Award Nominations Open
Friday, 2 November 2018

Early Entries Submissions Competition
Thursday, 31 January 2019 (by 5pm)

Entries Close
Friday, 29 March 2019 (by 5pm)

Judging Period
Monday 1 – Sunday 7, April 2019

Quality Audit Period
Throughout Monday, 3 December 2018 – Friday, 3 May 2019

Finalists Announced
From Monday, 6 May 2019

Gala Dinner Awards Evening – Winners Announced
Saturday, 22 June 2019

The VACC Industry Awards (VIA) are open to all Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) members, both accredited and non-accredited.  Each entrant must be a current financial VACC member with an active VACC member number and be the primary holder of the membership. The primary holder of the membership must be the contact name of the entrant registered within the VIA online portal and applying for the award.

VACC Industry Awards sponsors, its affiliates and their employees are not permitted to enter into any category award(s) they are specifically sponsoring. They can however apply for other award categories they are not sponsoring.

VACC Member businesses and/or individuals that have been in breach of the VACC Code of Business Practice during the qualifying period are ineligible to enter the Awards.

If at any time following the submission of an entry, the nominated business goes into administration, voluntary receivership, liquidation or bankruptcy, the entrant is required to advise the VACC Awards Manager and accept that the business will no longer be eligible for an award.

Applications are required to be submitted through this portal only. To submit an application, enter here. Upon registering, members will obtain login/password details for the portal and be prompted to select the Award Category they wish to apply for and submit an online entry. Applications sent via email or any other method will not be accepted.

Every entrant accepts all and any expenses associated with applying for the VACC Industry Awards. No compensation will be offered to any entrant for any items or services at all in any instance.

Entrants must:
–  Answer ALL Criteria
–  Check YES or NO where required in each section
–  Provide an answer/explanation where required (in either a written format to the maximum amount of words stipulated, audio or video recording of up to 2 minutes)
–  Upload supporting evidence/documentation to their application per criterion.
–  Agree to these entry terms and conditions and officially click ‘Submit’

Entries Close: Friday, 29 March 2019
Early-Bird Entries: Complete your application before Thursday, 31 January 2019 and you will go into the draw to win a Luxury Hotel Getaway Prize!

Click here for the Guide to Addressing the Criteria

Application is free.

Submissions to all categories entered must relate to activities undertaken between 1 January – 31 December 2018.
Best Restoration Project (Body, Mechanical, Overall) is the only category award exempt from this specific qualifying period as the project can be from any period of time.

DIVISIONAL AWARD CATEGORIES PLUS SUPPLEMENTARY* AWARD CATEGORIES

SCENARIO 1  (4 categories maximum)
Members can apply for a TOTAL of TWO (2) Divisional Award Categories:
Both Awards Categories within their Primary Industry Division.
PLUS
Any Supplementary Award Category* (up to 2 maximum)

OR

SCENARIO 2  (4 categories maximum)
Members can apply for a TOTAL of TWO (2) Divisional Award Categories:
One Award Category within their Primary Industry Division
One Award Category within their Secondary Industry Division
PLUS
Any Supplementary Award Category* (up to 2 maximum)

OR

SCENARIO 3  (4 categories maximum)
If a Member chooses not to apply for any Divisional Award Categories, they can then apply for a TOTAL of FOUR (4) Supplementary Award Categories*. Maximums for each as follows:

*SUPPLEMENTARY AWARD CATEGORIES
–  Best Business Woman in Automotive (up to 4 maximum)
–  Best Restoration Project (Body, Mechanical, Overall) (up to 2 maximum)
–  Unsung Hero Award (up to 2 maximum)
–  Young Entrepreneur of the Year (between 16-35 years of age) (up to 1 maximum)

–  BEST GENERAL DIVISION BUSINESS – members who are not associated with a specific Industry Division, or have obtained accreditation within an Industry Division, will have been assigned by the VACC Membership department to the General Division. They are the only members who can apply for this category. There is no longer a Best General Member Business category award.

–  BEST AFTERMARKET AND RETAIL BUSINESS – members who sell aftermarket and retail products and accessories excluding tyres can apply for this category. Tyre dealers cannot apply for this category if their primary Industry Division is recorded as VTDA.

–  BEST MECHANICAL, LIGHT VEHICLE – New Car Dealers whose Primary Division is VADA cannot apply for this award which is strictly for members whose Primary Division is ARD. However, a new category award has been created especially for New Car Dealers who are also ARD accredited. They can apply for the BEST MECHANICAL, LIGHT VEHICLE – METRO or REGIONAL NEW CAR DEALER category award (based on business location). 

–  BEST MECHANICAL, HEAVY VEHICLE – heavy vehicles are classified as any vehicles over 2.7 tonnes.

–  YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR – award entrant must be the primary holder of the VACC membership, be the owner of the business and be between the age of 16-35 years at the time during the qualifying period.

–  UNSUNG HERO AWARD – award entrant/nominee does not have to be the primary holder of the VACC membership, however they must be either an owner, co-owner, full time equivalent (employee) or part-time employee of the VACC member business. The primary holder of the VACC membership must register and submit the award application online.

–  BEST BUSINESS WOMAN IN AUTOMOTIVE – award entrant/nominee does not have to be the primary holder of the VACC membership, however they must be either an owner, co-owner, partner, director or senior staff member who is a full time equivalent (employee) or part-time employee of the VACC member business. The primary holder of the VACC membership must register and submit the award application online.

Each entry must be for one (1) business site only. An entry cannot be for a group of business sites. If you wish to enter a category for more than one business site, that business site must have its own unique VACC member number, be current and financial. The Primary membership holder of that business must register and apply separately for an award category through the VIA Applications portal as per these terms and conditions.

Only financial VACC members can apply for the VACC Industry Awards. Note that many of the award categories are divisional awards that require VACC members to have obtained official Accreditation. To enter a specific award category, the entrant must be recorded within the VACC member database as being within the relevant Industry Division. Refer to this list for explanation of each Industry Division and Accreditation.

If you do not know your accreditation status, or would like to commence the accreditation process, contact VACC Membership on 1300 013 341 or membership@vacc.com.au before 30 November 2018 to ensure that the process is completed by closing date of award entries, Friday 29 March 2019.

If a member has been identified by the VACC as not being associated to a specific Industry Division and/or have obtained Accreditation within an Industry Division, entrants may apply for the following award category within the General Division (GD):

–  Best General Division Business (Small Business)
–  Best General Division Business (Large Business)

Each award category has been classified by business size. Your business size, according to your official membership details, will be cross-checked with your application to ensure the correct award category classification has been selected.

When you register you need to acknowledge if you are either a Small or Large Business – as many Category Awards are divided into Small or Large Business classifications.

ALL CATEGORY AWARDS:
– Small Business = 6 or less FTEs – full time equivalent (employees)
– Large Business = 7 or more FTEs – full time equivalent (employees)
– Open = No business size classification

BEST NEW CAR DEALER AWARDS (Different business size classifications apply):
– Best New Car Dealer (Small Business) = 24 or less FTEs – full time equivalent (employees)
– Best New Car Dealer (Large Business) = 25 or more FTEs – full time equivalent (employees)

Note that some Category Awards are divided into Metro or Regional areas. Please refer to this spreadsheet to determine if the location of your business falls within Metropolitan or Regional Victoria (as defined by the Victorian Government). Select the relevant award that is applicable to you.

VIA ASSIST – Guide to Addressing the Criteria

We understand the effort, emotion and time that goes into writing an Awards submission. Judges are only allowed to use the information provided in a submission, so putting effort into your entry is important. Make sure you answer all of the criteria in detail and succinctly.

A separate submission is required for each Category Award entered. Each criterion detailed under each Category Award has a brief explanation as to what elements you should address within your answers. Be careful about recycling award entries from previous years and/or across different category awards, as judging criteria and focus can vary from year to year and per category award.

Submissions to all categories must relate to activities between 1 January 2018 – 31 December 2018, and they relate to your single site business operation only. Please ensure that this is reflected in your response.

Pay attention to the weighting of each question, as this will help you to decide where to focus your efforts. Make sure that your language is concise and purposeful. It is important to address all of the criteria for the category. If you do not address a criterion, your will receive no marks for it, making it much less likely that your entry will be the winning one.

Judges can only base their decision on the information you provide in your submission, so make sure that you answer each part of each question thoroughly. Your goal is to convince the judging panel, through your submission, that your business is the best in the chosen category. If you are submitting an written entry, write it in a compelling way, and make sure that it is based on evidence. Remember, the judges have many entries to evaluate in some categories, so make yours memorable and easy to read and understand.

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THE FOLLOWING IS A GUIDE ON HOW TO ADDRESS THE CRITERIA OF THE DIVISIONAL AWARDS:

• BUSINESS OVERVIEW
  Provide an overview of your business.
  You could list:
  – Location
  – Establishment date
  – Specialisations
  – Number of employees
  – What products or service does your business do
  – How is the business structured – Sales, Technical, Admin etc
  ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
  
• BUSINESS MANAGEMENT – Leadership and Operational Efficiency
  During 2018 did you implement, maintain &/or enhance:
  1. written workplace policies?
  2. workshop equipment?
  3. IT hardware &/or software?
  4. improved efficiencies through workplace design &/or layout?
  5. any continuous improvement strategies?
• Explain your business’ development achievements and provide specific examples.
• Expand on any of the above topics or list items like:
  – Did you and/or your team obtain any workplace accreditations/certifications – if so, what and why
  – Any accomplishments or achievements like a specific financial milestone
  – Did you implement a new accounting software – if so what, why and how and what has been the result
  – Did you introduce a more efficient operating system – if so what, why and how and what has been the result
  – Did you make any building improvements – if so what, why and how and what was has been the result
  – Did you upgrade any equipment – if so what, why and how and what was has been the result
  – Did you update procedures and/or policies – if so what, why and how and what has been the result
  – Perhaps you have an innovative process or product that has helped your business
  – Did you introduce any new technologies or equipment that has saved you time
  – Did you introduce any new technologies or equipment that has saved you time
  
  ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
• WORKPLACE PRACTICES – Safety, Environment & Training
  During 2018 did your business provide, maintain &/or improve on:
  1. access to written workplace safety policies and procedures?
  2. a consultative mechanism for a system allowing employees to voice health and safety matters?
  3. training on plant, equipment and systems of work?
  4. an emergency management plan, equipment and training?
  5. a policy regarding sustainable practices in order to minimise the risk to the environment?
• Explain your business’ workplace practices and provide specific examples.
• Expand on any of the above topics or list items like:
  – Did you and/or your team obtain any workplace safety accreditations/certifications – if so, what and why
  – Do you have an environmental policy? How do you perform environmental best practice at your business?
  – Are you Green Stamp Accredited?
  – Does your business have a recycling program for scrap metal, oil waste, general rubbish, plastic, paper, brown water etc?
  – Fire safety practice and equipment installed?
  – Workforce personal protective equipment available?
  – MSDS available for all products and equipment and workforce trained?
  – Do you have solar panels installed?
  – Do you have rain water tanks installed or use bore water?
  – Do you have skylights installed in your building and/or use energy efficient lighting solutions?
  – What type of safety and security measures do you have in place to look after your building, assets, customers and workforce?
  – Do you perform toolbox talks regularly?
  – How do you deal with workplace incidents and issues? Do you have procedures in place?
  – DO you have an ISO certification?
  – Did you and/or your team obtain any workplace safety accreditations/certifications – if so, what and why
  – Any accomplishments or achievements within this space during the qualifying period?———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
• CUSTOMER SERVICE – Acquisition, Retention & Experience
  During 2018 did your business:
  1. execute a customer attraction &/or retention strategy?
  2. provide itemised and transparent billing &/or customer advice?
  3. provide collected customer feedback to staff?
  4. have a customer complaint process?
  5. have a customer friendly reception &/or service area?
• Explain how your business delivers superior customer service.
• Expand on any of the above topics or list items like:
  – Customer retention strategies
  – Complimentary benefits details
  – Customer loyalty program details
  – Provision of customer pick-up/drop-off services
  – Complimentary loan cars
  – How do you try to get your customers recommend your business to friends and family?
  – Do you provide an online booking system?
  – Do you conduct customer surveys? If so, how regularly and what are the outcomes and how do you action any issues or promote good news from the surveys?
  – Do you have a lounge area/reception area for customers? Do you provide free WiFi, tea/coffee/refreshments/reading materials/radio/TV etc?
  – How do you handle customer complaints?
  – Do you perform follow-up calls with all customers after their service?
  – Do you have any achievements you would like to tell us about or awards you may have won within the customer service field?
  ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

• MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS – Presentation, Outreach & Community
  During 2018 did your business:
  1. improve or enhance the presentation of its premises?
  2. create, maintain or update a company website?
  3. advertise its products &/or services?
  4. conduct social media &/or local innovative marketing activities?
  5. measure its marketing and communications activities?
• Explain your business’ marketing and communications activities and provide specific examples.
• Expand on any of the above topics or list items like:
  – Communications strategies / how do you promote your business? eg Facebook, local papers, Instagram, radio, TV, word of mouth etc
  – Do you monitor all online reviews of your business – eg Google reviews
  – Marketing collateral designed/created
  – Community-facing activities
  – Did you conduct any customer information sessions?
  – Do you write a newsletter and send it out to your customer base?
  – Do you write a blog and have it uploaded to your website?
  – Do you provide sponsorships or donations to the local community (eg local school, sporting clubs, fire station, animal rescue)? If so what and how? (ie provide services, products and/or monetary donations etc). Do you receive promotion in return for your contribution?
  ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Avoid making vague or unsupported claims. Award-winning submissions always include data and evidence because doing so ensures credibility and believability. A general claim such as ‘Customer satisfaction increased’ is much stronger when evidence is given: ‘Customer satisfaction increased by 15 per cent, as demonstrated in the graph attached in Appendix A.’

Evidence to support your application is recommended and can be in the format of documents, photographs, tables and diagrams, video footage etc. Refer to your supporting documentation within your answers to each criterion where necessary. Supporting documents and materials which relate to each specific criterion must be attached within each specific criterion’s section tab. You can do this by uploading all files at the bottom of each section tab within the Supporting Documentation area. You can also add links to other websites and or videos which are hosted on other sites like YouTube, Vimeo etc.

If you are providing any audio recordings, ensure they are concise, that you articulate your answers and there is no background noise. If it is a visual and audio recording (video), make sure that it is visually appealing, concise and you are articulate within the video and answer the criteria accordingly.

Materials may be submitted in the following formats:

–  Documents: .doc, .docx, .pdf (up to 10MB per file)
–  Photos/Pictures/Scans: .jpg, .jpeg, .png  (up to 10MB per file)
–  Powerpoint Presentations: .ppt, .ppts (up to 10MB per file)
–  Audio Files: .mp3, .mp4,. wav, .wma (up to 10MB per file)
–  Videos:  .wmv, .avi, .mp4, .mov, .flv (up to 10MB per file – above 10MB, then provide a link to YouTube or Vimeo that is publicly available)

CLICK HERE FOR THE HELP GUIDE TO ADDRESSING THE CRITERIA

If you need some guidance during the application process, please contact VIA Assist. The team are available to assist you with any questions you may have via email, over the phone and during specific periods may be available to meet with you at your premises by appointment only.

Awards staff are available to meet with you at your premises to take you through the program and application process. These sessions are designed to give applicants general information on the program and basic guidance in completing your Awards submission. Entrants will receive handy hints and advice on what the judges are looking for and the elements required to produce a good submission. The VACC Industry Awards program will be outlined, the category criteria will be discussed in detail and entrants will have the opportunity to ask questions.

VIA Assist 
E: vaccawards@vacc.com.au
T: 03 9829 1222

CLICK HERE FOR THE HELP GUIDE TO ADDRESSING THE CRITERIA

The prize includes:

–  One night’s accommodation in a Luxe Room at Crown Metropol
–  Valet parking for one vehicle
–  Buffet breakfast for two
–  Bottle of sparkling wine
Terms & Conditions apply – click here.

Category Award Finalists receive:
1) Commemorative certificate
2) Marketing pack to assist with promotion of your success as a VIA 2019 Finalist inclusive of:
–    Digital Logo – VIA 2019 Finalist
–    Window Decals x 2 – VIA 2019 Finalist in their selected category
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Finalist on VACC and VIA websites
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Finalist on VACC and VIA eDMs
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Finalist on VACC and VIA social network channels
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Finalist in the Australian Automotive Magazine
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Finalist to all media outlets within their local area
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Finalist to all relevant media outlets within their Industry Division in their selected category

Category Award Winners receive:
1) Commemorative certificate
2) Trophy
3) Marketing pack to assist with promotion of your success as a VIA 2019 Winner inclusive of:
–    Digital Logo – VIA 2019 Winner
–    Digital Artwork – VIA 2019 Winner in their selected category
–    Window Decals x 2 – VIA 2019 Winner in their selected category
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Winner on VACC and VIA websites
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Winner on VACC and VIA eDMs
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Winner on VACC and VIA social network channels
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Winner in the Australian Automotive Magazine
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Winner to all media outlets within their local area
–    Promoted as a VIA 2019 Winner to all relevant media outlets within their Industry Division in their selected category

All VACC Industry Award (VIA) Finalists from each award category must be represented at the VACC Industry Awards Gala Dinner. In the instance there is a nominee and a primary holder of the VACC membership for an award category, they both must attend the event.

There is no restriction on how many people you would like to attend. However, places are limited because of the venue’s capacity so it is important that you book early to avoid disappointment. You may book by table or by seat(s).

Date:
Saturday, 22 June 2019
Venue:
Grand Hyatt Melbourne, 123 Collins Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000
Time:
6pm pre-dinner drinks for 6:30pm sit-down, concludes midnight
Dress:
Black Tie / Cocktail / Lounge Suit
Price:
$195pp or $1,850 per table of ten (inc GST)

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS NOW

As this is a night to be celebrated and remembered, we invite the VACC primary membership holder and/or owner of the business to the stage plus one other member of staff/management. We encourage you to bring management and staff of your business to the event by buying tickets or a table o celebrate your being a finalist and hopefully a win with you on the night!

Finalists who have won the same category award on three (3) separate occasions will be promoted to the VACC Hall of Fame and will not be eligible for that award category until two (2) years have passed.

The process for judging award submissions is taken extremely seriously by VACC. VACC Board Members and Divisional Committee Members have no role to play in this process and this is deliberately designed to ensure separation between submissions and VACC Office Bearers. Entries will be judged by a panel appointed by the VACC Executive Board. Judging has a number of levels which start with a criteria weighting score being aligned to each part of the award criteria. These criteria weighting scores can be seen in the application templates on the awards website. Actual judging is undertaken by senior VACC staff who have an expertise in the specific criteria they are judging. Each judge is provided with a pass code into the judging portal and they can only see their own judging scores. When all of the judges have completed this task the program administrator (Awards Manager) is the only person who can access the grouped up numbers and the final tally. To provide a further level of governance, VACC engage an external standards expert, Mr. Robert Stowell, who validates the judging process and reports on any discrepancies. Mr Stowell also facilitates external site audits that form part of the awards audit process, which may include up to 30 site validation audits. These site audits will be performed throughout the period from Monday, 3 December 2018 – Friday, 3 May 2019.  All nominated businesses may be contacted and requested to clearly demonstrate their business operations and achievements. The only exception to the rules of judging is in the Best Restoration Project category and in this case an external subject matter expert and judging process is used.

The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into by any member of the judging panel, VACC employees, VACC Executive Board and/or entrant. By applying for an award, the entrant agrees to abide by the final decision of the judges and agrees not to bring a claim against any judge, or the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce in relation to feedback on their submission.

The VACC Industry Awards celebrate excellence. The judging panel have the right not to award a category if they do not believe that the submissions meet this standard. In this event, entrants will be notified that the category will not be awarded. Should there be less than two entries in a category, the judging panel reserves the right to not award a recipient for that category.

If there are a low number of applications within a specific award category, the judging panel have the right to amalgamate two award categories of the same type, but of different business sized and/or different business site location classifications, and make it an Open award. Thus having the applicants be judged against each other no matter the business size and/or location classifications. In this event, entrants will be notified that the category is being amalgamated and they can choose to either continue in the process or withdraw their submission.

All finalists will be notified in writing from Monday, 6 May 2019. Announcement of finalists will be made in a media release as well as via communications from VACC. Please ensure that you carefully complete your registration details within the 2019 VIA online portal correctly to ensure that we can cross-check your submission with your VACC member profile and include the correct business name in these announcements.

All winners will be announced at the 2019 VACC Industry Awards Gala Dinner event to be held at Grand Hyatt Melbourne, Saturday 22 June 2019.

VACC reserves the right to use the submitted images from entrants’ applications for publicity purposes pertaining to the VACC Industry Awards program and the Gala Dinner event. Media releases will be distributed to relevant outlets announcing finalists and winners. VACC may provide media representatives with entrant contact details. VACC, award sponsors and/or media outlets may request promotional appearances, interviews and/or photographs of finalists/winners, and their businesses and/or products. VACC &/or award sponsors &/or media outlets will endeavour to give applicants at least seven calendar days notice of the time, date and location of each promotional appearance/interview/photo session they are required at.

We want the world to know about you and your business. So, by entering the Awards, you agree that during and after the Period, you will participate and co-operate as required with all reasonable marketing activities of you and your business, relating to the Awards, including but not limited to being interviewed, videoed, and photographed. We reserve the right to use your comments, image, details about you and your company (including logo and details), the contents of your entry form and any other materials supplied by you, in connection with your entry to the Awards or the promotion of the Awards (together, the Materials) in any media in perpetuity without compensation. By entering the Awards, you grant to us on creation of the Materials a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, exclusive and irrevocable license to use the Materials for purposes we choose in our sole discretion and that we may license, authorise or otherwise transfer the rights in the Materials to others to do the same. We may duplicate, alter, adapt and utilise the Materials at any time.

You’ll also need to unconditionally consent to all acts being done that would otherwise infringe any of your moral rights (as defined in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth)) in the Materials and any present and future rights of a similar nature conferred by statute anywhere in the world whether occurring before or after this consent is given. You agree not to institute, maintain or support any claim or proceeding for infringement of your Moral Rights in the Materials.

By entering the VACC Industry Awards, the entrant authorises the use and/or reproduction of images provided for advertising/editorial purposes in relation to the VACC Industry Awards and accepts that VACC, award sponsors and/or media outlets may be in contact with entrants prior to, during and post the Awards program and Gala Dinner event.

–  Market to you in any way (including by email, SMS/MMS, mail, social media and telephone (even if your phone number is registered on the Do Not Call Register), including contacting you after the Period ends;
–  Administer the Awards;
–  Invite you to be part of our initiatives including case studies, polls/surveys and business opportunities;
–  Improve our related entities’ or Sponsors’ products and services.

You agree that your consent continues with us unless otherwise withdrawn. If you wish to withdraw your consent to receive marketing material from us, email us vaccawards@vacc.com.au or call 03 9829 1222.

If you wish to withdraw your consent to receive Awards material or marketing material from our Sponsors, or to request that your personal information not be disclosed to our Sponsor in future, contact the VACC Industry Awards Team vaccawards@vacc.com.au or call 03 9829 1222.

Entrants’ personal information is collected for the purposes of processing their awards submissions and for administering the VACC Industry Awards Gala Dinner event. The VACC may also use entrants’ and their guests’ personal information to inform them about the VACC’s other products and services and those of its business associates and sponsors. If you do not provide the personal and business information as requested, unfortunately you cannot participate in the Awards. All entries become the property of the VACC. In dealing with personal information, the VACC will comply with its privacy policy, available at www.vacc.com.au/Privacy

You will at all times indemnify, keep indemnified, defend and hold harmless us and our respective officers, employees and agents (Indemnified Persons), from and against any loss (including reasonable legal costs and expenses).