HBI, one of the UK’s leading venue procurement specialists, has won the Hotel Booking Agent Association’s (HBAA) 2008 award for Promoting Excellence within the Industry.

The agency, which was recently acquired by Grass Roots Group, was announced as the winner of the first ever HBAA Awards, at the association’s annual forum, held at the Park Inn, Heathrow.

“We are delighted to be the first to win this award. At HBI we have a dedicated team working for us who are committed to driving through change in the industry to ensure excellence across this sector,” said HBI founder and managing director Des Mclaughlin.

“Our second Meetings Industry Report was once again well received by the industry and continues to be an invaluable tool for event professionals,” he continued. “The Meetings Management Forum (the first of which was held in July 2008) ensures a constant open communication channel not only with the industry, but with our suppliers and most importantly our clients. We will continue to design initiatives that promote excellence to ensure the industry gets the recognition it rightly deserves.”

Commenting on HBI’s award, Sue Burgess, chairman of the HBAA, said: “HBI demonstrated a clear commitment to driving professionalism within this sector. Their innovative approach to sharing best practice within the industry made them deserved winners.”