The Black Country Chamber Awards, headline partnered by Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, are being held at Wolverhampton Racecourse on Friday 15 November and promises to be an exciting event which this year, is being hosted by Aaron James who is starring in the Grand Theatre’s Christmas panto.

Vicky Price, Associate Director, Development and Communications at the Grand Theatre said, “We are thrilled to be the headline partner for The Black Country Chamber Awards 2019 and introduce the latest edition to our pantomime cast, comedian Aaron James as the host.

“Aaron, who has worked closely with local legend and Grand Theatre Ambassador, Steve Bull for many years, won the hearts and tickled the funny bones of Wolverhampton as the host of the theatre’s 125th Anniversary Gala Dinner in February. We are delighted that he will host this year’s award ceremony which will be a fantastic introduction before taking on the role of Idle Jack in this year’s Pantomime, Dick Whittington.”

Alongside the award presentations, there will be further entertainment on the evening itself, which will be announced very soon. Tickets vary in price depending on where the table is located within the room, and they are available on a first come, first served basis.

  • Platinum Tables are £110+VAT per seat
  • Gold Tables are £105+VAT per seat
  • Silver Tables are £90+VAT per seat
  • Bronze Tables are £80+VAT per seat
The table locations are shown on the website where tickets are also available to purchase.

There are 13 categories in the Awards -chosen because they are representative of the vibrant and diverse business community in the Black Country. These are:

  1. Community Champion – still available to sponsor
  2. Large Business of the Year – still available to sponsor
  3. Small Business of the Year – sponsored by Walsall College
  4. Export Business of the Year – sponsored by Wolverhampton Racecourse
  5. Education & Business Partnership - still available to sponsor
  6. Customer Commitment Award- still available to sponsor
  7. Black Country Business Person of the Year- still available to sponsor
  8. Professional Services Award- still available to sponsor
  9. Excellence in Manufacturing and Engineering – sponsored by Crowe
  10. High-growth Business of the Year- still available to sponsor
  11. Family Business of the Year- still available to sponsor
  12. Start-Up Business of the Year Award – sponsored by MSV consulting
  13. Young Person or Apprentice of the Year - sponsored by Dudley College
An overall ‘Business of the Year’, sponsored by DY5, Dudley’s Business & Innovation Enterprise Zone, will also be announced on the night. The winner of this award will be selected by the judges and public from the finalists of the categories.

Now that the awards have closed to entries, the judging process has begun, and the finalists in each category will be revealed in a special announcement event at Casino 36 on Wednesday 11 September.

Corin Crane, chief executive of the Black Country Chamber said, “I am delighted to see there have been loads of entries this year. With all the fantastic businesses in the Black Country I am sure the judges are really going to have their work cut out for them – which is in essence, a very nice problem to have! I am looking forward to the finalists’ announcement on 11 September.

“There are still some great opportunities for businesses to gain some additional exposure through supporting the Awards. Not only would you enjoy some outstanding networking opportunities, you’d be getting your brand in front of some 19 million people!”

Sponsorship packages are still available to suit every budget. The following organisations having already signed up: Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (Headline and Table Gift Sponsor); Wolverhampton Racecourse (Export Business of the Year); Walsall College (Small Business of the Year); MSV Consultancy (Start-Up Business of the Year & Social Media Sponsor); Crowe UK (Excellence in Manufacturing & Engineering); Dudley College (Young Person or Apprentice of the Year);  DY5 (Black Country Business of the Year); Casino 36 (After-Show Partner); Klick Business Solutions (Brochure Sponsor).

Leading audit, tax, advisory and risk firm, Crowe, is sponsoring the Excellence in Manufacturing category. Partner, Rob Gunn, said, “Crowe is delighted to support the Black Country Business Awards for a second year running. Situated in the heart of the Black Country we work with a wide range of innovative and industry leading local businesses. The Black Country Business Awards is a fantastic way to celebrate and showcase what the region has to offer.”

Tickets to the gala dinner are on sale on: www.bcccawards.co.uk