April 2026 was quite the month, and not just for us!
Sabastian Sawe made history at the TCS London Marathon, becoming the first person ever to run a sub-2-hour official marathon, crossing the line in a jaw-dropping 1:59:30. With Tigst Assefa also setting a new women's world record on the same day.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Coachella was reborn as Bieberchella, TIME published its 100 Most Influential People of 2026, and awards season swung into full gear with major programmes opening for entries across the country.
It was a month full of record-breakers, standout performances, and people doing extraordinary things.
Here's what we got up to.
BizX Wales: The UK's Biggest Business Event
We headed to Wales as proud sponsors of BizX and the BizX Awards, hosted by ActionCOACH UK, at the stunning Celtic Manor Hotel Golf & Country Club, and what an experience it was.
A few moments that really stood out for us:
Meeting Penny Power OBE was a genuine highlight. As well as being such a warm person who is genuinely interested in others, her talk was honest, thoughtful and quietly powerful. She spoke not just as a business leader, but as a mother, an employer, a human being with experiences that really connected with the audience.
Rory Sutherland was, as ever, a complete blast. His take on why “bottomless brunch” works as a marketing position whereas “beers at breakfast” doesn't had the room in stitches.
And out of the 5 gold award winning brands he held up as role models, four were family-run businesses. (If you run a family business and you haven't entered awards yet, consider this your nudge!)
Tim Campbell MBE was refreshingly grounded and genuinely relatable. His lemon story (you'll have to hear it yourself!) was a simple but powerful reminder of how far thoughtfulness really goes.
There were so many other highlights too; Jeb Blount on perseverance, Sara Davies MBE on the importance of thinking about your exit, The Tempest Two showing us what resilience truly looks like, and Mo Gawdat talking all things AI, adaptability, and the future of business.
Then came the BizX Awards themselves, hosted by the brilliant Kirsty Gallacher, weaving together the worlds of sport and business in a way that felt entirely natural.
And we were honoured to present the award for Best E-Commerce Company to James Swift and Car Mod Shop, celebrating alongside his coach Andrew De Groot. A deserved win for a brilliant business.
But honestly, what makes every ActionCOACH event so special is the atmosphere. Everyone in that room genuinely wanted everyone else to have an amazing time, and it showed.
UK Fast Growth Index Summit
Earlier in the month, we joined 200+ founders, investors, and business leaders at the UK Fast Growth Index Summit at UBS London, a brilliant day of honest conversation about what it really takes to scale a business.
Through powerful founder stories, high-level debates, and focused breakout sessions, throughout the day everyone in the room explored the realities of scaling, from growth and leadership to innovation and exit.
It was also a pleasure to catch up with the wonderful Frankie James, founder of Ideas Fest and the Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards, which has just opened for entries. If you're not already planning your submission, now's the time.
UK Digital Excellence Awards
We rounded out a packed few weeks by attending the UK Digital Excellence Awards hosted by our fantastic partners Don't Panic Events. What an exceptional evening celebrating the very best of British digital talent.
Our Head of Sales and Partnerships, Brooke Gwynne, was honoured to present two awards on the night. Handing out the trophy for Standout Public Sector Website of the Year to RSPCA & Liferay. And Standout B2C SEO Campaign of the Year to
Digitaloft & Wander.
A huge congratulations to all winners, and finalists!
Supporting Entrants to Win
Alongside attending partner events, we also ran two sessions this month designed to help you get more from your awards and increase your chances of winning.
How to Write an Outstanding UK Customer Experience Awards Entry
In partnership with Awards International and the UK Customer Experience Awards, we guest hosted an Entry Webinar, packed with practical advice on crafting a strong awards submission and understanding what judges are really looking for.
In this session, Donna covered;
- How to uncover your award-winning USP
- How to select the perfect category
- How to craft a compelling story
- How to showcase strong evidence
- How to impress the judges
If you missed it and are interested in entering the UK Customer Experience Awards, the replay is now available here.
Uncovering The Real Value of Business Awards
We rounded out the month, with a focused masterclass exploring the commercial reality behind business awards.
From how they drive measurable revenue growth, to why recognition is no longer just about trophies, but about reputation, recruitment, and long-term enterprise value.
Sharing exclusive data and research from our White Paper, the session explored exactly how you can increase your turnover through winning awards.
You can catch up on the masterclass here and download your copy of the white paper.
Client Results
We’re unbelievably proud to be continuing to achieve leading results for our clients;
75% shortlist rate
71% win rate
In April alone, August clients have been getting results across leading industry awards, including;
- BQF UK Excellence Awards
- Construction News Awards
- EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards
- ICA Compliance Awards
- International Sustainability Awards
- Marketing Society Awards
- Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards
- National AI Awards
- SABRE Awards EMEA
- Titan Muse Creative Awards
- UK Employee Experience Awards
- Unlock Net Zero Awards
- Women in Utilities
- British Business Awards
- FSB Small Business Growth Awards
- Globee Business Awards for Achievement (American Business)
- Globee Business Excellence Awards
- Learning Excellence Awards
- Scotland Contact Centre Awards
- UK Digital Excellence Awards
- UK FinTech Awards
As always, the achievement is all down to our clients, their teams, and their fantastic initiatives pushing boundaries in their industries. We just get the pleasure of presenting those stories in a way the judges love.
What’s Next?
April reminded us, again, that recognition isn't just something we help others with. It's something we genuinely live and breathe.
From the Celtic Manor to London, from award ceremonies to webinars, it was a month full of connection, inspiration, and proud moments.
If you'd like to talk about how awards and recognition could work harder for your business, we'd love to hear from you.
We help businesses enter, win, and leverage awards for growth. Get in touch to find out how we can support you to not just win, but get real results.
