Artisan’s Success in The Cardiff Life Awards 2018
How it all Began…
It was November when we sent off our application to be considered for a Cardiff Life Award. We’d opened our Cardiff Showroom just over a year earlier and felt that we’d made good progress in moving both the business and sales forward as well as employing more staff along the way.
We received the news in January that we’d been selected as a finalist in the Homes and Interiors category and to say we were excited was an understatement! We bought our tickets for their ‘Uber Glam Event’ and then put it to the back of our minds…well, apart from the relentless boasting we did on our social media platforms, of course!!
March 15th 2018 – Awards Night
The evening of the awards arrived. We donned our glad rags, arrived at City Hall, sipped champagne and, after some photos, found our table in the Assembly Room. As we settled down, songs were performed by Only Boys Aloud, including a rousing version of Calon Lân, and then we were treated to a lovely three-course meal.
The Welsh legend, Nigel Owens, gave a short inspirational talk and then began announcing the winners. It was a long wait until he read out The Homes and Interiors Finalists but, when he did, just seeing our logo on the big screen along with Nigel Owens saying our company name was enough for us to let out a ma-hoo-sive cheer!
“And the winner is…
(please say Artisan Interiors)
“ARTISAN INTERIORS!”
(waahhh, he said Artisan Interiors)
As we leapt up (literally) and made our way to the stage, Nigel read out the comments from the judges…
“Artisan Interiors is particularly innovative. It’s taken an intelligent approach to growth, driving sales through the roof.”
We were completely overwhelmed but somehow Andy was able to piece a few words together and made a short speech whilst we were on stage collecting the award. We were then led away for some photographs and later we cracked open our bottle of champagne!
The After-Show Party
It was around midnight that most people had moved on, either made their way home or gone to the after-show party at Barley & Rye. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the after-show party, for these three reasons…
- Sandra’s wardrobe malfunction (her shoes fell apart, leaving her barefoot)
- Torrential rain and no coats. No umbrellas. No taxi.
- Us being in our forties and being ‘out out’ on a school night!!
Invitation to The Winners’ Dinner
On 9th April, a dinner was to be held in Chapel 1877 for the winners of all 18 categories. Danny and his wife Kelly were on holiday so, it was down to Andy and Sandra to represent Artisan (no real hardship, to be honest!)
After a glass of bubbly, we were ushered to our table to enjoy a delicious meal. It was a great evening with an opportunity to chat with other local business owners to swap stories and business tips.
Time to get off Cloud Nine
The Winners’ Dinner marked the end of this years’ awards and what a fantastic experience it was for us at Artisan. We’d never been shortlisted for an award before and, for that reason, we honestly didn’t expect to win…but win we did!
It feels fantastic to have your hard work and achievements recognised by a group of independent judges and it being a local award feels even more special.
Who knows, maybe this is the first award of many. Since our win last month, we have been nominated for 3 more awards…so watch this space!
