Sheffield’s annual Business Awards took place last Thursday at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre – a fitting venue as Sheffield is fast becoming the UK’s city of Sport (bellydance included!). It is the highlight for most of Sheffield’s high-flyers to come together and celebrate rather than commiserate a year of recession.
And what a night it was…
Sheffield Chamber of Commerce annually hosts the prestigious event and this year it sold almost a thousand tickets, which packed out the venue and proved that Sheffield business is still thriving.
I was one of three finalists for SHU’s Young Business Person of the Year Award at the Sheffield Chamber Business Awards which was very gratifying; it’s been an amazing year. I have been developing my career beyond being a sole bellydance performer and I have joined forces with my business partner Louise Wilcockson to launch MEI International Ltd. This involves delivering national and regional media relations campaigns for both public and private sector clients to increase health literacy; a new dance troupe called Mei Dance which incorporates not only the different styles of bellydance but Street and Bollywood and we are launching a bellydance school franchise.
To register your interest in being a potential franchisee, please visit my webpage where you will find further details: www.sophiemei.net
Louise Wilcockson, Co-Director of MEI International Ltd and owner of COMS, says: “The Awards Event was a delight to attend and we will enter Sophie again next year. Sophie’s guests, who included YTV’s weather presenter Jon Mitchell, YTV’s Assistant News Editor Liz Fordham, BBC Sheffield Radio’s Steve Wight and the Star’s award-winning journalist Graham Walker all commented on the evening’s great atmosphere. We even managed to grab a few words with Paul Ross who congratulated Sophie on reaching the finals.”
It was a fabulous night and a sparkling end to a hard year for many businesses – it just shows you that Sheffield always comes out on top – come on the World Cup and City of Culture!
