Carnival gears up

But as the June 10 closing date for entries in the Security Excellence Awards 2005 gets closer, organisers are urging potential entrants to get their submissions in without delay.

As we announced in Security Installer last month, the date for the glittering awards ceremony at the Hilton, Park Lane, London has been set for October 4 and the 'black tie' event promises to be a really fun evening with a Rio carnival theme, pulsating salsa music and exotic Brazilian dancers.

But behind all the fun there is the serious purpose of honouring those who have demonstrated excellence, and this year's winners will be presented with their prestigious trophies in front of an audience of almost 800 people.

Judging panel recruited

At the time of writing, a number of the high profile judges are being recruited and others will be announced before the full list is assembled for the judging process. Judges recruited so far are:

Tom Mullarkey (NSI); Stefan Hay (SITO); Prof Martin Gill (Perpetuity Group); Tony Marsh (Post Office Ltd); Dave Anscomb (Abbey); Ian Johnson (Ian Johnson Associates); Alex Carmichael (BSIA); Patrick Dealtry (PDA Consultancy); Alan Hyder (Security Installer); Brian Sims (SMT) and Ron Alalouff (CCTV Today).

Our excellent sponsors

The amazing growth and success of this event over the past seven years is, in many ways, down to our generous sponsors. Each of these companies and organisations have supported the aim of encouraging professional excellence in the industry. Seven have been announced so far … and with other companies and organisations keen to associate their name with this most prestigious of events, more will be announced shortly.

This year's sponsors are:

• ACPO CPI, originally developed to manage the Secured by Design project, now manages the Secured Car Parks project and the national Architectural Liaison Officers Conference and represents the police at commercial events. CPI is using experience gained from the Secured by Design project to design out crime from car parks.
• Group 4 Securicor (UK Security) is the largest security company in the UK, undertaking over 31.5 million hours of guarding per year. The company currently employs over 15,000 people throughout the UK, working with a wide range of public sector and commercial clients requiring both ongoing innovation and absolute integrity.
• Nedap provides security through security management, access control and biometric identification. Its AEOS security management line is one of the most comprehensive available today. Using IP based and web-enabled technology, it is possible to offer tailor-made security solutions.
• Panasonic, supplier of a single source contact for CCTV, EAS and source tagging systems. The company's Premier Installers programme has been hugely successful, as has its biometric-related product series.
• Prima Corporate Wear is the leading supplier of corporate clothing to the security sector. Boasting 29 years' experience in the business, Prima can offer its clients an in-house design and manufacturing service and 24-48 hour turnaround on orders.
• Security Industry Authority, which exists to manage the licensing of the private security industry as set out in the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The SIA also aims to raise standards of professionalism and skills within the industry and to promote and spread best practice.
• Southern Monitoring Services is a market leader in the provision of remote monitoring and associated services. SMS, established in 1983, launched Northern Monitoring Services last year, providing the company with real-time back up for its southern operation while at the same time providing a platform for sales in the north.

It is completely free to enter the awards. An entry form giving full details of all 14 categories is mailed out with this edition of Security Installer. If you can't find your copy call Katie Chinnock on 020 7560 4272 and she'll post you one, or send you a PDF. The entry form can also be downloaded from the magazine's website (www.security-installer.co.uk). Also see the ad on page 31.

The winners (and finalists) in our awards gain a real marketing advantage. And those that attend the event on the night are treated to an exceptional night out.

If you want to reserve a table (or individual places) book now. Remember that the sooner you book, the sooner you can get your invitations out to your top customers and clients.

• Tables can be reserved by calling CreatEvents on 0870 241 9902.