The Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards (MKBAA) are back for 2024, celebrating their tenth anniversary. As a prominent placeholder in the city’s business calendar, the awards celebrate the business community by shining a light on the charities, sole traders, SMEs and blue-chip companies that make up the wide and varied business landscape across the region.
Over the past 10 years, these organisations have been given a welcoming platform to prove they are the best within their chosen categories through the awards, and many past winners have gone on to thrive within the city, expanding their businesses and maximising the opportunities winning a Milton Keynes Business Achievement Award has given them.
The coveted awards were launched in 2013 as a collaboration between Interdirect Managing Director and now Chair of MKBAA organisers, Milton Keynes Business Leaders Partnership (MKBLP), Nicholas Mann, and former MKBLP Chair, Dr Philip Smith MBE.
Fast forward 10 years and every year the launch of the awards marks the countdown to the prestigious ceremony, which will be held next year on March 21, at Stadium MK.
Each year, the awards have a central theme and in 2024, MKBAA will be acknowledging the city’s technical strengths with ‘Forever Innovative: Milton Keynes Leading the UK’s High-tech Future’.
The city’s status as a powerhouse for technology and innovation was confirmed in a recent report by Whitecap Consulting, which found that one-third of all people in the city worked in and around technology, and that approximately one-fifth of the 12,675 businesses were technology-related. On top of that, £3.4bn of the city’s total £14.7bn GVA is related to technology, which is higher than much larger cities such as Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.
However, those who don’t exhibit the characteristics of the theme should not be discouraged from entering.
Nick said:
“The theme should not be an inhibition to entry. We do try and keep the themes as generic as possible, and everyone in their business is likely to use some form of technology and we encourage everyone to make sure they read the entry questions; they won’t all be about technology.”
The awards have always been about embracing and encouraging businesses to enter, regardless of size, and adopts a level playing field when it comes to entrants, with categories to suit all types of organisations from sole traders to huge multinational businesses. Up to two categories can be entered by any single organisation as long as they have an MK postcode.
MKBAA is grateful to the headline sponsors this year, including returning sponsors, Milton Keynes City Council, The Open University and Brioche Pasquier UK, along with new headline sponsor, Aiimi Ltd.
A few sponsorship opportunities are still available for 2024, email sponsorship@mkbaa.co.uk for further details.
Those interested in entering MKBAA 2024, can find out more about the 15 categories at www.mkbaa.co.uk
