The economy may be bumping along the bottom, but you wouldn’t have guessed it as recruiters came together earlier this month at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel for the Recruiter Awards for Excellence 2012, headline sponsored by Eploy.
Conviviality, celebration, laughter and wild applause were the order of the night as almost 1,000 recruiters gathered in the Great Room to recognise the very best examples of recruitment practice.
In London Olympics year, Recruiter’s editor DeeDee Doke urged the audience to “be proud” after successfully coming though “another marathon challenge” during the last 18 months. “You have gone that distance and deliver that gold every day to your candidates and your clients,” said Doke.
The Awards were hosted by Rufus Hound, who held the audience’s attention throughout with his acerbic brand of comedy.
This year’s event featured 28 different Awards, including new Awards for: Best Onboarding Strategy, Best Recruitment Agency Marketing Team, Best Apprentice/School Leaver Recruitment Strategy and Best Technology Innovation.
Alan McKinnon, head of recruitment delivery at Transport for London, one of this year’s judges, summed up recruiters’ achievements. “What impressed me, given the country’s tough economic climate, was the creativity shown by a range of organisations in a tough market.”
And Chris Bogh, technical director of Eploy, highlighted how even in troubled economic times opportunities continue to exist. “It’s the perfect year to promote ourselves as part of the recruitment industry,” he said in reference to Eploy’s headline sponsorship of the 2102 Awards.
During the evening, recruiters raised almost £2,500 for Aspire Oxfordshire, this year’s Awards charity, which helps disadvantaged people to find work.
In addition to Eploy’s headline sponsorship, the 2012 Awards were supported by Arrows Group, Boox, Cloud 9, CV-Library, Exchange from reed.co.uk, Fish4jobs, K & B Accountancy Group, Liquid Friday, and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.
• For further coverage from the event, see Recruiter, May 2012, pp6-7, 35-36 and the Profile on Best Recruitment Team Award winner KPMG on pp26-28.
