A major awards event has a new venue for its prize-giving evening.

For the past two years The Brighton and Hove Business Awards ceremony has taken place in a massive tent on Brighton Racecourse.

This years bash will be staged in the Oxford Suite of the Hilton Brighton Metropole in Kings Road.

Four new categories are up for grabs - the responsible business award, the business growth award, the best young entrepreneur award and the best independent retailer award.

The latter, sponsored by The Argus, will go to the shop in Brighton and Hove with the best customer service and the most sparkle and imagination.

This year could see the first woman named outstanding Brightonian.

DJ Norman Cook and hotelier Roger Marlowe have already won the award, which goes to people who help put the city on the map.

Candidates do not necessarily have to live in Brighton and Hove but they must have had a positive impact on the city by helping put it in the spotlight or by improving peoples quality of life .

The outstanding Brightonian award is the only one open to nomination. Names can be put forward at www.bahba.org.uk. Judges will each nominate three potential winners.

Awards organiser Caraline Brown, from Midnight Communications, said: "The awards are going from strength to strength and I am grateful to our sponsors for flying the flag for Brighton. Without them we would not have an awards scheme."

Tuesday, May 16, 2006