Comedian Ian Moore will be hosting this year’s ceremony, which takes place at Athena in Leicester on November 15th.
Ian, pictured, who has toured with the likes of Jack Dee and Lee Evans, made such an impact in the sell-out Britcom show at Montreal’s Just For Laughs that he was invited to headline the festival's finale.
The Innovation Awards, which are being held for the fifth year, recognise and reward the brightest ideas in the East Midlands’ food and drink sector.
Judges are now going through the award entries, with the short-listed companies and organisations expected to be announced soon.
“Over the past few years our Innovation Awards have shone the spotlight on some excellent work in the food and drink sector in the region in terms of innovation,” said Food and Drink iNet director Richard Worrall. “Innovation is a key building block to growth. We are looking forward to hearing about details of some of the latest projects, and to sharing them with the sector at the Innovation Awards ceremony in November.
“The evening is also the perfect chance to network and catch up with colleagues from across the East Midlands.”
There are four award categories this year – the Clegg Food Projects Ltd Business Growth Award, the Nottingham Trent University New Product Development Award, the Positive Impact Award, and the Collaboration Award, with the overall winner crowned the Campden BRI Innovation Champion 2012.
Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. It has developed an effective network to encourage the collaboration of academic expertise and knowledge, and local food and drink business innovation needs.
It aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes.
The Food and Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by The Food and Drink Forum and including Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.
For more information about the iNet visit www.foodanddrink-inet.org.uk
Tickets for the Innovation Awards cost £69.50 plus vat per person, with discounts for members of the Food and Drink Forum, and are available by contacting the events team on 0115 9758810.
Some sponsoring, table hosting and exhibiting opportunities are available for the event. Contact the events team for details.
Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk
