Chamber Business Awards 2017

On Thursday, Linda, Rebecca and Rachael made their way to London for a very special occasion – the 2017 Chamber Business Awards!

The Chamber Business Awards is one of the most prestigious programmes in the country. It rewards excellence in business, in all sectors, from across Britain. Back in September, we were so excited to find out that we were named regional winners of the ‘High Growth Business of the Year’ category for the Yorkshire and Humber region. As well as this prize, Rapid Accommodation became finalists in the national awards. Sadly we didn’t win, but we had an incredible time.

The Awards Ceremony

The glittering ceremony took place at The Brewery, a beautiful Grade II listed venue in the heart of London. The evening began with a lot of chatting and getting to know the fellow guests and finalists. We met so many inspirational business people from across the country, including Agenda Screening. They are an agency for background and pre-employment screening based in Hull and were our table companions for the evening. We dined on Mackarel with almond cream, garlic and thyme roasted guinea fowl, and plum and pear pavlova, which was absolutely delicious! Kate Thornton was the host for the evening, and she did an excellent job of keeping the guests entertained.

Then came the announcements. It was so motivating to hear the success stories of all the nominees, how far they’ve come and what they’ve achieved over the past 12 months. Finally, it came to our category, ‘High Growth Business of the Year’. The very deserving winners were iCON Aerospace Technology Ltd, specialists in polymer technology for the aerospace, defence and industrial sectors.

A Successful Year

2017 has been such an incredible year for us. It began with us securing £2 million worth of business from organisations within key sectors. Then in April, we became winners of Dragon’s Den star and Entrepreneur Theo Paphitis’ Twitter competition, #SBS Small Business Sunday. We’ve also expanded our team three times this year, taking the number of employees from eight to 13 in order to accommodate the growing demand for our business travel services. Attending these national, prestigious awards is the icing on the top of a delicious cake!

Find out more about the Chamber Awards 2017.

Rapid Accommodation Wins Award

We have some exciting news – we’ve been crowned one of the winners in the Yorkshire and the Humber heats of the Chamber Business Awards 2017!

Rapid Accommodation, which celebrated its fifth birthday this year, has taken home the High Growth Business of the Year award, and we are now in the running for a national accolade from the British Chamber of Commerce.

Rebecca Anderson-Smith, Relationship Director of Rapid Accommodation said: “The whole team is incredibly excited by this. We are so proud to have had a very successful year to date, and that’s all down to the hard work and ambition of the team. Now we can celebrate our regional award win together and look forward to the national awards.”

2017 has proven to be a big year for us. After securing £2 million worth of business from organisations within the area’s key sectors, Rapid Accommodation went on to become a winner of Dragon’s Den star and Entrepreneur Theo Paphitis’ Twitter competition, #SBS Small Business Sunday. We’ve also expanded our team twice this year, taking the number of employees from eight to eleven in order to accommodate for the growing demand for our business travel services.

Rapid Accommodation Heads to the National Awards

The Chamber Business Awards, which are now in their 14th year, recognise the key role that local businesses play in driving the UK economy. The 2017 ceremony will take place in London in November.

Francis Martin, President of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said: “Businesses are the backbone and driving force of the UK economy. Even in the face of uncertain times, they continue to show their resilience and strength – creating opportunities for employment, investment and growth.

“Our judges are always impressed by the high standard of submissions, and the calibre of entries this year was no different. The finalists in the Chamber Business Awards represent the best of this country’s entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and hard-work.

“The Chamber Business Awards are the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate our business communities’ achievements, to take stock of the outstanding performances of UK businesses over the past year, and to encourage and inspire others to follow in their footsteps.”

Our Accommodation Service

As we’ve grown as a company, we’ve never lost sight of how important it is to provide great quality customer service. We like to get to know our clients and understand their needs, and as a result, we never let anyone down. If you need help organising your business travel stays, find out how our accommodation service works and contact us today so that we can get started.

UK AD & Biogas and World Biogas Expo 2017

When it comes to our clients, we like to know as much about their industry as possible. This is so we can be sure we’re up to date on the latest developments and one-step ahead when finding their business accommodation. It’s a key part of the personal approach we take.

Because of this, we get to visit a whole variety of fascinating trade shows and specialist events. Exhibitions for renewables, construction, and in early July, the £1 trillion aero digestion and biogas sector.

Linda, our Director, travelled to Birmingham for ADBA UK AD & Biogas and World Biogas Expo 2017. Over two days, around 4,000 people from over 50 countries were welcomed to the NEC Arena – it was incredible! It’s no wonder why this has become a leading global trade show. Industry leaders gave talks on key sector issues, and over 250 exhibitors had the chance to meet, network and showcase their products and services.

We certainly learned a lot about the industry, from process technology being developed to the various factors impacting industry. And, we met so many inspiring and innovative businesses! There’s no better way to learn that to get out there, attend shows and meet people.

The Expo was the perfect opportunity for us to catch up with some of our clients from the ever-growing industry.

Kirk UK and LRES

Linda caught up with Dan Jones of Kirk UK and Lynsey Walker of LRES, both valued clients of ours (pictured above). Kirk UK are specialists in Biogas storage solutions, and LRES UK are industrial cleaning and waste management specialists, and it was fantastic to hear about their day and recent successes.

Wolf Systems

We can’t quite believe it, but we’ve been working with Wolf Systems for over four years now! Wolf Systems create products and software specifically for timber engineering, helping their customers to become more time and cost efficient. Linda was able to have a chat with Liviu all about the business and how they’d found the Expo so far.

This year, we’ll be heading out to the Electrical Show and NEC Construction Week, so keep an eye out for us.

In the meantime, feel free to get in touch with us to find out how we can help you – the coffee is on us!

Five Reasons to Book Accommodation with Rapid

Just a few weeks ago Rapid Accommodation celebrated its fifth birthday, which means we’ve been working with you to find business accommodation in the UK for five whole years! In that time, we’ve established a pretty efficient and cost-effective booking system. Our process focuses on five key areas, and the result is a 100% success rate!

Here’s our five reasons to book your business stay travel with Rapid Accommodation.

Bespoke Accommodation Service

Before any hotel, B&B or self-catering rooms are booked, our Accommodation Advisors will discuss any personal preferences you might have. Whether it’s ensuring there is adequate space for work vehicles (whatever the size), having specific on-site facilities or allowing early check-in, we’ll find a place to stay that meets your requirements – and for the best price too.

Discounted Business Rates

Because our team has worked closely and built long-lasting relationships with business accommodation partners all across the UK, we have instant access to discounted rates. And, we’re able to negotiate the best possible prices and cancellation policies, meaning we can secure a great deal for you.

Credit Facilities

We understand that from time to time your cashflow may need a boost, so we have credit facilities available for our clients – subject to approval, of course. Also, we’re more than happy to accept payments via American Express, even if your preferred UK accommodation doesn’t accept it! You can read all about this on our post on using AmEx for accommodation in the UK.

Flexibility

Should you ever need to cancel your reservation last minute, or need to end your stay early, we can help. Our team will be on hand to work with the accommodation provider to get a refund or achieve the best possible outcome, and that’s 24/7 too.

24/7 Support

You can call us any time of day or night, seven days a week should you encounter any problems. We’ll always do our best to help you – we’ve even been known to give travel directions in the early hours of the morning! When you book with us, we’ll give you a dedicated number to call when you need us.

100% Success Rate

We’re so proud to say that we have never failed to find suitable accommodation for our clients! If you have any questions about our sourcing services for business travel, take a look at our guide to booking accommodation and get in touch.

We’re Hiring!

It’s been a fantastic year for us here at Rapid Accommodation. Not only did we win Theo Paphitis’ weekly #SBS Twitter competition, launch our very own blog and celebrate our fifth birthday, but now we are expanding our team once again!

We’re looking for an enthusiastic, confident and professional individual with excellent people skills to join our team of Accommodation Advisors, based in our Ashby-cum-Fenby offices surrounded by beautiful Lincolnshire countryside. Take a look at the Job Specification below, and if you want to join our team, send your CV and a covering lettering to hr@rapidaccommodation.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Grimsby Business Given Rapid Boost by Theo Paphitis

Rapid Accommodation picked as an #SBS Winner on Twitter by Dragon’s Den Star.

A Grimsby agency is the latest winner of a Dragon’s Den star’s Small Business Sunday initiative.

Rapid Accommodation, who source accommodation for business stays across the UK, were one of six companies to have caught the attention of entrepreneur Theo Paphitis in the weekly Twitter competition, which is open to businesses all around the world.

Small Business Sunday, which was created by Mr Paphitis, is an opportunity for users to showcase their brand in a single tweet using the hashtag #SBS. Every Sunday between 5pm and 7.30pm, businesses send their update to Mr Paphitis, who reviews the entries and chooses six winners, sharing the winning updates to his 505,000 followers the following night. In addition to Theo’s Twitter promotion, the team at Rapid Accommodation will get to meet Mr Paphitis and have access to exclusive support and networking opportunities.

Rebecca Anderson-Smith, Relationship Director of Rapid Accommodation said: “We have been tweeting every week for two and a half years in the hope that we would be chosen for the Small Business Sunday award, and finally all the persistence and hard work has paid off! We are over the moon to be recognised by Theo Paphitis and feel it has given us an amazing platform for Rapid Accommodation.

“It’s been an absolute whirlwind since the announcement on Monday night, and our twitter hasn’t stopped! We are looking forward to meeting Theo and thanking him in person – and maybe even try and book his accommodation for him!”

Currently, Rapid Accommodation are believed to be the only accommodation-finding service to have been picked as an #SBS winner. They join the likes of the fellow Grimsby-based winners, Red Herring Games and Scrubbys Crisps.

Since launching in 2012, Rapid Accommodation has gone from strength-to-strength. This win follows a period of growth after securing £2 million worth of new work with renowned organisations in the renewables and petrochemical industries, and the expansion of its team, taking the number of employees to nine. In 2016, the Ashby-cum-Fenby business was shortlisted as a finalist in the ABP Business Growth category in the Northern Lincolnshire Business Awards.