"The Awards Ceremony was a really inspiring evening – Croydon is a brilliant business community to be part of because you can feel how passionate everybody is about rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. It’s easy to be ambitious and get involved when you’re surrounded by other people who want to make things happen. - Eva Poliszczuk, Catalyst Team Project Manager, Sussex Innovation Centre – Winner, Enterprising Young Person of the Year in 2019."

Eva Poliszczuk, Catalyst Team Project Manager, Sussex Innovation Centre – Winner, Enterprising Young Person of the Year in 2019

White Label Creative’s first big awards ceremony brought Croydon’s business community together

The annual Croydon Business Excellence Awards began in 2015, celebrating the achievements of Croydon’s thriving business community until its final hurrah in 2022. White Label oversaw the growth of the Awards year on year for over a decade, from its launch at the iconic cultural venue Fairfield Halls and its most popular glittering black-tie Gala Awards Dinner & Charity Ball, welcoming over 450 guests following 150 award entries, to its final hybrid celebration.

The team managed all aspects of delivering a major awards programme, from the launch party with business leaders, sponsors and local stakeholders, through to the promotion, administration and judging of the awards themselves. White Label secured high-profile sponsorship from both local and national companies and achieved wide-ranging press and social media coverage, working closely with Awards Media Partners to raise the profile and reach of the programme.

Not every year went entirely to plan. At one ceremony, the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb caused unexpected disruption on the day of the event. The planned drinks reception had to be quickly relocated while the site was cleared, but the team adapted calmly and efficiently, keeping the evening on track and ensuring guests experienced a seamless celebration despite the circumstances.

White Label remembers the Awards as the programme that evolved the most, offering space to fully embrace creativity within a community the team was deeply connected to. Working alongside colleagues and collaborators they interacted with throughout the year across Croydon, the events felt different. Charity raffles and auctions, celebrity compères, musical performances and entertainers, champagne receptions and after-parties became hallmarks of the experience. Even the lockdown years did not stop the Awards, with a hybrid ceremony delivered in 2021, providing a sense of hope and togetherness when it was most needed.