Feeling a little tender

Having not long ago attended the British Insurance Awards at the Albert Hall (I was one of the judges – so my apologies to those of you that entered and didn’t win) I found myself on the other, not so pleasant end of the judging process recently.

The BIBA team was entered in the Trade Association Forum, or TAF awards for short, for various membership projects during the last year. The forum has a diverse membership (including industry peers such as the ABI and AIFA) and is designed to encourage the development and sharing of best practice among trade associations.

The BIBA team had done a great job in putting together their entries and were very pleased to be shortlisted for five awards. Last Thursday night was when the awards were made. We approached the evening with trepidation – would we be elated or depressed come Friday morning? It reminded me of the tensions around tendering for new business when I had to undergo this process as a broker.

I know now how entrants feel - the uncertainty, the nerves, the anticipation and finally jubilation. BIBA won what I believe to be the most important award and that was for sector representation – which is what BIBA is all about. It was a great team effort and it was fantastic to have that hard work recognised once in a while, especially by one’s peers. Now back to work – we’ve got a trophy to polish and a display cabinet to find.