Xara Palace finalist in European Business Awards

The selection in this group for the big prize will be short-listed throughout July. At the end of July, judges will announce the 10 winners of the Ruban d’Honneur 2011.

Group One businesses from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Malta, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom are all participating for the award. Group Two companies from the 19 other European countries have been stating their achievements and are still to be judged as finalists.

According to the scheme, the underlying criteria that the judges look to reward are the three pillars of good business: innovation, excellence and strong ethics. Participants with a great story to tell, or who have succeeded in being innovative or sustainable in business in the 10 categories of awards can win prizes for Innovation, Growth Strategy, Entrepreneur of the Year, Customer Focus and Corporate and Environmental Sustainability, amongst others.

Sponsored by HSBC,the EBAs are part of an ongoing commitment to knowledge sharing and best practice, and to establish benchmarks in the European market. In 2010, a diverse group of EBA entrants, ranged from fish farming to renewable energy and light aircraft to skincare, showed that they had weathered the recent economic storm. Together, they have a combined turnover greater than €766 billion - or 6% of EU GDP - and employ over 3.5 million people.

Entering the European Business Awards is an opportunity for industry recognition, reward and the chance to stand out from competitors. Recipients of the Ruban d’Honneur join an elite group of businesses holding this respected business accolade. Recognition and success in the competition bring high levels of exposure and acclaim for an organization, and offers extensive networking, interaction and learning with Europe’s most successful businesses as well as political leaders, academia and media.

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards stated, “The European Business Awards provide dynamic and forward thinking businesses a platform to showcase their achievements and share their success with other like-minded companies. Now, more than ever we need to consider how the European economy trades globally and we need brave enterprising European businesses who invest in innovation and excellence to lead the way. This is an opportunity for Europe’s brightest businesses to gain the recognition they deserve on a global stage.”