BUSINESS people came together to celebrate the opening of entries for this year’s Open4Business awards.

A Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce/Lloyds TSB breakfast was held at the Rendezvous in Weymouth in which the race for awards success was officially off the starting blocks.

Business owners were urged to put themselves forward for the South & West Dorset Open4Business Awards.

They can enter 12 different categories online until September 12.

Former award winners told attendees of the benefits they have reaped from being a part of the awards.

Graham Wiffen, business development manager of the Hive Beach Cafe, said entering the awards one year and winning one the following year gave his business a lot of public exposure.

Last year the Burton Bradstock beachside cafe scooped the Jurassic Coast Sustainability Award.

He said: “We all thought we were doing a great job at the cafe but we weren’t telling everyone about it.

“Open4Business is becoming part of our sales and marketing strategy.

“We got so much exposure from it and we have increased our number of visitors.

“What we would like to do this year is encourage everyone to take part in the awards.

“We’ve received so many benefits from taking part.

“Over the last three years we’ve had significant growth and we put that down to taking part in these sorts of events.”

Like many past Open4Business awards winners, the Hive Beach Cafe has gone on to sponsor one of the award categories.

Julie Cleaver, managing director of Open4Business, said: “It’s been a particularly tough year for Wey-mouth businesses because of the roadworks.

“The awards categories are now open and we have extended the closing date for entries to September 12.

“I’m urging everyone to go online and enter.”

Anna-Maria Geare, senior vice president of the Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber was pleased to host the awards launch.

She added: “Open4Business is crucial to the chamber of commerce. It’s an opportunity to attract new businesses that are not yet part of the network of community and speaking to different types of people.

“By different types of people we can have members of the chamber who are one man bands right up to bigger companies like DJ Property and New Look.

“People can improve their networking chances.”

The Open4Business awards will be held at Weymouth College on October 6.

Ms Geare, who is commercial manager of Weymouth Lloyds TSB, said: “The awards are important because it’s a time of the year when people have just had the summer season.

“They’re a bit down and it’s a way of getting exposure over and over again. If they are passionate about their business it’s a way of making other people passionate.”

Visit o4business.co.uk to enter the awards. Call 01305 208819 for tickets to the awards ceremony, which are priced at £55 each.