Operators and their customers need to submit nominations for UK Coach Awards by December 9
Coach operators are urged to submit their nominations for the UK Coach Awards 2012 soon, as the December 9 deadline looms.
The awards ceremony is taking place on Thursday, April 19 at the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester, with the short-list to be announced in February.
As announced when nominations opened last month, there is an expanded list of awards for 2012 which is designed to reflect excellence and good practice across a whole range of activities. A cardinal principle of the scheme is that people who actually use the services are the ones who should do the nominating. New categories for 2012 include Making Coaches a Better Choice and a Young Coach Industry Professional Award.
There are 21 awards in total and the categories are divided into the following groups:
- Industry people
- Coach operation
- Management of coaching
- Coach friendliness
- Manufacturers and support service suppliers
- Suppliers of services for coach passengers
UK Coach Awards (UKCA) director Jamie Cash, told CBW: “Our goal is to raise awareness, recognise the hard work, dedication and professionalism of the diverse organisations and of the people involved in coach tourism.”
“The scheme is designed to recognise and reward excellence, original thinking and innovation,” he continued, explaining each award would be independently and impartially judged using objective criteria. “That way, we can promise that taking home a UK Coach Award really is a badge of achievement.”
The award categories cover the full range of services provided by and for coach operators and their passengers. There are prizes for industry people, for excellence in coach operation and management, in coach friendliness by attractions and local authorities. Suppliers of services for coach passengers, such as catering and venue ticketing, are recognised too, alongside manufacturers and support service suppliers.
Nominations can be submitted online via the UKCA website or using specially designed forms which can be downloaded from the site. The site also contains detailed criteria for each award category, plus news and information about current and previous winners.
Organisations which support the awards include the Coach Tourism Council, the CPT, the Group Travel Organisers Association and media partners Coach & Bus Week.
For further information about the awards and to submit your nominations, visit the UKCA website at www.ukcoachawards.co.uk
