ollie@pitchconsultants.co.uk's blog

BYPY judging day is a truly frenetic experience and with nerves and adrenaline both running high, the energy in the air is palpable. The day begins at 7.30am, with the arrival of the committee, followed by the judging panel at 8am. Glenn Howells was the first judge through the doors this year, arriving at Malmaison ahead of schedule and spending some time giving the candidates’ nomination forms a final appraisal.

As a newcomer to the BYPY committee it’s been great to see the set up and the logistics of the event from an uninfluenced perspective. One of the things that I kept hearing about from committee members was the desire to make sure that going into the eleventh year of the awards there was a WOW factor to the evening and that it wasn’t a case of same old same old. Something fresh, something different!

Selecting the head of the BYPY judging panel is far from an easy task and this year’s selection process has been no exception, not least because the charismatic and lively Glynn Purnell will be a hard act to follow.

Every year the BYPY committee gather round a table to discuss something that could make or break the event. The topic up for debate during these animated meetings is that of chair of judges. We’ve had some great chairs in the past including Gary Taylor, Paul Thandi, Trevor Foster et al. Each chair brings something unique to the panel, each chair is a leader in their own right and they all have many of the characteristics that BYPY winners possess.

It’s official you can now enter the Birmingham Young Professional 2010 awards! Following the official launch party on 21^st January it’s now time to download the application form and submit it by Monday 1^stMarch.

Now that the new website is live we want to interact more closely with everyone connected with BYPY.

Over the coming months we will be featuring blogs from the chair of the BYPY committee, judges and previous winners who will be discussing a wide range of topics affecting everyone in our city.