We’ve received the longest press release ever publicising the new O2 X Awards for business. Three pages long, it is! Well, we’ve read it to you don’t have to:

Are you an original and innovative company? Well the O2 X Awards want to here from you. The awards recognise and reward successful small businesses.

The O2 X Awards is looking to find the UK’s best Male, Female and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Now in its sixth year, O2 will reward the most original and innovative businesses with a cash boost of £5,000 as well as mentoring from a business expert and marketing support.

To find out how to enter, visit www.o2.co.uk/xawards

There is also a networking event in Liverpool on July 1 at the O2 Academy as a warm up to the award

It’s an evening event which begins at 5.30 with registration, kicking off properly at 6pm and finishes at 7.30pm.

There will be a variety of speakers covering topics from raising finance in a recession, to marketing in the credit crunch; the event will be hosted by o2’s head of business marketing Simon Devonshire

Register for this event here

Phew!

The Liverpool Summer Pops Festival is one of the City’s entertainment highlights of the year, when more than 100,000 people are expected to rock the dock, once again, with a line up of national and international artists performing at the Echo Arena.

For the Summer Pops 2009, it’s a very exciting year, as it has been rebranded as a Festival.  After eight successful years, it’s been an incredible journey from the nostalgia of the Big Top to the magnificence of the Echo Arena.

By hosting fringe events, it also brings, for the first time, artists from different genres encompassing rock, pop, blues, country and classical to the 02 Academy, the Philharmonic, the Empire and the Bluecoat, reinforcing Liverpool’s title as Europe’s biggest City music festival during July, just as Edinburgh is synonymous with it’s own festival in August.

At the Echo Arena, The Australian Pink Floyd Show open and close the Pops Festival with N-Dubz, James Morrison, Beatles Day Concert, McFly, Sharleen Spiteri, Pet Shop Boys, Leonard Cohen, The Pogues, Squeeze/The Pretenders, Ne-Yo, Simple Minds, Pussycat Dolls, Jools Holland, Simply Red, Gloria Estefan, Rhydian/Only Men Aloud and Deacon Blue all set to perform.

A VIP Hospitality package is available with every Arena show and includes a champagne reception, sumptuous summer buffet, open bar all evening, after show hospitality with gold circle seating and VIP car parking.  Just the ticket if you want to experience your favourite artist close up in stylish surroundings.  Prices range from £153 per head, including VAT.  For further information contact janowen@cmplive.com

The Fringe Festival features an array of performers, from the internationally acclaimed, John Mayall, to new, home grown, national and local talent such as Idlewild, the Buzzcocks, Aswad, The Christians, China Crisis, The Lotus Eaters, The Lightning Seeds, Michael Head and The Real People, to name but a few.

Following on from the success of last year’s inaugural charity event, Beatles Day, this year will be bigger and better than ever.  There will be free street entertainment and stages across the City throughout the day, Friday 10th July, climaxing with the Beatles Day Concert, hosted by Ricky Tomlinson, with artists performing Beatles songs at the Echo Arena.  To get involved and for more detailed information and timetable of events visit www.beatlesday.tv

For more information regarding performances, visit www.summerpops.com, www.ticketmaster.co.uk or call Echo Arena Box Office 0844 8000 400
For more details about the VIP experience, contact Jan Owen on 0151 708 8050/07932 763107 - janowen@cmplive.com or call the 24hr hotline/VIP Experience: 0844 847 1616.

Full Line Up for Echo Arena

Fri 3rd July – The Australian Pink Floyd Show
Sat 4th July – N-Dubz
Tue 7th July – James Morrison
Fri 10th July – Beatles Day Concert
Sat 11th July – McFly
Sun 12th July – Sharleen Spiteri – The Voice of Texas
Mon 13th July – Pet Shop Boys
Tue 14th July – Leonard Cohen
Wed 15th July – The Pogues
Thur 16th July – Squeeze/The Pretenders
Fri 17th July – Ne-Yo
Tue 21st July – Simple Minds – 30 Years Live
Wed 22nd July – Pussycat Dolls
Fri 24th July – Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra
Sat 25th July – Simply Red – 25th Anniversary Tour
Mon 27th July – Gloria Estefan
Thur 30th July – Rhydian/Only Men Aloud
Fri 31st July – Deacon Blue
Sat 1st August – The Australian Pink Floyd Show

A chas cole for cmp presentation.