Freight Service Awards 2018 Call for Entries Open to BIFA full trading and probationary Members Entry Deadline: Monday 8th October, 5pm
Dear BIFA Member Freight Service Awards 2018 Welcome to the 30th year of the BIFA Freight Service Awards. In this, the 30th year of the BIFA Freight Service Awards our aim is to continue to deliver a well-run competition, and a professional luncheon ceremony where many BIFA Members can show themselves off at their best, as well as having fun networking with their peers and industry friends. Changes introduced last year to the entry process remain, simplifying the initial submission required. Details can be found on pages 5 + 6. Once again the competition is completely free to enter and we look forward to receiving entries from Members large and small, regular entrants and those new to the awards scene. You don t need a huge network and a corporate marketing department to make an impact, you simply need a good story to tell of a job done well or an innovation bringing benefits to your organisation and your customers. May I remind you that, if you are selected as one of the four category finalists, you will benefit from receiving high visibility at the ceremony, as well as substantial media coverage. You will be awarded with a framed finalist certificate, and also be entitled to use the specially-designed Awards Finalist 2018 logo. Additionally, should you become a category winner, you will receive a glass crystal trophy as a sign of your special achievement, and a full page coverage in the Association s monthly magazine, BIFAlink. BIFA is particularly keen to encourage Members to put forward any of their budding youngsters for the Young Freight Forwarder Award in order to promote the nurturing of young talent for the future of the industry, as well as rewarding Member companies with free corporate promotion. The event continues to receive the support from a group of loyal category sponsors details of whom can be found on page 4. The competition will culminate with the announcement of winners by Double Olympic Gold athlete, Dame Kelly Holmes at the luncheon ceremony to be held on Thursday 17th January 2019 at the grade II listed Brewery, London EC1. We look forward to receiving your entries, and if you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us via email at eventsoffice@bifa.org Robert Keen Director General
General Categories Project Forwarding Award Sponsored by: Peter Lole Insurance Brokers We are looking for companies who have completed an out of gauge project or co-ordinated a complex movement needing specialised attention. Specialist Services Award Sponsored by: Forward Computers This category is for services that are not modal specific which could include warehousing, pick and pack, technology service, air or shipping line agency, or express services. Staff Development Award Sponsored by: Albacore Systems Many BIFA Members have comprehensive staff development programmes or have created their own academies. In this category we are looking for the firm producing the freight forwarders of the future. Supply Chain Management Award Sponsored by: BoxTop Technologies This category focuses on provision of a customer orientated, innovative solution enabling a more efficient and cost effective management of the supply chain. Individual Category Young Freight Forwarder Award Sponsored by: Virgin Atlantic Cargo Open to individuals, under the age of 32, working for a BIFA Member company and with a minimum of two years employment in freight forwarding. Modal Categories Air Freight Award Sponsored by: IAG Cargo If your company has excelled in sending goods by air or you have a story about customer fulfilment where logistics in the air is involved, this category is for you. European Logistics Award Sponsored by: TT Club This category is for freight forwarders using road, short-sea or rail services to provide logistics solutions to and from Europe. Ocean Freight Award Sponsorship package available If you have used ocean services either stand-alone or as part of a multimodal shipment or service we want to hear about something exceptional. Specialist Categories Cool Award Sponsored by: American Airlines Cargo Open to providers of specialist refrigerated freight services for any types of goods ranging from small high-value pharma products through to a large reefer container, by any mode of transport. Entries should demonstrate good practice and an important contribution to the advancement of the Cool Chain. Extra Mile Award Sponsored by: Descartes Open to companies that can provide specific examples of innovation and/or customer care by adding value and exceeding their customer s expectations. To enter the BIFA Awards 2018 competition go to: www.bifa.org/awards > Enter Now BIFA Freight Service Awards 2018 2
The Awards Ceremony Awards Ceremony, Venue and Luncheon - January 2018 Photographs courtesy of Philippa Gedge Photography philippagedge.com The BIFA Awards competition culminates every year in a luncheon ceremony. This year s gathering will be held on Thursday 17th January 2019 at The Brewery, Chiswell Street, London EC1. The ceremony will be attended by some 500 guests and provides a valuable opportunity to praise the welldeserving finalists and winners, as well as network with freight forwarders, their customers, the trade press, and other key industry representatives. The function starts with a lively Drinks Reception followed by the on-stage presentation of the finalists certificates. This is a special moment for all those companies that have reached this stage of the competition to be handed their framed certificate by a senior BIFA representative and the celebrity host. We then move on to the three-course luncheon which is always a treat as the Brewery prides itself on its original menus and fine dining. After lunch comes the host s speech, followed by the announcement of the winners by the category sponsors. Each winner will be awarded with an engraved crystal glass trophy - a symbol of achieving industry excellence. Individual ceremony tickets cost 105.00 + VAT for the three-course luncheon, wines, coffee and petits fours. Discounts of 10% are offered on bookings of a table of 10 places or more (max. 12 places per table). To purchase tickets for the BIFA Annual Lunch and Awards Ceremony book online at bifa.org/awards > Ceremony > Book Tickets 3 BIFA Freight Service Awards 2018
The Award Sponsors Albacore Systems Albacore believe that people are a company s most valuable asset. That s why we are proud to sponsor the Staff Development Award for the 10th year. Albacore supply and support efficient and reliable IT systems which ensure productive, empowered and satisfied staff. albacore.co.uk American Airlines Cargo American Airlines Cargo provides one of the largest cargo networks in the world with cargo terminals and interline connections across the globe. Every day, American transports cargo between major cities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia. Together with wholly owned and third-party regional carriers operating as American Eagle, the airlines operate an average of approximately 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in over 50 countries. aacargo.com BoxTop Technologies We have been successfully delivering freight management software solutions to international freight forwarders and logistics providers for over 20 years. Using BoxTop helps tackle the challenges you face today and in the future. boxtop.net Descartes Descartes gives international freight forwarders and shippers a single Customs Platform to import and export freight across international borders. Descartes customs, freight and transport management software is used by most of the major forwarders and shippers in the UK to minimise speed of entry with single data entry for multiple countries, boosting productivity, improving data quality and ensuring compliance with the Union Customs Code. Descartes Transport Management solutions will increase efficiency, reduce costs and enhance customer service when using outsourced multimodal transportation operations. descartes.com Forward Computers Forward Computers is the UK s leading independent national supplier of software and e-commerce solutions for the freight and logistics industry. Knowing the industry inside-out, and leading the way in developments within it, we are the experts you can depend upon. forwardcomputers.co.uk IAG Cargo This is the 29th year that IAG Cargo, the single business combining the strengths of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus and LEVEL, has sponsored the BIFA Awards. The success of the UK Freight Forwarding sector remains as important as ever to Britain s place in international trade. Our sponsorship of these awards underlines our commitment to not only promote the sector, but to continue working closely with the Freight Forwarding community to deliver more connections and opportunities for global growth. iagcargo.com Peter Lole Insurance Brokers Peter Lole Insurance Brokers are specialist advisors to the freight industry with almost 40 years experience built on consistency and trust. Providing advice on special contracts, and training on cargo insurance are examples of our service commitment. peterlole.co.uk TT Club The TT Club is the international transport and logistics industry s leading provider of insurance and related risk management services. As a mutual insurer, TT Club exists to provide its policyholders with benefits, which include specialist underwriting expertise, a world-wide office network providing claims management services, and first class risk management and loss prevention advice. ttclub.com Virgin Atlantic Cargo Virgin Atlantic Cargo is proud to sponsor BIFA s Young Freight Forwarder Award to recognise and encourage the next generation of industry leaders. This award helps to highlight the vital role freight forwarders play in the growth and development of our industry. We recognise the importance of developing and retaining talented young people in our industry and we are confident this award will help to attract more recruits that want to build a future career in a sector that is so important to the economy and international trade. cargo.virgin-atlantic.com BIFA Freight Service Awards 2018 4
How to Enter - All Awards (excluding Young Freight Forwarder) Read the category descriptions on page 2 and decide which category / categories your company would like to enter. Go to www.bifa.org/awards and download the BIFA Freight Service Awards 2018 ENTRY FORM. Complete your company details on page one of the entry form. Write your entry submission in the boxes provided on the entry form keeping to the indicated word limits (Introduction: 300 words; Detail of project or service: 600 words; Conclusion: 100 words). Save your completed entry form and email to eventsoffice@bifa.org no later than 5pm on Monday 8th October 2018. Guidelines for Entries Your submission should detail a relevant service or project such as a specific case study, the development of a new service or a generic example of good practice. Entries will be assessed on the following criteria: innovative ideas; service enhancements offered; benefits for the customer; and benefits for the company. Do not include any accompanying documents at this time. Judging Process After the closing date, all entries will be reviewed at a preliminary judging meeting and a shortlist of four finalists in each category will be drawn up. All entrants will be contacted during October to advise the outcome of the preliminary judging. Shortlisted entrants will be invited to submit supporting documentation (e.g. photos, customer testimonials, statistics) to be presented to the final judging meeting to be held in mid-november. Supporting documentation should not exceed 10 A4 pages. The full judging panel will meet in mid-november to select the overall winner for each category. The winner of each category will be announced at the BIFA Freight Service Awards 2018 Ceremony Luncheon on Thursday 17th January 2019. The decision of the judging panel is final. Rules 1. The company must be a BIFA (full or probationary) Trading Member 2. A company may enter a maximum of three categories in each competition year 3. A company may only enter once per category in each competition year 4. Finalist companies will send at least one representative to the BIFA Freight Service Awards Ceremony luncheon on Thursday 18th January 2018 5. Submissions will be treated in the strictest confidence by BIFA and the Judging panel. An outline of the winning entry in each category will be published as Judges comments and the winning company and entry details may be featured in BIFAlink during 2018. 5 BIFA Freight Service Awards 2018
Young Freight Forwarder Award The information below explains the two-stage process to enter the Young Freight Forwarder category of the BIFA Awards 2018 competition. An unlimited number of individuals from the same company may be put forward. Go to www.bifa.org/awards and download the BIFA Freight Service Awards 2018 ENTRY FORM Young Freight Forwarder Complete your details on page one of the entry form. Write your YFF Article in the box provided on the entry form (maximum 750 words). Ask you manager to complete the Manager s reference box (maximum 250 words). Save your completed entry form and email to eventsoffice@bifa.org no later than 5pm on Monday 8th October 2018 along with your CV. Guidelines for Entries In your article you may wish to describe why you chose a career in freight forwarding, your progress within your company to date, your hopes and ideas for the future and perhaps details of a specific job or service provision where you exceeded expectations to get the job done. Judging Process After the closing date, all entries will be reviewed at a preliminary judging meeting and a shortlist of four finalists will be drawn up. All entrants will be contacted during October to advise the outcome of the preliminary judging. Shortlisted entrants will be invited to a face-to-face interview with the Judging panel during which they will have to opportunity to discuss their career achievements to date and their ambitions for the future. The face-to-face interviews will take place in London (venue to be advised) on Thursday 8th November 2018. The winner of the Young Freight Forwarder category will be announced at the BIFA Freight Service Awards 2018 Ceremony Luncheon on Thursday 17th January 2019. The decision of the judging panel is final. Rules 1. Entrants must be employed by a BIFA (full or probationary) Trading Member 2. Entrants must be under the age of 32 on 31st December 2018. 3. There is no restriction on the number of individuals entering the Young Freight Forwarder category from a company. 4. Young Freight Forwarder Finalists will be invited, as guests of BIFA, to the BIFA Freight Service Awards Ceremony luncheon on Thursday 17th January 2019. Additional tickets may be purchased at www.bifa.org/ awards 5. Submissions will be treated in the strictest confidence by BIFA and the Judging panel. An outline of the winner will be published as Judges comments and the winner and finalists may be featured in BIFAlink during 2019. The winner of the Young Freight Forwarder Award will receive: A cheque for 1,250 to be presented at the Awards Ceremony (runners-up receive 300) A place on a BIFA training course of their choice A free invitation to the 2019 Awards ceremony held in January 2020 (all finalists will receive a free invitation to the 2018 Awards ceremony to be held in January 2019) A full page coverage in the Association s monthly magazine, BIFAlink Nomination as the UK candidate for the FIATA/ TT Club Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award 2019 BIFA Freight Service Awards 2018 6
Judging Panels The Judging Panels will comprise members of the BIFA Secretariat and representatives from sponsor companies. Judging Meeting - November 2017 Rules of Entry 1. Companies may enter a maximum of three General/ Modal/Specialist Awards categories only*. 2. A company may compete only once in each category entered, with the exception of the Young Freight Forwarder Award where an unlimited number of individuals from the same company may be put forward. 3. All finalists must be present at the Awards Ceremony on Thursday 17th January 2019 at the Brewery, London EC1. 4. The judging panels decisions are final. 5. All finalists and Award winners will receive a BIFA Finalist 2018 logo, or BIFA Winner 2018 logo, and may state their achievement in promotional material for up to, but not exceeding, five years from the date of presentation. 6. For the Young Freight Forwarder Award, entrants must be under the age of 32 on 31st December 2018 and have a minimum of two years working experience in the industry. 7. For the Young Freight Forwarder category, the winner must agree to be nominated and take part as the UK candidate in the FIATA/TT Club Young International Freight Forwarder of the Year Award in 2019. If successful as the winner of the Europe Category of the competition, attendance is expected at the FIATA World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa during October 2019. * in addition to the Young Freight Forwarder category Redfern House, Browells Lane Feltham, Middlesex, TW13 7EP United Kingdom T: +44 (0)20 8844 2266 E: eventsoffice@bifa.org W: bifa.org/awards July 2018