European Enterprise Awards: Celebrating Excellence in Entrepreneurship Promotion

2. EEA - to recognise and reward excellence in enterprise and entrepreneurship promotion especially at regional level • EEA - not only a competition but also aim to raise awareness of enterprise and celebrate success • EEA - Participation for EU Member States + Norway, Turkey, Serbia The Basics

3. Identify and recognise successful activities and initiatives that promote enterprise and entrepreneurship • Showcase and share examples of enterprise-friendly policies and practices • Create greater awareness of role of entrepreneurs in society • Encourage and inspire potential entrepreneurs The Objectives

4. Invitation to participate in Awards ceremony and conference on exchange of good practices under the Small Business Act • Nominees’ initiatives posted on the EEA website • Visibility in the media • Role model • Network of excellence Benefits for Winners

5. Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit • Investing in Skills • Improving the Business Environment • Supporting the Internationalisation of Business • Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship • +Jury’s Grand Prize Categories for 2011

6. Tasks of SPOCs (National Points of Contact): • run selection at national level • promote the EEA in their countries and invite suitable initiatives to enter • can decide to organise a national competition (in the last years about 18 countries organized national competitions) • decide about entry deadlines in each country • act as help desk for potential entrants • select up to two projects as nominees for • European selection process National Selection Process

7. 2007 • 25 countries (EU-27 except Cy, Slo, Norway) • 325 entries • 48 European entries • 4 category winners, Grand Jury, 2 special mentions, good practices • 2008 • 25 countries (EU-27 except Malta, Lux, Bulg) • 350 entries • 47 European entries • 5 category winners, Grand Jury, 1 special mention, good practices • 2006 • 28 countries (EU-25, Bulg, Rom, Norway) • 405 entries • 51 entries atEuropeanLevel • 5 category winners, Grand Jury and 2 special mentions • 2009/2010 • 28 countries (EU-27 + Norway) • 338 entries • 52 European entries • 5 category winners, Grand Jury, 1 special mention Participation in Numbers

8. 2006 • Entrepreneurial Trailblazer • Enterprise Support • Investment in People • Responsible Entrepreneurship • Red Tape Reduction • Jury’s Grand Prize • 2009/2010 • Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit • Investing in Skills • Improving the Business Environment • Supporting the Internationalisation of Business • Responsible & Inclusive Entrepreneurship • Jury’s Grand Prize • 2007 • Entrepreneurial Trailblazer • Enterprise Support • Investment in People • Responsible Entrepreneurship • Red Tape Reduction • Jury’s Grand Prize • 2008 • Entrepreneurship Promotion • Enterprise Development • Investment in Skills • Responsible & Inclusive Entrepreneurship • Red Tape Reduction • Jury’s Grand Prize Categories of Entries 2006 - 2010

9. Entries received 2006 - 2010

10. Joanna Drake, EU Director for the Promotion of the Competitiveness of SMEs, European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry • Dr Anders Lundström, Past President of Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research. Founder of IPREG, Innovative Policy Research for Economic Growth • Lucio Gussetti, Director of the Directorate for Consultative Works, Committee of the Regions • Andrea Benassi, Secretary-General, UEAPME • A representative of the French project “Entrepreneurs in Residence”, winner of the 2010 European Enterprise Award (Grand Jury Prize) • Representative of Belgian Autumn 2010 Presidency • Representative of Hungarian Spring 2010 Presidency European Jury 2010/ 2011

11. Organised with • Spanish Presidency • as part of the • 2nd European SME Week • in May • 350 participants were • invited to the ceremony • with gala dinner • at Real Fábrica de Tapices • Madrid Award Ceremony Madrid 2010

12. Common points • Exhibition stands of shortlisted candidates • Awards ceremony with VIPs from the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions and the EU Presidency Country • Interactive workshop where winners presented their projects • Compendium of finalists Award Ceremonies 2006 2007 2008 2010

13. Jury’s grand prize:Résidences d’Entrepreneurs, Agence Régionale de Développement des Territoires • d’Auvergne (ARDTA), France • Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit:Self-employment in the creative industries (seminar at the Linz University of Art), Institute for Business Creation and Development (IUG), Johannes Kepler University, Linz Winners 2009/2010

14. Investing in skills:Business-minded learning (Företagsamt Halland), • Halland, Sweden • Improving the Business Environment: Programme to support entrepreneurs in order to reduce the closure rate of businesses, DATA Poslovne Soritve, d.o.o., Ljubljana, Slovenia Winners 2009/2010 continued

15. Supporting the Internationalisation of Business:Euregional Start-up Initiative (EGI), German partner: Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences; Dutch partner: Stichting Team Venlo, Euregio Rhein-Maas-Nord • Responsible and inclusive entrepreneurship:Construction of houses as a training exercise for the unemployed, District Labour Office, Nysa, Poland Winners 200/2010 continued

16. - European: • European Commission press releases and publications • Network of promoters: Committee of the Regions, UEAPME, Eurochambres, Eurada, Eurocities • Events organised by DG Enterprise, promoters, other stakeholders • Website, database of good practices • Creation and updating of an extensive media contact database (news agencies, media associations, business media) • - National: • Press releases, newsletters, direct mailing • Relations with specific online and print media • Website, social media Promotion

17. European Enterprise Awards http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/best-practices/european-enterprise-awards/index_en.htm