Sometimes Southlanders just want to get on with it. We can be humble to a fault but promoting our own success and celebrating that of others is something we need to embrace more.

The DHL Export Southland 2022 Recognition Awards, held on Friday 23 September, is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate innovative, local businesses and achievers.

Like many Southland businesses, most of the great products Blue River Dairy manufacturers are exported, meaning people in the community are not necessarily aware of the scale and scope of what we do.

Blue River Dairy won the Innovation in Export Awards at the Southland export awards in 2016 and the HSBC Corporate Recognition Award in 2018. This year Blue River’s involvement continues through becoming a silver sponsor of the DHL Export Southland 2022 Recognition Awards.

Being nominated and winning awards has been a great way for us to gain recognition for the hard work and innovation our team has achieved.

However, you don’t need to be nominated for an award to attend and support these events. It can be inspiring to your team to attend as they can set their sights on awards for the future and see what it takes to get there.

Being exposed to other businesses and their success can motivate your team and re-set expectations about what can be achieved in a challenging economy. It’s a fantastic opportunity to talk to finalists and the organisers to find out what goes into a successful entry.

We all know travel and team culture has been disrupted over the last two years. Business has been tough on all of us. An evening out, focusing on positives and celebrating Southland businesses who have succeeded despite these challenges can be a great chance to reset and build relationships.

You don’t have to get up on stage to take stock of what you and your team have achieved despite the challenges, and it’s a fantastic chance to toast the wins you’ve had as a team.

Supporting and engaging with other Southland businesses and being seen whether you receive an award or not, sends a clear message your business is an active part of the community. You’re willing to support, celebrate and learn from other’s success.

Avoid the trap of operating in an echo chamber. It’s important for the leaders in your business to look outward and engage outside of the business, building your brand and brining good ideas and relationships back into your business.

Making one or two good connections at an event is well worth the ticket; you never know when one of these will prove invaluable.

I recall attending a sheep milk conference in Palmerston North in 2016 when devastating news of a fire in our Invercargill drier reached the media overnight. This was critical for our production and likely to take months to fix. At the conference, I’d happened to have spent time chatting with gentlemen running a drier with spare capacity the previous day. Within hours of the incident, we’d secured a solution to what could have a catastrophic problem.

The Southland Business Chamber does an amazing job at showcasing the incredible achievements of the nominees and winners. This year, the evening will be packed with guest speakers from Sharesies, a delicious Southland spread, bubbles and a live band.

It is bound to be worth frocking up for.

Book tickets to the Awards evening here

Gareth Lyness is the Marketing and Supply Chain Manager at award-winning company, Blue River Dairy.