Just as the April issue was being put to bed I took a sneaky peek at the nominations we’d received for this year’s ETO Awards. I was delighted for two reasons. Firstly, because the way the shortlists are shaping up it looks like we will be calling some new names to the stage this year; ambitious young companies who are making serious inroads into the market and, it appears, shaking up the old order a bit. Secondly, because the additional categories will recognise excellence in a number of new areas for the first time.
The unique way the winners of the ETO Awards are decided – by the votes of the readers of the magazine – allows us to far better reflect the views of the industry than if we asked a panel of experts to come up with a shortlist or if we chose the finalists ourselves. Looking at the nominations so far I can tell, for example, which companies are winning friends in the industry. And which companies are losing them.
Our unique nominations and voting process also allows us to include categories that you won’t see anywhere else, such as the Best Sales Team. It’s only the people who deal with sales teams on a regular basis who can have a view that carries any weight, which is why that award is so highly coveted. For 2014 we’ve recognised the other end of that relationship and introduced a Best Store Manager award, and the early nominations, most of whom are unfamiliar to me, confirm why asking our readers to create the finalists and ultimately name the winner is absolutely correct.
It should be a wonderful night on June 22nd for all the finalists. There really is no [legal] thrill comparable to hearing your name read out in an award category as a result of the nominations of your customers, suppliers and industry peers. Some will hear their name for a second time, when they are called to the stage to accept an award, and who that will be is down to you.
The nominations process is about to close though, so if you haven’t already done so please visit www.erotictradeonly.com and click on the ‘nominate now’ banners. As always, the top five nominations we receive in every category will become this year’s finalists.
