“Competition” means Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism and Good Foods Awards and the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence

“Organiser” means Enjoy Staffordshire Tourism and Good Foods Awards

“Platform” means the online system that the applicant must use to complete their application.

By submitting an application to the Competition, you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions:

Applications for the Competition must be submitted between 9.00 a.m. on 8 April 2019 and 5.00 p.m. on 28 June 2019

Applications must be submitted online.

Businesses applying to the awards must be a Tourism Business (see criteria below) located or operating in Staffordshire.

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1. Directly involved in tourism, making a contribution to the visitor economy with a significant proportion of business generated by people visiting from outside the local area.
2. Meets the tourism product definition:

     'Tourism product' covers a number of different categories including:

• Accommodation e.g. hotels, bed & breakfasts, guest houses, self-catering/serviced apartments, holiday boats, camping, caravanning, glamping, lodges, shepherds’ huts, chalets
• Hospitality i.e. food and beverage service businesses e.g. pubs, restaurants, cafés, tea rooms, coffee shops, bistros
• Transport services e.g. rail, road, water, air networks and rental
• Visitor attractions (see separate visitor attraction definition [link])
• Cultural services e.g. museums, theatres
• Guided tours
• Travel agencies and other reservation services, including tour operators and destination management companies
• Sporting, adventure and recreational activities
• Retail i.e. a single retail outlet or shopping centre that attracts a significant number of people visiting from outside the local area
• Businesses providing supporting services to visitors e.g. visitor information providers, left luggage services
• Events and festivals are not eligible to apply due to the likelihood of VisitEngland Awards for Excellence winners not being announced until one or two years after the event took place e.g. an event taking place in 2019 may not be recognised by VisitEngland until 2021; the event may have ceased or declined in quality since then.

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The awards are free to enter for Enjoy Staffordshire website advertisers.  For non-advertisers there is a entry fee of £100 (plus VAT).  For details of advertising on Enjoy Staffordshire please go to www.enjoystaffordshire.com/trade/join-us.

You must be open for business at some point between 1 July 2019 and 2 September 2019, so the judges can visit if required. If you are closed for any part of this period, please ensure this is highlighted in the ‘closures’ box on your application.

Applications may be submitted by any individual representing the business applying and the individual who submits the application will also become the contact whom all correspondence from the Organiser and VisitEngland concerning the Competition will be addressed to.

You or a colleague must inform the Organiser immediately if your contact information changes during the Competition or you are no longer able to act as the contact for all correspondence.

Employees or representatives/agents of the Organiser and VisitEngland are not eligible to submit an application to the Competition except for categories in which third party nominations are publicly invited.

You must ensure that your business complies with all current and relevant legal and licensing obligations before submitting an application. The judges reserve the right to not consider an application if in their opinion this is in doubt and cannot be confirmed.

You can apply for more than one category, except where specified within the eligibility criteria, but separate applications must be completed for each.

Applications will only be considered if they meet the eligibility criteria for the category.

Applications will only be considered if they are submitted via the Platform and completed in full and do not exceed the maximum word counts.

The Organiser reserves the right to move an application into a different category, if deemed more appropriate and should this occur the business affected will be informed.

You must be willing to reimburse the judge and his/her partner (or family in the case of some Visitor Attractions) on departure for the cost of the mystery visit/overnight stay, any meals taken (alcoholic drinks only for Pub of the Year Award , Independent Restaurant of the Year Award, Casual Dining Dining Restaurant of the Year Award, and Tea Room & Coffee Shop Award), or any admission or ticket cost as appropriate to the category.

You agree to be part of any publicity undertaken in association with the Competition. If selected as a finalist, you accept and agree that the Organiser and VisitEngland may use or publish any photographs, comments or evidence submitted at any stage of the Competition in any media, waiving any rights to payment or to inspect and approve a finished product.

Competition judges may decline to award winners at any level in some or all categories, if in their opinion there are insufficient entries of a winning standard.

The prize for each winner will be a certificate and/ or a trophy. There is no cash alternative.

Competition winners may publicise their success indefinitely provided the placing, category and year are specified in all publicity and materials.

Competition winners may only use the specific logo issued by the Organiser or VisitEngland and not modify it in any way, nor use, or adapt for use, any other logo connected with the Organiser or VisitEngland.

The Organiser and VisitEngland will not accept responsibility for applications delayed or lost as a result of any network, computer hardware or software failure.

In the event of any dispute regarding the Competition eligibility criteria, application forms, judging process, choice of finalists/winners or any other matter relating to the Competition, the decisions of the Organiser and VisitEngland shall be final and no correspondence or discussion shall be entered into.

National Judging

Should you win an award in your local/regional Competition you may be automatically put forward for national judging by VisitEngland for the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence.

• You must notify the Organiser in writing at the time of application if you do not wish to be put forward for national judging
• In rare circumstances VisitEngland may deem that an application does not meet the eligibility criteria and reserves the right not to consider the application for national judging
• It is not possible to revisit your application prior to being put forward for national judging
• VisitEngland reserves the right to move an application into a different category, if deemed more appropriate.

• Any queries in relation to national judging should be directed to VEAwards@visitengland.org

• Any data you provide will be handled in accordance with the Organiser’s privacy policy, VisitEngland’s privacy policy and OpenWater’s privacy policy (application software provider) available on their websites. The Organiser, VisitEngland and OpenWater reserve the right to amend their privacy policies from time to time, and new versions will be provided on their websites. The most up to date version of any policies hosted on their websites will bind you and them.

If you have any questions, please contact Anita who will be happy to help.