Lancashire creative community, GroupHub is to host a panel event focusing on the role of awards in the creative industries.

The event, which takes place in Preston, will feature Deborah Dawton, chief executive of the DBA, Holly Hall, the new awards director at D&AD, Lynda Forrest from the Chip Shop Awards and Elmwood CD Richard Scholey.

Chaired by Steven Johnson, creative director at The Hub, the Preston-based creative agency behind the venture, the event will combine lively debate of the pros and cons of awards schemes, with pointers on what judges are looking for and information on how smaller agencies can maximise their chances of winning.

The event will take place on Wednesday 30 January at The Forum in Preston. The debate will start around 6.30pm, with networking from 8.30pm. Entrance is free, but attendees are requested to register their place by visiting www.grouphub.org or emailing mary.msl@btopenworld.com.