We have spent this past month excitedly counting down to The Society Awards, in association with Aberdeen Inspired.
From sassy new categories to some fresh faces on the judging panel, we were all looking forward to dancing the night away in person.
Life never goes to plan however, and we’ve had to make a very difficult decision.
The awards have been postponed in light of rising Covid cases, a decision which was not taken lightly.
We aim to recognise and reward hard-working businesses within Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire’s retail, well-being, lifestyle, food and drink sectors.
They exist to celebrate you and all you have achieved, but sectors across the board are once again faced with uncertain times.
There is no such thing as business as normal, from cancelled restaurant reservations to hair salons anticipating closure.
Society has, and always will, champion local businesses across the north-east.
With that in mind, we cannot bring ourselves to judge the many different categories, when business owners have been, and continue to be, faced with so much.
We also want to give you the night you deserve, and have opted to postpone the event until later next year, as opposed to going virtual.
We still believe that we’ll meet again in person, because better days are surely coming.
If you have already put an application in, fear not.
Your entry will still count, and you can get in touch if you wish to resubmit, because as we all know – a lot can happen in just a few short months.
Adrian Watson of Aberdeen Inspired, is hopeful for the future.
“These are such challenging times for our city centre and wider north-east businesses, that we feel it is the right decision to postpone the Society Awards to later next year,” he said.
“ This is of course very disappointing for the partners and Aberdeen Inspired, but the commitment is there to regroup and recognise our fantastic businesses when it is appropriate to do so. In the interim, we will continue to do all that we can in support of our business community.”
We’ve still taken a look at categories below, it’s better to be prepared and know what we’ll be looking for when we’re finally able to bring out the razzle dazzle.
It was a true honour to be crowned the winners, especially given that the business was only two years old at that point, it felt amazing to know that we’d built such a huge amount of public support for all that we do in such a short space of time.”
The awards aim to recognise and reward hard working businesses within Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire ‘s retail, well being, lifestyle, food and drink sectors.
This is our way of raising a glass to you, to say a glittering thank you to those who make the north-east an amazing place to live and work.
Practically every business entering the awards will have been impacted by lockdown. You may have been forced to close your doors, or completely remodel your business in order to stay afloat.
Whatever you’ve been faced with, you’ve done an amazing job. So get an application in, you don’t know until you try.
And you don’t need to necessarily have been around a long time, as proven by Harris and Fox, who scooped the Hair and Beauty Award at the virtual 2020 event.
A hairdresser is like a good friend – they listen to our problems, offer us advice and generally make us feel good about ourselves.
The Hair and Beauty Award recognises not only those who can provide a sleek cut or brighten up tired tresses, but those have continued to engage with customers despite hard times.
This category is also open to beauticians, nail artists, MUAs and salons that provide any kind of beauty treatments in Aberdeen and the Shire.
For Ryan Harris of Harris and Fox, the win was a huge cause for celebration.
“It’s been a crazy year full of highs and lows since winning the hair/beauty business of the year award, but we’re certain that it’s going to end on a high,” he said.
“It was a true honour to be crowned the winners, especially given that the business was only two years old at that point, it felt amazing to know that we’d built such a huge amount of public support for all that we do in such a short space of time.
“Society is such a great platform for supporting new businesses, and no doubt winning the award had a real positive impact on our public image.
“I’m so proud of how far our team has come and how hard they have worked this year all things considered, and 2022 is only going to bring bigger and better things for us.
“We wish the best of luck to all of this year’s nominees.”
So there you have it.
The health and well being category is open to any individual or business in Aberdeen or the Shire which has made a conscious effort to take care of the north-east both physically and mentally too.
From leisure facilities to personal trainers and those who offer alternative therapies, alongside fitness studios, the winner must be passionate and clear on what they offer.
Temple Clinic Aberdeen were victorious in this category last year, when it also included fitness.
Rhoda Stewart of Temple Spa said “To be honest, even qualifying as a finalist felt like such an enormous achievement so we were blown away by actually winning the award.”
Find out more via https://www.dctevents.com/event/societyawards/