Winners of Best Digital Tech Innovation at the Midlands Family Business Awards!
The awards just keep on coming for Coinadrink! On Thursday, 3rd October 2024, we attended the Midlands Family Business Awards at Athena Events Venue, Leicester. It was a memorable night as we walked away with the award for Best Digital Tech Innovation, in addition to being highly commended as an overall Midlands family business!
Marketing Team Leader Alistair Ward and Managing Director Tom Williams represented us at the prestigious event. Starting at 6pm, the pair had to dash across to the East Midlands from Edgbaston, Birmingham, where they had attended the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce business exhibition earlier in the day.
After a lavish drinks reception, we took our place at table three, right in the front row. We were joined by Simon Phillips from event organisers Wilson’s, a third-generation family business specialising in insurance and financial services. Also seated with us was Donald Ward, Director at Ward Recycling, whose company sponsored the Small Family Business award.
The ten award categories were presented throughout the evening, punctuated by a beautiful three-course meal, with a delicious roast beef main course. Coinadrink had been shortlisted in categories awarded both at the start and the end of the ceremony, and we were thrilled to be the first winner of the evening, taking home the award for Best Digital Tech Innovation!
It was a complete surprise but an incredibly proud moment as Alistair and Tom took to the stage to collect the award, presented by category sponsors Family Business Futures. The judges were clearly impressed by how our family values consistently drive innovation, enhancing our vending and refreshment services.
Our entire operation runs on bespoke software developed and continually improved in-house. From the route planning software we use to replenish and service our vending equipment across the Midlands, to our own innovations like the popular Express Refreshments Micro Market, we trust our people to help us achieve our business goals.
The final award of the evening was for Family Business of the Year. The competition was tough, so we were thrilled to be highly commended, narrowly missing out to Landermeads Nursing Home in Nottingham as Special Highly Commended, and Red Rhino Crushers in Lincolnshire as the deserving winners.
It was a hugely successful evening and one we’ll remember for a long time. This was our first time entering these awards, and from the very beginning, we were impressed by the thorough judging process that really took the time to understand our company and team.
After submitting our initial written entries back in March, we were shortlisted, and during the summer we were further judged in our two categories. This took place at PwC, Birmingham, and at last year’s Family Business of the Year, MHR, in Nottingham.
The experience was unlike any other awards process we’ve been part of in the past. It was refreshing, as the judges got to meet the people behind Coinadrink and gained a deep insight into our story as a proud family business spanning over six decades.
We even had the pleasure of welcoming Richard Parkin, the filmmaker for the Midlands Family Business Awards, to our premises last month. He captured some fantastic content that was displayed during the ceremony.
We had been looking forward to the ceremony at Athena ever since the details were shared, and it did not disappoint. It was lovely to meet representatives from other family businesses, and it was a great honour to see our own company celebrated alongside them.
The food was fantastic, the company was fantastic, and the entire evening was a pleasure to be part of. The awards ceremony perfectly highlighted how family values can drive business success.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in organising and sponsoring such a wonderful event, including those who made our experience so special from start to finish. And of course, a big congratulations to all the winners, highly commended companies, and finalists. Each of the listed businesses should be extremely proud of what they have achieved.
Now, we look forward to placing these latest awards in our boardroom, marking the end of yet another successful year for our team! Head over to our social media channels to see both official and exclusive photos from the Midlands Family Business Awards.
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