I don't know much about business - coming here makes me feel like John Prescott at a cabinet meeting. Now for the Emerging Entrepreneur category. They loved it. How the judges reached their conclusions, faced in every category with a very evenly matched bunch of finalists any one of whom could be said to epitomise the entrepreneurial spirit, is known only to them, but they certainly didn't always go for the obvious choices. Brent Hoberman and Martha Lane Fox, for example, didn't win the London Young Entrepreneur award.
Acceptance speeches range from the heartfelt to the almost speechless.
The message has been reinforced throughout that not only the finalists, but every one of the individuals selected to take part is a winner. Accepting the award Chris, Chairman of Tempus Group, called for a change in attitude that clearly resonated with the listening entrepreneurs. In the USA, I have actually heard people saying 'I like a man who makes mistakes' - they assume that man has learned something, but over here an honest mistake can brand you as a failure. The Central Region overall Entrepreneur Of The Year is David Darling of Code-masters Group, winner of the Young Entrepreneur title. This year the judges have extended the scope of the awards in a direction that is very much welcomed by Venture.