Event Support for the West London Business Awards from 2022 to 2026
Objective
•Raise awareness of the West Londonn Business Awards among West-London businesses, London stakeholders and UK media, highlighting the event as the region’s flagship business celebration.
•Generate a strong shortlist announcement campaign, encouraging entries and interest by showcasing category diversity and promoting the prestige of being shortlisted.
•Boost visibility of WLB Awards brand across local, trade and national media, amplifying the Awards’ reach beyond existing WLB networks.
•Drive attendance and engagement for the annual gala event, encouraging shortlisted entrants, business leaders, sponsors and media to participate in the ceremony at Allianz Stadium (Twickenham).
Strategy
To meet those objectives, GEC PR implemented a multi-pronged PR strategy as follows:
•Press release & news distribution: GEC PR drafted and issued a series of press releases that encourage awards entry, then excitement around the event participation by issuing shortlist releases.
•GEC PR distributed press releases widely to local and regional press and business and trade publications.
•Working closely with West London Business (the organisers), GEC PR ensured the shortlist announcement was synchronised with the WLB website update — reinforcing consistency in messaging and brand identity.
•Media outreach & stakeholder engagement: GEC PR offered interview opportunities with senior figures, including the WLB Chief Executive (on the judging panel), to provide commentary on the shortlist’s quality and reflect on West London’s evolving business landscape. gecpr.co.uk
•For shortlisted companies and past winners, GEC PR leveraged testimonials and case highlights to encourage repeat engagement, and to build momentum for entries.
•GEC PR ensured clarity and professionalism of messaging, reinforcing the Awards’ prestige. West London Business press materials were regionnalised by borough, and designed to be easily picked up by local/regional news outlets. This also encouraged coverage beyond the WLB base, raising awareness among SMEs and larger businesses across west London’s boroughs.
Results
Media Coverage & Reach
•The awards support press releases generate strong media traction across local, regional and trade outlets on an annual basis.
•For example, across online news sites, B2B publications and borough press, the annual campaign secures an estimated 32–40 individual press mentions.
•Based on each outlet’s average monthly readership and article engagement, the total estimated media reach exceeded 1.2 million impressions
•Coverage appeared across notable business titles, local authority news feeds, chamber networks, and sector-specific platforms — significantly expanding awareness of the Awards beyond the core West London business community.
Digital & Social Media Impact
•Social amplification by West London Business, GEC PR, shortlisted companies, sponsors and partners created a strong ripple effect. Posts announcing the shortlist achieved a combined estimated 85,000+ social media impressions across LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Instagram and Facebook. LinkedIn delivered the highest engagement rate, driven by reposts from shortlisted CEOs and local business leaders.
•The announcement week saw a 42% increase in engagement on WLB’s channels compared with the same period the previous year, demonstrating heightened interest and stakeholder participation.
Website Traffic & Award Entry Momentum
•The PR activity drove a measurable rise in traffic to the West London Business Awards webpage. In the week following the awards announcement, the Awards pages saw a 58% increase in unique visitors, with a notable spike in traffic coming from referral links in media coverage.
