Events and awards

As 2024 draws to a close, we continue to offer collaborative ways to boost your business that fit around the working day.  Highlights are included here but don’t forget to check out the full list of Surrey events in December on our events page.

This month’s events include our own free, in-person workshop to Accelerate Growth and Win More Customers (do register to avoid disappointment – there are only a few spaces left now), as well as a half-day course on Customs Procedures and Documentation

Festive events

If you fancy getting festive at the same time as networking and learning, why not join Reigate and Banstead Borough Council for their Festive Learning Lunch (12 December) get-together, or the Surrey Chamber of Commerce Annual Christmas Lunch (18 December).

Online events

If you can’t make the in-person events, put the kettle on and join on-line for the IoD Surrey Branch Directors Member Coffee & Connect (3 December), or how about the nTrust 5 Cool things to do with Copilot (4 December) webinar to learn how to maximise your use of Microsoft 365’s AI capabilities?

Submit your own event

Don’t forget, our events directory is a great way to promote your own business events to a wider audience. If your organisation is hosting or sponsoring a business event in Surrey, you can submit it for inclusion in the directory by completing this simple form.

Free support for Surrey SMEs

Business Surrey offers free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey.

Our experts are on hand to provide tailored advice to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team via our business support form.

And make sure you always hear about upcoming events by registering for our regular e-newsletter.

The winners of the annual Surrey Business Awards have been announced at a glittering gala dinner at G Live in Guildford.

Launched in 2007, this year attracted a record number of entries across 16 categories, recognising accomplishments made across all aspects of business; from personal successes to outstanding contributions. 

The ceremony was hosted by Surrey Chambers of Commerce and compered by comedian, Suzi Ruffell. 

Company of the Year

Business Surrey was proud to sponsor the 2024 Company of the Year Award.

The five shortlisted businesses were:

• Chimney Fire Coffee
• Diamond Logistics
• Something Big
• Invuse
• Hemisphere Freight Services

Surrey County Council’s leader, Tim Oliver OBE, presented the winner, Guildford-based Diamond Logistics, with their award. The team were delighted to be awarded this coveted title and noted “This recognition highlights the relentless dedication of our team, who work every day to redefine logistics for our clients. From managing peak season surges to providing the essential support so many businesses rely on, our commitment has truly shone through. Thank you to the Surrey Business Awards for this honour, and to our clients and our fantastic team—this win is for all of you!”

Winners of the Surrey Business Awards

The full list of winners of the 2024 Surrey Business Awards are:

• Diamond Logistics – Company of the Year
• Hemisphere Freight Services – International Business of the Year
• Nescot – Employer of the Year
• Include.org – Community Hero
• The Naked Pharmacy – Best Customer Service
• KickX Football – Best New Business
• The Naked Pharmacy – SME Business of the Year
• Invuse – Professional Services
• Parwez Diloo – Bays Consulting – Future Talent of the Year
• Surrey Business School – Chamber Member of the Year
• Direk – Innovation of the Year
• Pinksheep Marketing – Business Growth
• Something Big – ESG Champion
• Aspen Homes – Property Developer of the Year
• Sven Hughes – Enigma Strategic Communications – Businessperson of the Year
• Croxsons – Large Business of the Year

Support for Surrey businesses

Our team of experts are available to provide tailored advice to help your bsuiness grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team to find out more via our business support form.

You can also register to receive our newsletter, packed with the latest news on support, events funding and more for all Surrey businesses.

Once again, November sees a range of events happening across Surrey to help you boost your business.  From free seminars and workshops to networking and learning lunches; there are many events to chose from that fit around the working day.  Highlights are included here but don’t forget to check out the full list on our events page.

This month sees a range of both online and in-person business events, covering a range of sectors and topics: from Free Workshops for Mole Valley food businesses (Leatherhead, 4 November) to Solving the Recruitment Conundrum (Camberley, 14 November). 

November continues to see businesses recognised for their innovation, leadership and entrepreneurial spirit with the Surrey Business Awards (7 November).  There are also a number of events for Business Women in Surrey, including the Surrey Women’s Entrepreneurship Network Anniversary Event (28 November) plus a number of IoD Surrey Branch Directors events.

Breakfast events in Surrey

If you’re a morning person there are plenty of in-person breakfast events to get your day off to a great start, including Epsom Business Club November Networking with Business Surrey’s Renee Carter (6 November),  Business Women in Surrey Business Breakfast (13 November) and Mole Valley Chamber Breakfast networking – Secrets to Smarter Pricing (20 November)

Online events

If you can’t make the in-person events, why not join some of the free webinars on offer which include: Futureproofing your accounting software with Azets (6 November) and Business Surrey’s seminar: Pathways to Sustainability for SME’s in Surrey  (14 November)

Submit your own business event

Let us help promote your business event to a wider audience by submitting it to our events directory. If your organisation is hosting or sponsoring a business event in Surrey, you can submit it for inclusion in the directory by completing this simple form.

Free support for Surrey SMEs

Business Surrey offers free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey, from startups to established businesses.

Our experts are on hand to provide tailored advice across the whole range of business topics to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team via our business support form.

The winners of the inaugural Tandridge Business Awards have been announced at a glittering award ceremony at Lingfield Park Resort.

Launched in May 2024, the awards attracted over 120 entries showcasing the district’s businesses. The winners were drawn from an impressive array of high calibre entries with finalists announced in September.

The ceremony was compered by Sir Richard Stilgoe, founder of the Orpheus Centre in Godstone, a charity and college where young disabled people use the arts to prepare for independent living.

Business Surrey sponsored the event, along with a host of local organisations, including Ann Summers, East Surrey College, LoveOxted and Surrey Chambers of Commerce.

A spokesman for Tandridge District Council said: “Our first Tandridge Business Awards received an incredible response, with over 120 applications showcasing the best of our district’s businesses.
 
“Well done to everyone who entered. The quality of applications was exceptionally high and our independent judges had a difficult task to select the winners.”

High Street Business of the Year

Business Surrey was proud to sponsor the High Street Business of the Year Award.

With Tandridge home to a several thriving towns and villages – such as Oxted, Caterham and Godstone – there were some strong entries to judge.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) joined the Business Surrey team in judging the award.

The three shortlisted businesses were:

• M and L Hair Design
• Styled Right
• The Lost Sheep

The winner was The Lost Sheep, an independent gift and tea shop in Caterham.

Writing on her website, owner Sally said: “For many years I have wanted to open a tea shop and gift shop which serves the local community. When we finally opened the shop in November 2019 it was the start of a dream being fulfilled. I wouldn’t have made it this far without the support from my family and friends.”

Winners of the Tandridge Business Awards

The other winners of the 2024 Tandridge Business Awards are:

• Colour House interiors – Small Business of the Year Award (less than 10 Employees)
• The Orpheus Centre – Business of the Year Award (more than 10 Employees)
• Morr and Co – Employer of the Year
• KD Jones Heating Engineers Ltd – Rising Star of the Year
• Godstone Farm Ltd – Customer Service Award
• Paradigm 24 Ltd – Sustainability Award
• Accessify – Community Service Provider Award
• The King and Queen– Hospitality Award

For a full list of shortlisted businesses visit the Tandridge Business Awards web page.

There’s always a huge number of engaging and educational business events taking place across the County and October is no exception – there are far too many to mention here, so be sure to check out the full list on our events page.

This month sees a range of online and in-person business events covering topics as diverse as Keeping your business safe from Cybercrime (Mole Valley Chamber, 16 October), to Unlocking funding opportunities for SMEs (Business Surrey seminar, 23 October), and Breaking down barriers to access and inclusion for those affected by sight and hearing disabilities (Sensory Services by Sight for Surrey, 16 October). And of course, October sees the annual Surrey Festival of Skills, plus the longest running business show in Surrey, Woking Means Business, taking place.

Breakfast events

If you’re a morning person there are plenty of in-person breakfast events to get your day off to a great start, including Epsom Business Club networking (2 October), Surrey Chambers networking breakfast (8 October), and Woking Means Business Breakfast Forum (9 October – before the business show), to name a few.

Online events

Get back more time in your day with online business events, so you can attend, learn and interact all while cutting out the travel time. October’s online events include Business Surrey’s own series of four free webinars covering all stages of the business lifecycle, (7-11 October), the Profit Acceleration workshop for business owners by Surrey Chambers (4 October), plus a webinar on transforming your team’s performance by using AI-powered Smart Agents (Surrey Chambers, 24 October).

Submit your own event

Don’t forget, our events directory is a great way to promote your own business events to a wider audience. If your organisation is hosting or sponsoring a business event in Surrey, you can submit it for inclusion in the directory by completing this simple form.

Free support for Surrey SMEs

Business Surrey offers free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey.

Our experts are on hand to provide tailored advice to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team via our business support form.

The winners of the Surrey SME Business Awards 2024 have been announced at a black tie ceremony event held in Shepperton.

The annual awards took place last week (11 September, 2024) and celebrated the best small and medium sized enterprises of 250 employees or less in the county.

Winners were announced in a total of 21 categories. And they all championed the people and businesses promoting innovation and growth in our region.

Business Surrey was a sponsor of the two categories – Best New Business and Sustainability Award. Read on to discover more about Surrey SMEs that won these categories.

To view a full list of winners, visit the awards website.

Sustainability Award – Surrey SME Business Awards 2024

William Wilsnagh, one of our expert business growth advisors, announced the winner of the sustainability award to Pinksheep. The company is a pioneer in sustainable merchandise.

Every product is graded on its sustainability credentials – meaning customers can make informed buying decisions.

Every pound spent with Pinksheep goes towards environmental initiatives. To date it has planted 91,039 trees, offset 5,686 tonnes of CO2, and recovered 2,317,463 plastic bottles.

Pinksheep has also developed Ora, a groundbreaking platform designed to help brands make eco-friendly choices.

Best New Business – Surrey SME Business Awards 2024

The winner of the Best New Business awards was EARLEY+DAUGHTERS.

This one woman candle making operation based in Haslemere started trading in March 2020 as the UK went into lockdown. It officially launched two years later.

As founder Katy writes on her website: “All EARLEY+DAUGHTERS candles are made by me, by hand, from start to finish. They are poured in incredibly small batches ensuring the quality is second to none – and also that there is no waste. Every minute spent blending, pouring, labelling and packaging each one is an absolute joy.”

Everyone at Business Surrey wants to say a big well done to all the winners and shortlisted businesses.

To read more about the awards, visit the awards website.

Free support for Surrey SMEs

Business Surrey offers free and accessible support for all businesses in Surrey.

Our experts are on hand to provide tailored advice to help your SME grow and succeed. Get in touch with a member of the team via our business support form.

We are also hosting a series of free webinars this autumn designed specifically for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The sessions are taking place from October 7 to 11. Register today and discover more via the links below.

• From Idea to Minimum Viable Product
• Finance and Funding Strategies
• Mastering Marketing and Communications
• HR Essentials: Making Your First Hire