BIBAs organisers cancel Lancashire business awards, but launch a search for heroes instead

Organisers of the Be Inspired Business Awards, which was due to hold its awards ceremony at the Blackpool tower Ballroom in December, have announced they are cancelling this year’s competition due to the impact of the pandemic.

The BIBAs, had been scheduled to close their application window at the end of July, but now organisers have said lockdown restrictions meant many applicants who are continuing to submit entries could not “be at their best” during its judging rounds.

However, the organisers from the county’s chamber of commerce have confirmed they will be hosting a special awards for this year only, The BIBAs Heroes, which will celebrate the achievements of those businesses who have overcome adversity over the past three-and-a-half months.

And they are aiming to have the BIBAs will be back in 2021 as normal.

Babs Murphy, chief executive of the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said the energy of the county’s business community had to be poured in to support firms to revitalise the economy.

She said: “The BIBAs has become a byword for success and we felt it would be simply too much to expect Lancashire’s business community to be at their best for our judges this year.

“We had a decision to take as we prepared to start to put together our judging rounds and ceremony and there was just too much uncertainty to go ahead, but we knew that we could not simply let this year pass.

"The BIBAs Heroes will give firms in Lancashire the chance to shine for the way they have overcome the challenges which the pandemic has placed upon all sectors of the business community.

“Our awards are about showcasing success and helping businesses to grow and we are committed to doing exactly that.”

To enter The BIBAs Heroes, firms must submit a five-minute video explaining how their business had faced the challenges presented by the lockdown restrictions.

The winners will then be selected by a special panel of judges and announced at a virtual ceremony hosted on September 11, the original date of the awards’ ceremony.

Ticket refunds will be made in the next days. For more, visit www.thebibas.co.uk.