LEEA Awards 2021: a cause for celebration

The LEEA Awards 2021 portal is now open for entries at https://awards.leeaint.com/. Winners will be revealed and presentations will take place during the LEEA Awards dinner on 5 November 2021 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London.

The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) members who have done the most to raise standards have the opportunity to enter the Awards and be recognised as among the best companies in the industry by their peers and their customers. Winners gain an excellent chance to raise their profile as a successful business and a leader in that category, with the Awards Dinner providing the perfect setting for members to reward their teams and celebrate their achievements.

Ross Moloney, CEO of LEEA, said: “As the largest trade association in the Lifting Industry, the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association wants to reward members who have done the most to raise standards. The Awards Dinner will be a tremendous autumn showcase social networking event, allowing members to meet Lifting Industry friends and colleagues again at a ‘new beginning’ party. Having this event on a Friday evening in a prestigious London venue, with a celebrity host to be announced soon, marks a further step for what is an immensely popular annual celebration. Given the timing, we expect the 2021 event to be the best LEEA Awards yet.”

This year, a new Headline Sponsorship is available in addition to the Category Sponsorships. Becoming the Headline Sponsor will allow any member company to align their brand with celebrating and supporting successes in the lifting industry. This is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact Leah Phelps at enquiries@L2Events.com for details.

A panel of industry experts will judge award applications. In general, the judges will be considering all applications based on the overall quality of the award application itself; information in the application indicating that, in general, the applicant company can be considered well above average; the extent to which the supporting evidence is articulated and demonstrated in the application; and how people, process, and technology have improved service and enabled the support company to overcome challenges. Applications must include all requested information, accompanied by the required supporting materials. The categories are as follows:

1. Best Innovation
The 2021 Best Innovation Award recognises a product or service that is truly innovative, providing a unique value proposition and tangible benefits to the lifting equipment industry. Impact of the innovation may be demonstrated by producing evidence that it has a) gained competitive advantage; b) increased market share or contributed to significant growth; c) achieved operational excellence; d) helped deliver better service; d) improved financial performance.

Nominations must address a need, solve a problem, seize an opportunity or create a new market. Applications must include supporting information to meet the requirements of the following judging criteria:
•       Evidence as to how the nomination is different and whether it has distinct, game changing advantages over any alternatives.
•       How the nomination may establish a vision or be the basis of a larger system or platform of innovations and how it might be an inspiration to future innovation and innovators.
•       How the company’s product or service is innovative, and how the company is leading innovation in the industry.

Judges will be looking for details of concept, value, delivery and impact from notion to launch.

2. Kevin Holmes Award for Excellence in People Development
The 2021 Kevin Holmes Award for Developing Excellence in People recognises excellence in supporting and facilitating the continual professional development of its employees. Nominations may include, but are not limited to Induction training programmes and the Continual Professional Development scheme. Whilst seeking evidence of the organisation’s strategy for up-skilling and training of personnel, the judges will be looking for:
•       Evidence of senior management commitment.
•       Provision of high-quality training and development opportunities.
•       Who and how many people benefitted and how was this measured.
•       Overall impact on the competencies of employees.
•       Evidence of impact in the business.

3. Safety Award
The 2021 Safety Award recognises commitment to safety in the lifting equipment industry. Nominations are invited for safety related products or services, including safety education and training. Applications are invited for any of the following: a) groups/teams; b) individuals; c) safety leadership; d) recognition of an activity or project. Judges will be looking for the following:
•       How the nomination has contributed to the prevent accidents/incidents.
•       Demonstration of leadership in safety or as a safety role model.
•       Development of safety-conscious policies and procedures.
•       Active promotion of safety in the workplace.
•       Innovation and enthusiasm in marketing safety in the lifting equipment industry.
•       Collaborative and proactive work towards improving safety.
•       Educating and mentoring of others in safety.

4. Outstanding Apprentice
The 2021 Outstanding Apprentice Award recognises talented apprentices who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their professional development in the lifting equipment industry. The judging panel will be looking for evidence of the following:
•       Evidence of the nominee’s career plan.
•       Consistency of performance and achievements.
•       Innovation and contributions to the business.
•       Ways in which the nominee has gone above and beyond employer expectations.
•       Additional responsibilities that have been embraced and the resulting impact.

5. Unsung Hero
The 2021 Unsung Hero Award recognises individuals who excel in their work ‘behind the scenes’, underpinning the successes of their organisation. This may include:
•       Personal accomplishments.
•       Attendance, punctuality and reliability.
•       Communication with colleagues.
•       Excellence in performance of duties and beyond the call.
•       Champion of corporate values and behaviours.

The judging panel will be looking for evidence of individuals who are reliable and effective in their work but receive little or no recognition. They will be seeking stalwarts of the lifting equipment industry.

6. Accredited Training Scheme – Best Trainer
The 2021 Accredited Training Scheme – Best Trainer Award focuses on LEEA’s Accredited Training Scheme and the professional trainers delivering high quality end-user training courses. Judges will be looking for evidence of the following four areas:
•       Professionalism (25% of the criteria). The nominee has consistently met or exceeded challenging objectives and demonstrated a quality approach through personal values and working practices.
•       Innovation (25%). The nominee has used innovative approaches, working practices or technologies to enhance their training delivery. How has such innovation been utilised toward organisational best practice?
•       Role model (25%). The ways in which the nominee sets examples to colleagues which focuses on the important role of a LEEA accredited training provider and the standards expected of training professionals approved by the scheme. What are the resulting impacts on the organisation from the nominee as a role model?
•       Measurable success (25%). How the nominee has delivered quantifiable benefits to their company through involvement with training initiatives in the past year and can demonstrate continual professional development to enhance their ability to succeed in future.

Evidence to support the application will include exceptional feedback received from clients and trainees, personal professional development accomplishments and customer/trainee testimonials.

7. Best Lifting Equipment Inspector/Tester/Examiner
The 2021 Best Lifting Equipment Inspector/Tester/Examiner Award recognises individuals who are ambassadors to the profession and the industry, demonstrating commendable attributes and professional behaviours.  The judging criteria will be equally split between four areas:
Professionalism (25% of the criteria). The nominee has consistently met or exceeded challenging objectives demonstrated a quality approach through personal values and working practices.
Innovation (25%). The nominee has used innovative approaches, working practices or technologies to enhance their performance in the field.
Role model (25%). The nominee has set an example to colleagues of the important role of the lifting equipment inspector/tester/examiner in the industry and the standards expected of such professionals.
Measurable success (25%). How the nominee has delivered quantitative and qualitative benefits to their company and demonstrates continual professional development to enhance their performance, now and in the future.

8. Best Team
The 2021 Best Team Award recognises a team or department within an organisation that demonstrates how its work has helped achieve or exceed objectives and contributed to the overall competitiveness and/or success of the company during the previous 12 months. Both functional working teams and project-oriented teams will be considered.
Judges will look at the extent to which the team’s cohesiveness is articulated and demonstrated in the application will be considered. In addition, the judges will be looking for evidence of the following information within your application:
•       Can the team performance be quantified or qualified?
•       Organisational challenges the team has overcome.
•       Resulting improved service or products.
•       Exceptional contributions toward efficiency and effectiveness of operations.

9. Best Lifting Operation
The 2021 Best Lifting Operation Award recognises a company that has performed a lifting operation, which provides evidence of the following judging criteria. Applications are invited, regardless of the size or mass of the load, or the number of personnel involved in the lift. The judging criteria will be equally split between four areas:
Complexity (25% of the criteria). What are the considered complexities of the lifting operation?
Risk (25%). Consideration of risk to people, plant and premises and the actions taken by the lifting operation team to minimise and control these risks.
Uniqueness (25%). What makes the lifting operation unique?
Customer testimonials (25%). The judges will give due consideration to the scale of the lifting operation to that of the company performing the task.

10. LEEA CEO’s Award
The 2021 LEEA CEO’s Award recognises outstanding professionals in the lifting equipment industry. Nominees must have a minimum of 3 years’ and less than 10 years’ experience in the industry and possess the qualities and skills of an emerging leader, having already made significant contributions to our profession. Nominees should demonstrate outstanding leadership, initiative, innovation, and contribution to their company. Within their career, the nominee will have shown steady career advancement, a commitment to on-going professional development, and recognition and respect from colleagues as an emerging leader. The judging criteria will be equally split between four areas:
Leadership (25% of the criteria). Describe the ways in which the individual has demonstrated leadership qualities and characteristics. Is the nominee generally recognised by colleagues as an emerging leader? In what ways has the nominee engaged with other professional companies? How has this benefitted the nominee’s company?
Innovation and Initiative (25%). How has the nominee demonstrated initiative and the ability to be a self-starter? What innovations have resulted directly from the nominee’s efforts?
Contribution to the employer’s company (25%). In what ways has the nominee impacted on the company? In what ways has the nominee improved service delivery? Career Advancement and Professional Development (25%). In what ways has the nominee held progressively more responsible positions/titles in their career to date? Has the nominee actively pursued continual professional development? In what ways? How has this improved their effectiveness in the company?

Nominations closing date is 1 August 2021. To make an entry, visit https://awards.leeaint.com/. For further information on the LEEA Awards, as well as sponsorship opportunities, contact Leah Phelps tel: +44 (0) 203 488 2865 or email: enquiries@L2Events.com or visit www.liftex.org.