by Ian Girling, chief executive, Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry

LAST week saw the announcement of this years’ finalists for the 2016 Dorset Business Awards. The Dorset Business Awards are the leading and largest business awards in Dorset, culminating in a spectacular celebration of entrepreneurship and success across a range of categories at the Gala Dinner, taking place this year at the BIC on November 24. The Gala Dinner is a highly prestigious event and this year around 800 guests will see our winners unveiled in a fantastic evening of celebration, fun and entertainment.

Underneath the glamour of the awards is the serious business of recognising the great, entrepreneurial and inspiring businesses we have here in Dorset. Many of these businesses are often unsung heroes and it never ceases to amaze me how many incredible and often world-leading businesses we have here in Dorset, often tucked away, and the awards offers a fantastic platform to showcase what we are all about. Dorset is often labelled with being a sleepy county for the retired and in fact nothing could be further from the truth. We are home to some amazing businesses, often leading the way in their sector and often leading the way at a global level.

This year’s finalists come from across the whole of the county and cover a wide range of sectors and are off sizes. Our finalists come from Wimborne, Wareham, Evershot, Weymouth, Stalbridge, Highcliffe, Blandford, Sturminster and Poole and Bournemouth. We will be celebrating the achievements of great businesses in sectors including retail, engineering and manufacturing, care, digital media, tourism, hospitality and care. The Dorset Business Awards has 11 sponsored categories and celebrate innovation, customer care, work in the community and with education, doing business locally, business growth, success, teamwork and entrepreneurialism.

The awards dinner on November 24 will be a spectacular night on a huge scale and the atmosphere will be electric. Anyone who attended last year’s event will know what an incredible evening it is and the staging and production will be world class. I’m also delighted to say a well-known leading actress, comedian, impressionist will be hosting the evening so it’s guaranteed to be a night to remember. Tickets are on sale and visit dorsetbusinessawards.co.uk or call 01202 714800 - don’t leave it too late as they are selling quickly. Finally I’d like to say a huge thank you to our sponsors and partners and we look forward to seeing you on the night.