Making an entry couldn't be easier… Invest just a few minutes of your time to gain thousands of pounds' worth of free publicity. This is the message being sent out by the Fork Lift Truck Association, as it invites entries for the FLTA Awards for Excellence 2008.
The Association's Chief Executive David Ellison explains: "We deliberately keep our nomination forms very simple, to avoid deterring entrants who have introduced worthy products or services but who are pushed for time. We believe that our shortlist of finalists should be based on the merits of the products and services – not on the entrants' capacity or talent for filling in forms.
"For the FLTA Awards, the most time-consuming task for entrants is to write a summary, in no more than 100 words, of what the new product or service is and what it does. It shouldn't take long… and it's time well spent.
"The entries selected as finalists will feature in a number of materials handling magazines – both before and after the Awards winners are announced. If you calculated what those column inches would cost to buy, it really would amount to thousands of pounds.
"And whether you win or not, your success in being chosen as a finalist is something you can continue to highlight in your own publicity materials, with the help of an 'Awards Finalist' logo that we will provide."
Products or services entered for Awards 2008 need to have been made available to UK customers – or appeared in a public exhibition – between 1st October 2006 and 28th September 2007. The closing date for entries is 28th September 2007.
The FLTA is keen to point out that winners and finalists in the Awards include companies of all sizes and that the innovations most impressing the FLTA Technical Committee – which draws up the shortlist of finalists – include the simple-but-effective as well as the revolutionary.
For further details and nomination forms, visit the FLTA website www.fork-truck.org.uk, email mail@fork-truck.org.uk or call the FLTA office on 01256 381441.