YO Entrepreneurs! – Sushi Simon To Be Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise Key Speaker

Roadie, Restaurant Rookie and Rocker, Simon Woodroffe has been all of these … and more and he'll be sharing his experiences with north east entrepreneurs at the Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise this year. Simon, known to many as one of Dragons from the BBC's Dragon's Den, is founder of the successful YO! Sushi restaurant chain. Over 400 guests will attend The Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise finals which will be held on 7 June at Ardoe House by Aberdeen.

"The term entrepreneur can be used loosely to describe any business person," says Chris Travis, chief executive of Enterprise. "But Simon is a true entrepreneur who innovates, motivates and captivates. A dynamic speaker, he'll be sharing his story on how he built the YO! Brand from leaving school with four 'O' levels at the age of 16, through being a roadie in the seventies, his involvement with events such as Live Aid to his 'burn his bridges' moment where a Japanese acquaintance suggested he open a conveyor belt Sushi restaurant with waitresses in black PVC skirts! His refreshing approach to being the best you can be in life and in business will be encouraging for all the finalists and business people in the audience."

Simon is no stranger to awards himself. He's been the recipient of the 1999 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award; a finalist in the Real Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year in the same year and has scooped awards from Design Week, Marketing Week and Design Effectiveness for YO! Sushi amongst many others.

Simon comments, "I would encourage businesses that have not already done so to consider entering the 2007 Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise. Entering awards is an excellent way of raising a business's profile and highlighting to staff that their hard work is both valued and appreciated. The entry process often acts as a catalyst for the consolidation of achievements and affirmation of successes. Entries can be made online at www.grampianawards.com."

He adds, "Companies whose entries are short listed for the second round will further benefit from the prestige associated with reaching this stage of the awards. Being able to add such information to a company resume can give a competitive edge and ultimately play a part in business growth."

He claims that his thirty years in the entertainment business played a big part in the concept for YO! Sushi. And it's not surprising as he's spent years as a roadie and stage manager for acts like seventies glam rockers The Sweet, Rod Stewart's band The Faces, Folk rockers Jethro Tull and the legendary Led Zeppelin. This led him to designing stage productions for Rod Stewart, The Moody Blues and Stevie Wonder and one of the world's most memorable gigs in history – Live Aid. A spell in television followed where he developed television deals for international shows such as the Nelson Mandela and the Prince's Trust concerts as well as the deal for Japan's number one pop show 'Hit Studio'.

The first YO! Sushi was opened in 1997 in London and now has branches from Paddington Station to Paris; and Soho to Dubai. Simon's latest concept Yotel opens in the spring of this year at Heathrow and Gatwick based on Japanese capsule hotels.

The Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise are organized by Enterprise North East Trust and sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland and Business Gateway (supported by Scottish Enterprise Grampian).

More information about entering the awards can be found at www.grampianawards.com. Entry information can be collected from Business Gateway outlets and from Enterprise North East Trust business centres and offices.

Application forms are available online at www.grampianawards.com and by calling Enterprise North East Trust on 01467 672500. There are five categories in the 2007 Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise. Winners will receive a unique handcrafted trophy and the awards are one of the few which have a cash prize of up to £5000.

Entrants are now being sought for the five categories which are:

• New Business Award
• Young Business Award
• Business Growth Award
• The Alick Buchanan Smith Spirit of Enterprise Award
• Sir Ian Wood Award for Innovation

The deadline for first stage applications is Friday 9 March 2007 and the shortlist of finalists will be announced on 16 April 2007. The awards ceremony will take place on 7^th June at Ardoe House Hotel, by Aberdeen.

The Business Gateway service in Grampian is delivered on behalf of Scottish Enterprise Grampian by Enterprise North East Trust. For more information telephone 01224 289725 or visit www.bgateway.com.

Ends

Picture Caption: Simon Woodroffe is encouraging businesses that have not already done so to consider entering the 2007 Grampian Awards for Business Enterprise.

For further information contact:

Lyndsay Aitken

Tricker PR

9 Victoria Street

Aberdeen

Telephone 01224 646491

Direct Line 01224 654086

Mobile 07780 680751

Email laitken@trickerpr.com