26th October 2006
PRESS RELEASE
REVOLUTION EVENTS APPOINTED TO DELIVER THE PRESTIGIOUS
BEACON AWARDS CEREMONY AS THE PERFECT PLATFORM FOR
BEACON AUTHORITIES TO SHINE
Tonbridge, UK – Revolution Events, a specialist organiser of innovative business
events, has been appointed by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) to
produce the annual Beacon Awards ceremony.
The Beacon Awards Round 8 ceremony, apex of the local government Beacon
Scheme, recognises local authorities’ clear vision, outstanding achievement and
service excellence. Attended by relevant Ministers, the event will see the Minister for
Local Government announcing the winning authorities of each of the Beacon Awards
themes to an audience of over 600 people. The “Oscar-style” ceremony will be
followed by a gala dinner extravaganza and it is due to take place in London at the
Royal Horticultural Halls on the 20th of March 2007.
For the first time, the Beacon Awards ceremony is set to run as a self-funding event,
with sponsorship support being raised by Revolution Events amongst leading industry
suppliers. Each Beacon theme sponsor will benefit from unique exposure and will be
working closely with the Beacon authority in the dissemination of Best Practice for that
theme throughout the year.
Revolution Events has been selected by IDeA after an exhaustive tendering process,
where the company has been able to demonstrate its superior experience,
commitment and innovation in both event production and sales. Marianne Hood, Chair
of the Beacon Advisory Panel, said, “Over the past eight years, the Beacon Scheme
has been going from strength to strength and we needed a solid partner for the
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Revolution Events appointed to deliver the prestigious Beacon Awards ceremony
as the perfect platform for Beacon authorities to shine
production of the Awards event. We worked closely with Revolution Events at the
Local eGov Expo conferences, and we found them a perfect culture fit for us. Their
enthusiasm and innovative thinking, combined with extensive experience within local
government and their ability to generate event revenues were the factors that made us
choose Revolution Events over the other tendering companies.”
Run by IDeA in conjunction with the Department for Communities and Local
Government (DCLG), the Beacon Scheme has been set up to disseminate Best
Practice in service delivery across local government. To date, 76 out of 174 Best
Values authorities have passed the first hurdle in the quest for Beacon status in 2007,
after being selected as excellent and innovative in at least one of the ten themes.
--- Ends --Notes to Editor:
About the Beacon Scheme:
The Beacon Scheme has been set up to disseminate best practice in service delivery across local
government.
Ten themes are selected for each round of the scheme by government ministers. The themes represent
issues which important in the day-to-day lives of the public and reflect key government priorities.
Themes are announced one or two years in advance and some themes will be repeated in future
rounds.
Current themes are: Electoral services; Emergency planning; Healthy schools; Increasing voluntary and
community sector service delivery; Neighbourhood and community champions: the role of elected
members; Preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour; Delivering cleaner air; Promoting financial
inclusion and tackling over-indebtedness; Promoting sustainable communities through the planning
process; School improvement.
Beacon status is granted to those authorities who can demonstrate a clear vision, excellent services
and a willingness to innovate within a theme. Awards are made by government ministers based on
recommendations made by an independent advisory panel.
Authorities hold beacon status for a year, during which time the IDeA works with them to facilitate the
sharing of good practice through a series of learning activities.
The role of government and the IDeA
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) are the policy lead but the
programme is managed by the IDeA under a service level agreement. While DCLG Ministers have final
discretion over which authorities are awarded beacon status, they are guided by the advisory panel.
The IDeA is responsible for managing the scheme and the administration behind the application and
assessment processes. The IDeA also assigns consultants to work directly with beacons to facilitate the
sharing of information with other local authorities.
The IDeA works on the development of the scheme on behalf of both DCLG and the advisory panel and
periodically puts forward suggestions for change. The IDeA is also responsible for the marketing and
organisation of the award ceremony and learning exchanges.
For more information please visit: http://www.idea.gov.uk
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Revolution Events appointed to deliver the prestigious Beacon Awards ceremony
as the perfect platform for Beacon authorities to shine
About Revolution Events Ltd:
Revolution Events is one of the UK’s leading organisers of focused business forums, working primarily
within the technology, government and professional sectors. Since 1999, Revolution have organised
more than 120 business-to-business events for senior decision-makers - both under their own brands
and for major clients such as Sage Software, Microsoft, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now
the Department of Communities & Local Government) and LloydsTSB.
Press Contacts:
Maria Boxley, Marketing Manager, Revolution Events Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)1732 367007 / Email: maria@revolution-events.com
Paul Bailey, PR Officer, IDeA
Tel: +44(0)20 7296 6529 / Email: paul.bailey@idea.gov.uk
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