Jun 18, 2018
The Forest of Arden Hotel & Country Club, Birmingham will be awash with light on Wednesday 2 October as the prestigious awards scheme for the vending and water industries – The Vendies – returns for a thrilling, Vegas themed celebration!
Tickets are priced at £145pp (discounts available for EDWCA members) and include a drinks reception, three course meal with wine, award presentations for outstanding performance, an after dinner casino and even more Vegas filled fun and networking. A limited number of hotel discounts are also available to guests of The Vendies and/or the EDWCA Business Day on a first come, first served basis. Bookings must be made in advance via The Vendies website.
The Vendies 2018 has already secured strong sponsor backing, with SB Software, Lavazza, Siemens Financial Services, Abbey Chart and the EDWCA all putting their name to the event. “Further sponsorship opportunities are available to companies looking to promote their brands, products and services at the event of the year”, says publishing and event manager Jenny Thompson.
Entries are now open with new and revised categories, aimed at operators and suppliers in the vending and water industries and as previous winners will testify, a Vendies win ‘is a real stamp of endorsement.’
Express Vending agrees; at last year’s event it scooped a staggering FOUR awards – Operator of the Year, Service Engineer of the Year, the Customer Service Award and Marketing Campaign of the Year. Talking to Vending International at the time, digital marketing manager Matt Sayers said: “Receiving such industry recognition is testament to the efforts we take to consistently innovate and deliver exceptional service levels. Express and our people strive for excellence and these awards are a tremendous marker for our ongoing performance.”
Coffetek, meanwhile, was awarded Online Initiative of the Year in 2017 for its ‘Customer Web’; speaking exclusively to Vending International, sales director Ian Johnston said: “Coffetek was delighted to receive the award for online initiative of the year. In the past 12 months we have invested significantly in online tools for our customers, the customer web provides a wealth of information 24/7 and is dynamically linked to our central ERP system – watch this space for more developments.”
In the water categories the Best Quality Service Award went to Maestro Pressure Coolers with the company’s David Hilton agreeing on the importance of the event: “I was really chuffed to receive this award. It’s nice to get some recognition for your efforts. The evening was a great success with a lovely atmosphere in an excellent venue the hosts were very professional and it was a great chance to meet up with like-minded companies and employees.”
Designed to reward the people, products and services that make the vending and water industries a success, this year’s awards programme offers some exciting opportunities for manufacturers and operators alike.
The Awards will be judged by an expert panel, comprising leading names from across the water and vending industry – with some help from the industry, of course!
Judges will assess each of the entries according to strict criteria, before carefully selecting up to five finalists in each category for the industry to vote on.
The judges’ scores will account for 75% of the outcome and the industry vote 25%.Written entries must be no more than 1,000 words. Supporting information (images, videos etc) should be uploaded via the online entry form.
For more information and to enter go to www.thevendies.co.uk
In partnership with the EDWCA Business Day
Registration is now open for the EDWCA Business Day Trade Show, which is taking place in conjunction with The Vendies at the Forest of Arden Hotel on Tuesday 02 October 2018.
The exhibitor line-up to date includes: AA First, Calomax, H20 Direct, Kleena Coola, MTN Products Ltd and Botelleros CMA.
The Business Day starts at 9.00am with the Association Annual General Meeting followed by an exciting Speakers Programmes with subjects such as GDPR and Plastics…what is the solution? After lunch delegates will be invited to browse around the Trade show from 1pm to 4.30pm and join in the speakers discussion forums.
The Business Day is free-to-attend for EDWCA members. The fee for non-members is £25 and includes lunch and refreshments.
For more information and to register visit www.thevendies.co.uk
Jun 11, 2018
Vending International editor Heather Ramsden talks to Andrew Smith, OCS & Vending Sales Manager, Lavazza UK & Ireland about its continued support for The Vendies
A sponsor since its launch, what does Lavazza like about the Vendies?
The Vendies is a highlight in the vending industry social calendar, growing in popularity every year. It provides Lavazza with the opportunity to support our suppliers and crucially, recognise their hard work and innovation within the industry.Why are you sponsoring the ‘Best Machine Innovation’ category?
Vending machines are incredibly important for Lavazza, allowing us us to connect us with our consumers in the absence of sales people. Innovation is therefore key; machines should reflect an ever-changing industry and consumer trends, while offering optimal service, availability and variety of products.
With advancements in technology and the need to drive unique user experiences, vending machines are moving beyond the traditional ‘box in the corner’. Lavazza is keen to acknowledge this development and innovation in a field that has long been an integral part of our product sales.
Why should the industry get involved by entering, voting and attending?
Awards programmes like The Vendies encourage all areas of the industry to evaluate and improve their performance, as well as acknowledging and rewarding the hard work and successes of the last twelve months. It is a positive process that Lavazza is proud to be a part of.
How has the sector changed over the past year? Do you think this will be reflected in the 2018 Vendies?
The influence of high street coffee shops continues to infiltrate into the work and leisure environment. This means that operators and distributors have to optimise the opportunity for premiumisation of products to ensure that the consumer is offered the quality that they’re familiar with. Lavazza continues to support this opportunity with its whole bean range, Prontissimo micro-granulated soluble coffee, machine branding and cup branding.
In general, the vending sector is continually evolving in line with consumer trends and we believe we will continue to see forward-thinking innovation at this year’s awards.
What does Lavazza have to offer operators this year? Are you launching any new products or services?
The increasing presence of Prontissimo micro granulated coffee continues to add opportunity to operators’ portfolios. This soluble solution for the UK market offers Lavazza brand presence in an area that has previously been closed due to our non-presence as an instant coffee. Lavazza continues to support our customers with high quality branding for all manufacturers’ machines as we believe in promoting the quality of the brand at every opportunity, and we will continue to drive our presence across the vending channel.
For more information on Lavazza products and services visit www.lavazza.co.uk
May 10, 2018
The EDWCA (European Drinking Water Cooler Association) is to hold its 2018 Business Day in conjunction with The Vendies, the prestigious awards programme for the vending industry. The Vendies, which featured on BBC1’s The One Show last year, is organised by the publisher of Vending International magazine, Datateam Business Media and the company pleased to announce that both events will take place on 2 October at the Forest of Arden Hotel & Country Club in Birmingham.
The EDWCA Business Day will kick off with a members-only AGM first thing in the morning, followed by a full speakers programme, round table discussions and a trade show which is open to all members of the vending and water industries, including end users.
The Business Day will cover current relevant topics such as GDPR, Brexit and how social media can be used to boost sales. There is a small delegate fee for attending which includes lunch and refreshments, however the EDWCA is delighted to announce that for its’ members this is a membership benefit and attendance to the Business Day and Trade Show are free of charge. There will be discounts available to delegates attending The Vendies, which is taking place at the same venue in the evening and promises further opportunities for networking.
The Trade Show element is free to attend and visitors may register online here.
For exhibitors, the trade show represents excellent value for money with a number of high profile sponsorship packages also available.
Providing industry information and relevant speakers with a full day of networking for manufacturers, suppliers, operators and end users alike, this is the event that will meet everyone’s demands. “Come and enjoy the day and be part of the EDWCA commitment to quality, hygiene, safety and hydration,” says EDWCA vice chair David Albers.
David continues: “Water and Vending are intrinsically linked and by coming together to talk to customers, it is hoped that buyers of these products and services will be able to make even better choices going forward. By also attending The Vendies, they will have further opportunities to talk to key players in the vending industry and consolidate their food and beverage provision.”
Event and publishing director Hannah Dedman comments: “We are delighted to be working with the EDWCA again to provide a full day of networking for the industry. I hope that as many people as possible will take the opportunity to listen to all of the inspiring talks, take part in the round table discussions and speak to exhibitors, before joining us for an evening of celebrations at The Vendies.”
Designed to reward the people, products and services that make the vending and water industries a success, this year’s awards programme offers some exciting opportunities for manufacturers and operators alike.
The Awards will be judged by an expert panel, comprising leading names from across the water and vending industry – with some help from the industry, of course!
Judges will assess each of the entries according to strict criteria, before carefully selecting up to five finalists in each category for the industry to vote on.
The judges’ scores will account for 75% of the outcome and the industry vote 25%.Written entries must be no more than 1,000 words. Supporting information (images, videos etc) should be uploaded via the online entry form.
Vending operators have a number of categories to choose from, including ‘Best Regional Operator’, ‘Best National Operator ’ and for the very first time, ‘Best Area Manager’. This in addition to ‘Best Operator’, ‘Best Service Engineer’, ‘Best Route Operator’, ‘Best Customer Service’ and the new ‘Best Operator Website’ award will give operators of all sizes, and the outstanding individuals within them, an opportunity to shine.
The same is true of the manufacturer/supplier categories, which include ‘Best Machine Innovation’, ‘Best Payment System’, ‘Best Beverage Brand’, ‘Best Snack/Confectionery Product’, ‘Best Ancillary Product or Service’ and ‘Best Supplier website’. For the first time ever, there is a Best New Product Award which will be voted for on the night and a Lifetime Achievement Award (nomination only), which will be chosen by the panel.
Nominations are also accepted in each of the vending categories via the same online form. All nominees will be contacted to tell them they have been nominated and asked to confirm their entry.
“Members of the water industry are invited to enter or nominate a colleague the EDWCA Customer Service Award, Outstanding Achievement Award and Innovation Recognition Award. The Supplier Recognition award is for any supplier to the water and beverage industry currently doing business in the UK and specifically dealing with EDWCA members on site or on the telephone. It is aimed at those teams who pull together to problem-solve and give the customer the best possible experience of their company’s services. Please note, nominations can only be made by suppliers’ end-users,” says the EDWCA’s Tracy Corroll.
The Vendies has already won the backing of SB Software and Lavazza as sponsors, and with additional names to be announced in the coming weeks, publication manager Jenny Thompson says: “There are only a limited number of sponsorship opportunities available, so companies that wish to align their brand with the industry’s very best at this well-established event are encouraged to secure their position early.”
Sponsors will enjoy maximum exposure on the event’s promotional materials – across both print and digital platforms – as part of a highly targeted marketing campaign in the lead up to the event. Companies that get involved will also benefit from having their brand projected to a highly targeted and engaged audience at the ceremony itself, which is attended by all of the key industry figures.
Simon Black, MD of SB Software says: “With Vendmanager, we endeavour throughout to make things ‘simply better’ within the vending sector.
“Since the Vendies recognises key players – both individuals and organisations – who are just that in themselves, it is a natural fit for SB Software to support the event.
“We enjoy attending the awards, finding out how things are advancing in our industry and networking with the people who make vending successful. So it’s a great way of combining work with pleasure too. Perfect.”
