Association and its membership to many tens of thousands of customers who own and operate materials handling equipment.  

As for the winners, anyone who has ever collected an Archie says the same thing – it makes a huge difference to their standing in the market. 

Our Sponsors and Supporters play a key role in making it happen. Their financial backing, along with the credibility their names bring to the occasion are what helped put the Awards for Excellence in the premier division in the first place… and have kept them there ever since. 

They represent almost every facet of our industry from financial companies such as Aldermore and BNP Paribas to ancillary suppliers such as B&B Attachments, Interfit and PowerCell. We are also well-supported by some of the UK’s biggest manufacturers, including: Combilift, Doosan, Mitsubishi and Yale.  Further support is offered by our three event supporters: Bibby Financial Services, Curtis Instruments and Oval Insurance Broking.

But none of this would be possible without the valued support of our Media Partner: Handling & Storage Solutions. As well as being a great publication, it has a spread of highly relevant sister titles which – together – allow us to communicate with everyone whose work involves fork lift trucks. 

HSS: So, to sum up… how would you describe Awards 2014?

PH: It’s going to be a great night! We are aiming to make this year’s presentations shorter, pacier and much more exciting to make sure that everyone – including partners – will be kept on the edge of their seats… at least until the dance floor opens! It will be a night you’ll not want to miss… and will never forget.

 

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