The managing director of a local tourism and accommodation business is celebrating following the announcement that he has been shortlisted for a leading North West business award.

Marcus Simmons from Leyland’s iknow-uk has been shortlisted for the Digital Entrepreneur of the Year category at the EN Entrepreneur of the Year awards – an award which is presented to an entrepreneur who has shown innovation and has turned it into a profitable and enduring business.

 Marcus will be lining up alongside representatives of North West brands such as Cruise118.com, B&M Retail and Timpsons when the awards are presented on 16^th September.

Marcus started out his career as a management consultant and worked in textiles until a difficult period after the 9/11 terrorist attacks left him without a job.  He decided to launch iknow-uk, a company which harnessed the power of Search Engine Optimisation long before most people knew what Google was.

 The company has since grown to 15 regional websites, providing a one-stop-shop of information for people looking to head off on a UK holiday or day out.  The sites receive more than a million visitors each month. 

Marcus Simmons said:  “I’m overwhelmed to have been shortlisted for the Digital Entrepreneur of the Year award.  It’s a real honour to be a finalist in this category as our search engine optimisation (SEO) is something the company prides itself on. 

 “iknow-uk’s websites are completely based on the SEO technology and the success of it means that we are able to attract more than 1.25million visitors to the websites each month. 

“I can’t wait to attend the ceremony in September, fingers crossed I’ll be bringing back a trophy for the iknow-uk team!” 

The awards will be presented at a ceremony on 16^th September at the Mere Golf and Country Club, Cheshire.

Local entrepreneur shortlisted for National Business Award 

The managing director of a local tourism and accommodation business has been shortlisted as a finalist in the prestigious National Business Awards in partnership with Orange, it was revealed today. 

Marcus Simmons from Leyland’s iknow-uk will be lining up alongside representatives of national and international brands such as Unilever, Marks & Spencer and Coca Cola when the awards are presented on 9 November. 

Marcus has been shortlisted in the Entrepreneur of the Year category and Philip Forrest, Chairman of Judges, praised his ability to deliver robust solutions for iknow-uk customers:  “Led by Marcus Simmons, this business has established and grown a successful model based on the need for an online accommodation directory that offered users a wide range of size and quality options from its supply member organisations, who can opt for a high value range of services. 

“That’s what made iknow-UK stand out from the crowd and secured the company a well-deserved place in the National Business Awards finals.” 

Martin Stiven, Vice President of Orange UK, said: “Orange has sponsored the National Business Awards for the past nine years and I am delighted that the calibre of entrants keeps on improving. It’s been a tough couple of years for business but the UK’s organisations have not let this stop them from delivering success. I’d like to congratulate all the finalists for being a real inspiration for what is possible in business.”

The company has since grown to 15 regional websites, providing a one-stop-shop of information for people looking to head off on a UK holiday or day out.  The sites receive almost a million visitors each month. 

Marcus Simmons said:  “I’m overwhelmed to have been shortlisted in the National Business Awards.  It’s a real honour to be chosen as a finalist against such prestigious competition. 

“I guess what makes these awards so refreshing is that smaller businesses, or fast growing companies like iknow-uk are given a chance to sit alongside some of the really big players in the international business world. 

“I can’t wait to attend the ceremony in November in London.  Fingers crossed I’ll be bringing back a trophy for the iknow-uk team!”

The Travolution Awards are unique in recognising companies, brands and individuals who excel in the fields of online travel distribution, digital marketing and technology. The awards are judged by a panel of proven business leaders, experts and entrepreneurs, they are the UK travel industry’s highest accolade for innovation and excellence online.

The winner of each category will be announced at the ceremony on Tuesday 28^th September at The Boiler Room, Battersea Power Station.

“The Travolution awards are unlike any other industry awards event.
They have a distinctive, exclusive feel, and attract a senior attendance
in terms of companies and individuals not found elsewhere”.
Gail Kenny, managing director, Gail Kenny Group

Yesterday saw the finalist presentations for the National Business Awards 2009.

Marcus Simmons, the Managing Director and Julian Ross, the Sales Director took to the floor to present to a panel of four judges to convince them why iknow-uk should win the ‘Growth Strategy Awards’ in this year’s prestigious awards, to be held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on November 10th.

National Business Awards

iknow-uk won the regional heats in Manchester back in July which automatically short-listed them for the National Business Awards 2009 for the ‘Growth Strategy Award 2009.’ And now with the run up to the awards imminent, the finalist presenations were held in 30 St Mary Axe (aka The Gherkin) in London.

The photographs include the practice ‘run-through’ and also the actual presentation in front of the four judges. Marcus Simmons the Managing Director and Julian Ross, the Sales Director.

The Gherkin in London where the presentations were held

The panel of four judges, from left to right; Gerrard Burke, Marion King, Keith Looeman and Clamor Gieske

]]> http://www.iknow-uk.com/wordpress/2009/09/29/national-business-awards-2009/feed/ 0 National Business Awards National Business Awards Gherkin The Gherkin in London where the presentations were held National Business Awards The panel of four judges, from left to right; Gerrard Burke, Marion King, Keith Looeman and Clamor Gieske http://www.iknow-uk.com/wordpress/2008/07/01/iknow-heads-to-the-national-business-awards/ http://www.iknow-uk.com/wordpress/2008/07/01/iknow-heads-to-the-national-business-awards/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:46:45 +0000 marketing http://www.iknow-uk.com/wordpress/?p=519 iknow-uk Ltd are named North West Winners and are on their way to the National Business Awards.

After much deliberation, the judges have made their decisions and the finalists for the 2008 National Business Awards have been announced. Leyland-based iknow-uk has been selected as the North West representatives in The Orange Best Use of Technology Award.

iknow-uk offers accommodation sites which serve as a promotion method for hoteliers, guest house and holiday cottage owners. They generate booking enquiries which are emailed directly to the accommodation provider and their knowledge of search engines ensures their sites receive a huge audience; offering excellent results for their customers.

The company highlighted their head start in technologies including search engine optimisation as a reason why they should win the Best Use of Technology Award.

The latest addition to their application was the launch of a fully integrated Google Maps feature on their site in March. This makes search results more informative and significantly improves the customer experience. It is leading to increased visitors (up by 350,000) and bookings enquiries (up by 5%) for accommodation providers across the UK. (The 5% increase already achieved is the equivalent of £750,000 in additional booking enquiries for British accommodation providers in 2008.)

Managing Director of iknow-uk, Marcus Simmons, comments; “We’ve won a number of Awards in the past which have played a significant part in our business journey. I really feel they’ve paved the way for the National Awards and I believe we’re ready for them now.”

“The company has grown from just me, when I started five years ago, to the twenty people we now employ. We’ve been able to bring skilled jobs into the North West and to be short listed is great recognition of the talent we’ve attracted. We hope we can go on to win and put North West businesses firmly on the map.”

A National Business Award is the UK’s most sought-after business accolade, providing finalists and winners with a real recognition of their achievements. The Award judges are drawn from leading businesses, business schools, government, public and private sector organisations and think-tanks. They are all selected for their business acumen and knowledge.

The next stage in the process is a further presentation in October and then the National Awards, which take place in London on the 18th November.

Photo Receiving the North West Award. Pictured (l-r) Lucy Alexander, Sky News Presenter, Michael Helm, IT Manager iknow-uk, Marcus Simmons, MD iknow-uk, Eve Simmons, Marketing Manager iknow-uk, and Darren Goldsmith, Head of Business Development Indirect Channels, Orange

After much deliberation, the judges have made their decisions and the regional finalists for the 2008 National Business Awards have been announced. Leyland-based iknow-uk has been selected as one of the four North West representatives in no less than two award categories. They have been short listed in both The Orange Best Use of Technology Award and The Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award. They were also highly commended for the Credit Suisse ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award.

iknow-uk offers accommodation sites which serve as a promotion method for hoteliers, guest house and holiday cottage owners. They generate booking enquiries which are emailed directly to the accommodation provider and their knowledge of search engines ensures their sites receive a huge audience; offering excellent results for their customers. The company highlighted their head start in technologies including search engine optimisation as a reason why they should win the Best Use of Technology Award.

Helping over 1500 independent British hospitality businesses prosper was the cornerstone for their entry to The Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award. Since their launch in 2003, iknow has welcomed over 13 million visitors to their sites; generating booking enquiries worth an estimated £170 million for their members. As a result, 90% of their customers re-subscribe to the websites year after year.

Managing Director, Marcus Simmons comments “The National Business Awards really are the cream of the crop. These are the awards every business strives to achieve and I’m thrilled we’ve been recognised this year.”

“We’ve won a number of Awards in the past which have played a significant part in our business journey. I really feel they’ve paved the way for the National Awards and I believe we’re ready for them now.”

“The company has grown from just me, when I started five years ago, to the seventeen people we now employ. We’ve been able to bring skilled jobs into the North West and to be short listed is great recognition of the talent we’ve attracted. We hope we can go on to win and put North West businesses firmly on the map.”

A National Business Award is the UK’s most sought-after business accolade, providing finalists and winners with a real recognition of their achievements. The Award judges are drawn from leading businesses, business schools, government, public and private sector organisations and think-tanks. They are all selected for their business acumen and knowledge.

The next stage in the process is a 15-minute presentation to a panel of expert judges, before the regional winners are announced on the 17th July at the Arena and Convention Centre (ACC) in Liverpool. If they’re successful, iknow-uk will progress through to the National Awards, which take place in London on the 18th November.

iknow-uk is celebrating once again this week, after winning yet another prestigious Award. Now in their ninth year; the Big Chips are the top awards for ICT and new media outside London; attracting entries from the region’s best digital companies.

Judged by a distinguished panel of experts from organisations such as New Media Age, the BBC, Trevor Beattie’s new agency and The Chase, the awards are presented to companies excelling in the use of IT and digital technology.

iknow-uk were voted the Best of Lancashire and were presented with their Award at a glittering ceremony in Manchester’s New Century Hall last Thursday 24th. They were recognised for their regional directories which allow small, independent holiday accommodation providers to promote themselves online.

The key to the success of www.iknow-uk.com and their series of regional websites is search engine optimisation. Each directory site appears on the first page of Google’s natural search rankings for over 100,000 different, relevant search terms.

The sites now serve almost 1,000 customers and attract 100,000 visitors per week. They received over 3 million visitors and created more than £50 million in booking enquiries for iknow’s clients in 2006 alone.

The judges were impressed with the way the sites’ business model took advantage of the new marketing environment and voted them Best of Lancashire 2007.

iknow-uk Managing Director Marcus Simmons has been short listed for ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ by the North West Society of Chartered Accountants. The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday 23rd November 2006 at the Barton Grange Hotel near Preston and be hosted by the BBC North West Tonight anchorman Gordon Burns.

The awards are designed to “honour the tremendous achievements of the area’s best businesses, entrepreneurs and advisors.” Sponsors include Yorkshire Bank and KPMG. The Entrepreneur award is to recognise the exceptional individual who can best demonstrate outstanding vision and leadership in the establishment and development of an owner-led business. The judges will look for clear identification of a market opportunity, innovation, integrity and professionalism, growth and evidence of strong financial performance.”

For more information about the awards and the North West Society of Chartered Accountants see: http://www.icaew.co.uk/NorthWest

The winners will be unveiled at a prestigious awards ceremony and three-course luncheon to be held at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington on Friday 20 October.

On hearing the news Marcus Simmons, MD iknow-uk, said “I am delighted that iknow-uk has been recognised by the Startup Awards. We have previously won a number of regional North West awards but this is the first time we have entered a national competition. As we expand our business it is important that we gain ever more exposure so that our customers continue to receive more enquiries and bookings. Our sites are visited by up to 100,000 people each week looking to stay in areas covered by our websites and this is increasing all the time. Many potential customers are still concerned about where they can advertise online and get excellent results from reputable companies. Being recognised by such prestigious national awards will help hoteliers make the right decision by advertising with iknow-uk”.