Wednesday 25th April: The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards opened trading at London Stock Exchange to celebrate the official 2018 awards launch.  

In true style, the launch welcomed back sponsors, judges, partners and a selection of previous winners and finalists to hear their success stories since entering.

Wednesday 25th April: The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards opened trading at London Stock Exchange to celebrate the official 2018 awards launch.  

In true style, the launch welcomed back sponsors, judges, partners and a selection of previous winners and finalists to hear their success stories since entering.

The morning shone as a historical moment in the awards' long-standing history. Market Open Ceremonies are incredibly unique, and mark the start of trading on the world's most international market.

The excitement was palpable, and to complement the sparkle of The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, the morning rippled with glamour. Amidst canapes, coffee and champagne, there was chatter between the best of British business leaders about innovating on traditional business models, overcoming emerging challenges and collaboration's role in ambitious growth.

The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, organised by UBM, is now in its 17th year. Lucy Dimes, CEO of UBM EMEA, had the pleasure of launching the market open using the engraved glass tablet, explaining, “The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards is the UK's most prestigious and independent awards programme, and it recognises and rewards enterprise excellence, innovation and also ethical practice in the UK, across all industry sectors.” In an exciting speech addressing the room, Lucy added, “We've garnered very strong support this year, in particular from senior government figures. We're looking forward to not only driving growth for the awards, but obviously helping to drive growth in the UK business community across the board.”

In recognition of this growth, The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards has an expansive and inclusive set of categories, specifically aiming to celebrate companies of all shapes and sizes across the UK. New categories for this year include The Experian Data Excellence Award and Fujitsu Artificial Intelligence Award, both of which celebrate businesses thriving in the digital world.

“Your business has a story to tell – and we want to hear it. We're committed to recognising and rewarding the best of British business,” said Sarah Austin, Brand Director of The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards. The team has organised complimentary drinks in Birmingham and Manchester to meet anyone and everyone from interested or registered companies – including marketing professionals, graduates, CEOs, heads of operations and account executives. In the same way that The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards recognises that every business has a part to play in driving growth across the UK and every professional has a part to play in driving growth within their business.

The 2018 Lloyds Bank National Business Awards Gala Dinner will take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane on the 13th November 2018.