The beautiful venue was a fitting one for the glittering occasion, attended by leaders in the field of exporting and international trade, who were welcomed by IOE Director General, Lesley Batchelor OBE. 

They saw IOE honours trophies presented by our vice president Lord Empey of Shandon to three outstanding businesses which have scooped the prestigious International Trade award both in 2016 and in previous years.

Also enjoying the special evening were 2016 International Trade winners:

Burland Technology Solutions

Inclusive Technology

Wheelwash Ltd

Robert Welch Design

Esprit Digital

MCP Consulting

Lifescience Dynamics

Eskan

Nitesite

Guest speaker was the highly entertaining Gerald Ratner. The legendary businessman and exporter regaled an enthralled audience with his story of success, failure and struggle back from £1bn debt, following his infamous fall from grace as one of the UK’s most high-profile high street jewellers.

Lesley Batchelor said: “Now in its 50^th year, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise is probably the most prestigious accolade that a UK business can earn and each year we are honoured to host a celebratory dinner for the winners of the International Trade category.

“Congratulations to all our winners, especially those who have scooped the award on several occasions. We hope that they will be an inspiration to all UK businesses and encourage all of them to enter year on year.”