Ecommerce Awards

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MIKE O'BRIEN LAUNCHES SEVENTH ANNUAL ECOMMERCE AWARDS

Now in its seventh consecutive year, www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk to award a £50,000 cash prize to the National SME e-Champion
29 March 2005 : Mike O'Brien MP, Minister of State for Energy and E-Commerce has launched the seventh annual DTI / InterForum E-Commerce Awards, sponsored nationally by BT. Since their inception in 1999, the DTI / InterForum E-Commerce Awards have been recognising and rewarding innovation in the application of information and communication technologies to improve the business performance of small and medium sized enterprises in the UK. On 6 th October 2005 , one UK SME will be awarded the national title of e-Champion 2005 and will receive a prize of £50,000 in cash!
UK businesses are making more sophisticated and integrated use of ICT than ever before - a fact to which the E-Commerce Awards have been a witness over the duration of the Awards programme. Since 1999, the Award and the criteria on which they are judged have changed to mirror the development of the way in which ICT is used and applied across UK PLC. From the first year in which 'innovative use of the fax' was a category, the Awards now have categories for, among others, broadband, teleworking, mobile and wireless and the 'best integrated business online'.
The Awards are a joint initiative between the Department of Trade and Industry and not-for-profit campaign group InterForum. They are being sponsored nationally by BT, who has sponsored the Awards since their inception. In addition, The Royal Bank of Scotland is involved as a sponsor of the Awards, this year under its 'Trust Assured' brand.
For the first time in 2005, the Awards seek to reward the innovative ways in which larger enterprises and the public sector are deploying ICT, a fact which is recognised by the involvement of the CBI, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), as well as Information TV and Technology Means Business as supporters of the Awards.
Speaking at the launch of the 2005 E-Commerce Awards, Mike O'Brien commented, "The E-Commerce Awards are a tremendous opportunity for organisations to share and show innovative approaches for integrating sophisticated use of ICT intotheir business.Winners can alsoshow how theiruse of ICThas improvedtheir overallefficiency, productivity and competitiveness. I am delighted that this year, new categories have been introduced to reflect the changing face of e-business - as new technologies become widely available and organisations find new ways to exploit them. The New National ICT Innovator Awards area new development within the e-Commerce Awards that will recognise leading edge exploitation of ICT within UK plc. And what is innovative today will be best practice tomorrow."
Phil Flaxton , Chief Executive of InterForum, commented, "Over 9,000 companies have entered the DTI/InterForum E-Commerce Awards since their inception in 1999 and InterForum's members have raised more than £2.9 million to support the development of the programme during this time. With the DTI's continued backing, these awards go from strength to strength."
The Awards are open to any UK business with up to 250 employees which would like the opportunity to win the £50,000 cash prize. They are run on a regional and national level and recognise areas in which organisations can demonstrate business transformation. This year, new categories have been introduced to reflect the changing face of e-business: best use of broadband, best use of teleworking, best use of mobile and wireless technology, best sales & marketing online, best customer care online, and the most integrated business.
Duncan Avis, Head of BT Business Online, comments, "BT business is delighted to extend its association with the DTI/InterForum E-Commerce Awards by becoming this year's primary sponsor. The Awards foster exactly the spirit of innovation and excellence embodied by our customers. Like the DTI, BT recognises the value of IT and communications technologies to Britain 's thriving small business sector."
Each region will appoint a Regional category winner during twelve heats across the UK , with the local awards event taking place in September. These winners will go on to the national category awards, and from there on to the award for the National e-Champion, who will receive a cash prize of £50,000. Confirmation of all dates, times, judging guidelines and entry criteria can be found on www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk .
Emma Lowe , E-Commerce and Marketing Manager of Trade Appliances and last year's winner, comments, "Technology has played an integral role in Trade Appliances' success, enabling us to expand from a regional to a national operation, develop brand image and improved customer service. Winning the DTI/InterForum E-Commerce Awards has considerably helped to increase awareness of our brand and has inspired customer confidence, reaffirming that Trade Appliances is a company people can trust. We are extremely proud of our success."
Recognising the way in which larger enterprises, SMEs and the public sector can learn from each other's application of ICT, this year's E-Commerce Awards see the launch of the National ICT Innovator Awards, a new set of categories open to individuals or groups of people within any UK organisation who can demonstrate innovative use of ICT in the following areas:-
Winners of these categories will be recognised at a national level.
Jo e Norburn, Head of RBS TrustAssured, sponsors of the Award for 'Safe online transactions' adds, " Where the Government is committed to making the UK the best place in the world for e-business, RBS TrustAssured want to help make it the safest. As online trading and transactions become increasingly prevalent within both the B2B and B2C sectors, all organisations have a duty of care to their customers and suppliers. Our aim is to increase the level of confidence in safe online trading. The Awards support this goal by recognising best practice and providing encouragement for those businesses who want to invest in these new technologies."
The 2005 E-Commerce Awards will culminate six months' from launch at the national final and Gala Dinner to be held at Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 6th October.
Applications for free entry will be through an online form at the web site www.ecommerce-awards.co.uk . In addition companies can be nominated online.
- ENDS -
Notes to Editors:
  1. (External) www.interforum.org is a not-for-profit organisation that helps British companies to conduct their business electronically. All of InterForum's activities are governed by the need to raise awareness of the many business opportunities and challenges presented by new Internet, information and communications technologies. InterForum works to ensure that education, legislation and technology are in place to help British businesses to profit from the digital economy. For further information on InterForum please visit its website (External) http://www.interforum.org


2 . The DTI drives our ambition of 'prosperity for all' by working to create the best environment for business success in the UK . We help people and companies become more productive by promoting enterprise, innovation and creativity. We champion UK businesses at home and abroad. We invest heavily in world-class science and technology. We protect the right of working people and consumers. And we stand up for fair and open markets in the UK , Europe and the world.
For further information on InterForum, please contact:
Jo Timmins / Katie Morrison
The itpr Partnership
Tel: +44 (0)1932 57 88 00
Email: jot@itpr.co.uk / katiem@itpr.co.uk

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