BY SUSANNAH RICE
Last Thursday evening (26 June 2014) saw the great and the good of the vending world gather together at The Palace Hotel in Manchester to attend the ‘Vending Industry Awards 2014’, a celebration organised by the Automatic Vending Association (AVA) to recognise the excellent service and hard work provided by individuals and businesses within this wonderful industry.
240 attendees enjoyed the Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony, which, for the second year running, played host to the largest vending industry gathering in the UK as colleagues and industry friends joined forces to celebrate the sector’s leaders and shining stars.
The winners of the Vending Industry Awards, rewarded for their successes, innovations and technologies developed over the past twelve months, include:
Individual Awards
- Route Operator of the Year, sponsored by Vendman – Nicola Honour, Express Vending
- Service Engineer of the Year, sponsored by N&W Global Vending – Peter Collings, Cambridge Vending
- Vending Supervisor of the Year, sponsored by Douwe Egberts – Tricia Connelly, Excel Vending
Supplier Awards
- Best Cup Company, sponsored by Mondelex – Huhtamaki
- Best Ingredients Company, sponsored by Coffetek – Lavazza
- Best Machine Company, sponsored by Nestle – Coffetek
- Best Components Company, sponsored by Brands2Hands – H2O Direct
- Best Ancillary Service, sponsored by PepsiCo (Walkers Snacks) – Allpure Filters
General Awards
- Best Environmental Initiative, sponsored by Lavazza – Brita
- Innovation Award, sponsored by Comestero Group – Coffetek
European Drinking Water Cooler Association (EDWCA) Awards
- Best Environmental Initiative, sponsored by Pureflo – AA First
- Innovation Award, sponsored by Aquacure – H2O Direct
- Best New Product, sponsored by Microfilter – Watership Down
- Best Marketing Campaign, sponsored by Cosmetal – H2O Direct
Jonathan Hilder, Chief Executive Officer of the Automatic Vending Association (AVA) told PV: “The Vending Industry Awards is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talents of the Vending and Water industries. Last year’s event was the biggest vending event in the UK for 10 years, and I’m delighted to say that the 2014 Awards has been just as well supported. On behalf of the AVA, we are extremely proud of the outstanding support received from our Members – not just in their involvement with nominations and voting, but in their attendance of the event too. It is wonderful to be able to host an evening which recognises the outstanding quality and service provided by our industry, and the Awards provide the perfect platform for the whole industry to come together and enjoy a fantastic networking opportunity and a well-deserved industry party too!”
PV offers its congratulations to all the winners. We were pleased to be short-listed in the category ‘Best Ancillary Service’ but, in Allpure Filters, we reckon the best team won. Which doesn’t mean we won’t be back next time!
