One of the key partners in the 2027 BUSINESSiQ Awards at Raby Castle says the event is “the biggest celebration of our region’s business community.”
Hays Travel is back with us as sponsors of the Business of the Year Award, one of the highlights of the night at Raby Castle on Thursday, April 29, with the historic venue providing a spectacular backdrop with its 14th-century castle, 200-acre deer park and newly remodelled Walled Gardens.
There will be food and entertainment in and around The Dutch Barn before and after the awards, which will be held in The Riding School—an 18th-century architectural gem.
Hays Travel is backing the Business of the Year category (Image: Hays Travel)
Dame Irene Hayes, the legendary head of her business, said she wanted to recognise the ‘ingenuity and tenacity’ of the region’s businesses, telling us: “We think the BUSINESSiQ Awards are the biggest celebration of our region’s business community. They do an excellent job of recognising the brilliant entrepreneurs and innovative leaders of established companies, who are working with passion to ensure success for their people and customers.
“We are delighted to support the Business of the Year Award again, which recognises the ingenuity and tenacity of the shortlisted nominees.”
- It just takes a few minutes to nominate a business for a BUSINESSiQ Award - start by CLICKING HERE
The Hays Travel brand has long been an outspoken champion of the region and Dame Irene said there was great pride in its local roots throughout the business.
“As a national company with more than 500 branches across the UK, we believe we’re qualified to say that the North East is the best place to do business! We are incredibly proud to be headquartered here in Sunderland and use every opportunity to champion our region’s assets, not least its people.
“I think we all agree that our region is humble about its assets. The BUSINESSiQ Awards are a chance to put a spotlight on the North East’s businesses and their success, because the impact of geo-political events on the economy and consumer confidence has made this a challenging year for many businesses.
Dame Irene Hays in the spotlight for the BUSINESSiQ Awards. Picture: CHRIS BOOTH (Image: Chris BOOTH)
“However our industrious and ingenious region has responded in true resilient fashion. It’s encouraging to see so much positivity and the investment, innovation and increasingly rich culture we are witnessing is exciting.”
Like so many North East businesses, Hays will not be standing still - it pledges to continue growing and providing opportunities for young people across the region.
Dame Irene told us: “Our commitment to our people, customers and communities remains steadfast. We continue to evolve and invest in growing our business and developing our people, whether they are apprentices or new to travel colleagues, a Branch Manager who has been with us for 30 years or a member of our Independence Group turning over £1m a year.
“We are fiercely proud of our independence, which allows us to offer our customers the best choice and value across beach, city, cruise, touring and experiential holidays. Our customers place great value on their holiday and the opportunity to enjoy precious time with family and friends – we are grateful for the trust they place in us to find them the right holiday and never take that for granted.”
As Sophie Brown, sales and events manager at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens has told us: “The BUSINESSiQ Awards are a brilliant opportunity to celebrate the achievements of businesses from across the region and everyone’s hard work to support and champion the North East. To be the location for the awards next year is going to be a momentous occasion for Raby and we’re looking forward to welcoming all the nominees. We’ve seen an incredible amount of interest in our corporate events and have welcomed a fantastic array of brands, companies and organisations over the last few years.
“We have something unique to offer everyone, whether you’re a family visiting to experience the new trails in The Plotters’ Forest, enjoying a guided tour round Raby Castle with our archives team or taking part in one of our garden tours or themed floristry workshops. We also offer wellbeing events, cooking masterclasses, estate tours, stargazing experiences, crafting workshops and so much more.”