Behind the curtain at the FLTA Awards 2016

What better time for HSS to catch up the FLTA’s CEO Peter Harvey to find out what’s in store for Awards 2016.

HSS: Congratulations on the 22nd anniversary of the FLTA Annual Awards for Excellence. Last year was, by all accounts, a great night.  Do you feel you can match it this year?

PH: Absolutely, in fact we plan to top it! We are in the process of creating a really stunning event that will be a night to remember.

We can’t give away too much at this stage, but we have some spectacular entertainment in store. This is the biggest night in the materials handling calendar, so we think it’s important that we put on a genuinely exciting show.

Last year was our first time hosting the event at the International Centre, Telford, a great setting for an event on this scale and conveniently located in the heart of the Midlands, with three hotels close by.

So good in fact, we are using it again this year.

HSS: Who do you expect to attend?

PH: Whilst we insist on high-end service and entertainment, one of our primary aims is to ensure value for money… and to make sure that the Awards are inclusive and accessible to everyone- whether a director of an international manufacturer or the owner of a small dealership. To this end, we have planned every detail and negotiated hard with the venue and all of our suppliers to make sure that ticket prices – as well as hotel and wine prices – stay as low as possible.

HSS: So it’s not just big companies with big budgets that attend then?

PH: Definitely not! We welcome parties of all sizes and are really pleased to see more and more independent dealerships coming along, either as small groups, singles or couples. I know that last year a number of smaller companies had a brilliant time at the awards… coming together with our help to share a table. 

After all, a number of our award winners are small companies, which is a great reflection of the whole ethos of the awards. Take the Safe Site Award for example, it’s not about the size of the company or its prestige, it’s about being innovative and forward-thinking and really, genuinely caring about getting your staff home safely at the end of the day.

Indeed all Awards are accessible to all – it’s not about big budgets, it’s about big ideas. 

(Ed: You can find more about the Safe Site Award here)

HSS: We have all seen numerous awards events launched in recent years and then quietly disappear… What is it about the FLTA awards that have made them so enduring?

PH: Well, it’s probably because we constantly remind ourselves that the whole purpose of our awards scheme is not just about focussing on the great entry or the amazing people behind the great entry, it’s ultimately about raising standards in our industry. That really is our bottom line.

We are also unusual in letting those who own and operate the equipment decide not only who should be nominated but who should win. 

The other reason for their enduring appeal is that the whole event is such a fantastic night. Every winner agrees that it’s a real adrenalin rush to walk onto that stage in front of hundreds of people and lift an Archie. For the audience, it is hugely entertaining and an unrivalled opportunity to network, meet new contacts and catch up with old friends and colleagues.  And as for the after-show party…

HSS: So how do people get involved?

PH: The first thing they can do is nominate themselves or someone else for an award – don’t keep your brilliant innovation to yourself – share it and get the recognition it, you and your site deserve… 

HSS: There are quite a few different award categories, are the details of them listed on your website?

PH: Yes, along with nomination forms that we have designed to be quick and simple to fill in. We try to reward excellence across our entire industry.  Our finalists are revealed in this magazine in November in our "Pick of the Year” – which acts a buyer’s guide to what’s best in our industry.

It starts with the nomination process though, and readers of this magazine can enter throughout July, August and September.

HSS: So how do people vote and why should they make sure they do?

PH: Voting is easy, you can do it online throughout October, November and December and it takes moments – and just like our recent General election, if you don’t vote you can’t influence the results.

It is SO important to encourage excellence in our industry and it is up to all of us to register support to all our hard working and dedicated entrants by voting. The time and effort it takes to vote is a tiny fraction of the time and effort 

that they take in making an entry.

HSS: How is it all possible on such a grand scale?

PH: It’s only possible through the continued support of our generous Award sponsors: B&B Attachments Ltd, Investec Asset Finance, Manbat Battery Power Systems, Trelleborg Industrial Tyres, Doosan UK Ltd, Mentor FL Training, Yale Europe Materials Handling, Combilift Ltd, Rivermore Asset Finance, Crown Lift Trucks Ltd - some of the biggest and best respected companies in our industry – along with our supporters: Aldermore Bank, Bibby Leasing Ltd, Curtis Instruments UK Ltd, RAVAS, Arthur J Gallagher, Whitman Gowdridge Insurance Brokers, RTITB and BNP Parabas.  

 

Plus, of course, we have the support of this publication - the Awards' exclusive media partner.