Families Are The Business

Update:
After a successful debut at Thrumpton Hall in Nottingham, the 2011 Midlands Family Business Awards moved to Birmingham Town Hall for a sparkling ceremony in front of 300 guests. BowlesAssociates again acted as creative partner to the awards, producing a revised colour scheme for the event’s marketing materials, including the awards themselves, before featuring various winners and runners-up in the follow-up issue of illuminate.

Successful family businesses fully embrace the unique dynamic found in their workplace - as we at BowlesAssociates are well aware - and the close ties between staff ensure there's always a special sense of satisfaction at a job well done. Consequently, we were delighted to play an active role in the successful launch of the Midlands Family Business Awards, run by The Wilson Organisation, which are designed to celebrate the good work of family businesses in the region.

Since its establishment in 1913, The Wilson Organisation has been providing enlightened independent insurance and financial advice to a wide cross-section of clients. The company asked BowlesAssociates in 2009 to take on the task of developing a new magazine, which we called illuminate. The bi-annual publication showcases key clients, as well as prospective clients, and highlights the latest products on offer in an ever-changing market place.

A family-owned and run business, Wilsons introduced a Family Business Forum in 2007, bringing together like-minded companies to discuss issues particularly relevant to them - such as succession planning - while also providing opportunities to network and make new contacts.

Looking for a way to recognise and celebrate the achievements of the region's most successful businesses, Wilsons decided to introduce the Midlands Family Business Awards in Spring 2010, commissioning BowlesAssociates to act as creative partner following the success of illuminate.

We were tasked with creating the Family Business Awards brand identity, and then moved on to generate all the marketing material for the event, including adverts, ceremony invitations and the awards programme, with editorial provided by our team of in-house journalists.

A not-for-profit initiative, the Awards raised funds in its first year for its three charities, which support young people and young enterprise - The Children's Society, the Venture Foundation and the Willow Foundation. With the inaugural event successfully under its belt, Wilsons moved straight on to planning the 2011 Awards - and we're looking forward to working on next year's campaign.

A glittering awards ceremony was hosted by Wilsons Group Managing Director Charlotte Prow at Thrumpton Hall in Nottinghamshire, and we produced a special edition of illuminate magazine (also available digitally) to showcase the awards, with features on various winners and runner-ups. The Portrait Collective provided official photography on the night, capturing all the key moments and the award presentations.