Plans are underway for the highly-anticipated Mersey Maritime Industry Awards (MMIA) 2017 with the four Diamond Sponsors and the Drinks Sponsor already secured for the third annual event.
The MMIAs are organised by sector representative body Mersey Maritime, and the Awards recognise the excellence and diversity that exists across all sectors of the maritime industry in the North West and the Isle of Man.
The 2017 MMIAs’ four Diamond Sponsors are demolition and remediation experts Beech Group, Liverpool John Moores University, port operator Peel Ports Group, and training provider in the maritime industry Stream Marine Training.
For the third year running law firm Hill Dickinson will be the Drinks Sponsor.
Chris Shirling-Rooke, Mersey Maritime CEO, said: “Following on from the success of the two previous years, all the signs are that 2017 will be our best awards yet. We have already taken steps to move the awards dinner on 9 March, 2017 to a larger venue to accommodate demand for tables and we will have a larger number of categories that organisations can compete in.”
“Between our first two events there was a 60 per cent increase in applications – and we are confident we’ll see a further increase this year. We are always particularly keen to encourage applications from the SME business community, as these make up around 85% of the sector.”
Mr Shirling-Rooke added: “All tables released for sale so far have already sold out, so these awards represent a fantastic opportunity for businesses to showcase their services to their industry peers and for us to highlight Liverpool as the UK’s most confident, innovative and thriving maritime cluster.”
The applications process is now open, with entries already coming in. The deadline for applications is 6 January.
The 2017 MMIAs follows on from the success of Mersey Maritime’s previous two events and is set to be the best yet with two new categories added to the event, making 11 categories in all.
These are: Best Newcomer; Rising Star; Engineering Company of the Year; Innovation; Freight & Logistics; Maritime Professional Services; Global Reach; Micro Business of the Year; SME of the Year; Business of the Year; and Positive Impact. There is one further award, the Jim Teasdale Award for Maritime Ambassador, which is a judges’ award.
Chris Wainwright, Managing Director of Beech Group, said: “The Beech Group is still small but is a growing and ambitious company. We think very carefully about how we use our marketing budget to promote our services. The MMIAs has been a special, high-quality event from the word go and aligning Beech Group with these awards is exactly where we want to be. We are proud to be a Diamond Sponsor alongside Liverpool John Moores University, Peel Ports Group and Stream Marine Training.”
Gary Hodgson, Chief Operating Officer from Peel Ports Group said: “Liverpool continues to demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity and uncertainty and with this backdrop we all need to encourage innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. This is our collective future. The Mersey Maritime awards is a great platform to recognise the achievements of the region’s talent – individuals and businesses – as they strive to achieve excellence.”
Martin White, Chief Executive Officer of Stream Marine Training said: “We at Stream Marine Training are passionate about innovation and the maritime industry and aim to share this passion as a sponsor of the Mersey Maritime Industry Awards. The MMIAs recognise the continual innovation and commitment to excellence that inspires and drives forward the local maritime business community; it’s part of what Mersey Maritime is doing to ‘Make Maritime Great Again’.”
Nigel Weatherill, Vice Chairman of Liverpool John Moores University, said: “Liverpool John Moores University is working with Mersey Maritime and industry in a unique partnership to create a global Maritime Knowledge Hub in Wirral, Liverpool City Region. The Mersey Maritime Industry Awards acknowledge achievements and innovation that the Maritime Knowledge Hub aims to identify and nurture regionally, nationally and internationally. We are therefore delighted to sponsor these very special awards as part of our mission of being modern civic university.”
David Wareing, Chairman of law firm Hill Dickinson, said: “We are pleased to be the official drinks reception sponsor for the Mersey Maritime Industry Awards for the third year running. The Awards evening is an important way to celebrate the best the maritime, logistics and energy sector has to offer across the North West. The region is widely regarded as a key UK maritime hub and these awards recognise all the hard work and talent that has contributed to this. We are proud to be a part of this important event and look forward to the 2017 Awards.”
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