We’ve won the UK’s highest official award for business—from The Queen at Buckingham Palace

Photo of Buckingham Palace
We were invited to Buckingham Palace to receive the UK’s highest award for business.
Update: We have since won the award for a second time.
We have helped to grow clients in 40 countries in 11 languages, and our team members are based across Europe, North America, and South America. But we originated in the UK, and so we were thrilled to receive the UK’s highest award for business, and to be invited to Buckingham Palace to meet Her Majesty The Queen.

The award—a Queen’s Award for Enterprise—was given to us in recognition of us codifying the scientific methodology that companies like Google and Amazon now use to improve websites.

Here’s the email we received (we were stunned by it):

Screenshot of the email announcing that Conversion Rate Experts has won a Queen’s Award

The reception at Buckingham Palace

Our company was represented at Buckingham Palace by our founders, Ben Jesson and Dr Karl Blanks. They arrived by taxi. (It’s surreal to get into a taxi and say, “Buckingham Palace, please.”) They entered the palace via the iconic route used for royal weddings and state events: through the main gates, past The Queen’s guards, through the palace’s central archway, and then onto the red carpet of the Grand Entrance.

Guests arriving at the reception.
The event was held in Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms, where The Queen entertains international dignitaries.
Our founders Ben and Karl in The White Room.
Our founders, Karl and Ben, in the palace’s White Room. Pictured far left is Queen Victoria’s golden grand piano (which was last played by Stevie Wonder).

Inside, Ben and Karl were fortunate to meet Her Majesty The Queen; Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh; Princess Anne, The Princess Royal; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex—with whom they had the opportunity to discuss diverse issues including teaching technology in schools; working internationally; making websites accessible; and helping charities online.

The Queen talking with the guests
The Queen greeted us in her Picture Gallery, home to masterpieces by Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer and Van Dyck.
Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh asked Ben and Karl what they did. “Making websites easier to use,” they replied. “How will you know when you’ve finished?” he joked. And then walked off.

A visit from The Queen’s Lord-Lieutenant

Soon after, The Queen’s Lord-Lieutenant visited our offices. He presented us with our commemorative crystal and certificate, and he raised our royal flag.

The day was planned to coincide with our company get-together. It was a great occasion for our team members.

Here are some photos from the day:

The Queen’s Lord Lieutenant with Ben and Karl
On the lawn outside of our office, The Queen’s Lord-Lieutenant raised our flag and presented the certificate and royal crystal bowl.
Our Queen’s Award certificate signed by Her Majesty The Queen
Our Queen’s Award certificate signed by Her Majesty The Queen.
The royal crystal
The royal crystal, which now has pride of place in our offices.
Photo with the dignitaries
We were honored that the ceremony was attended by many leading dignitaries. From left to right: Amanda Milling MP; Jeremy Lefroy MP; County Council Chairman, Mr Michael Greatorex; our co-founder Ben Jesson; The Queen’s Lord-Lieutenant Ian Dudson CBE KStJ; our co-founder Karl Blanks; The High Sheriff of Stafford, Humphrey David Sneyd Scott-Moncrieff DL; and The Right Honourable Gavin Williamson CBE MP.
Our team with the dignitaries
The day wasn’t windy enough to blow the flag. In hindsight, we wish we had paid someone to sit in a nearby tree with a leaf blower.
The Sheriff of Stafford cutting the cake with his sword
“Go on! Please!” We asked the High Sheriff to cut the cake with his sword. He informed us that Sheriffs are the only UK citizens legally allowed to carry swords.
Guests mingling in the garden.
After the ceremony, everyone mingled in the gardens with tea and cake.
The Queen’s Lord Lieutenant talking with our team
The Queen’s Lord-Lieutenant talked with our team members. We were impressed with how much he had read about conversion rate optimization.

How much did you like this article?

What’s your goal today?

1. Hire us to grow your company

We’ve generated hundreds of millions for our clients, using our unique CRE Methodology™. To discover how we can help grow your business:

Schedule your FREE strategy session

2. Learn how to do conversion

Download a free copy of our Amazon #1 best-selling book, Making Websites Win, recommended by Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Moz, Econsultancy, and many more industry leaders. You’ll also be subscribed to our email newsletter and notified whenever we publish new articles or have something interesting to share.

Browse hundreds of articles, containing an amazing number of useful tools and techniques. Many readers tell us they have doubled their sales by following the advice in these articles.

Download a free copy of our best-selling book

3. Join our team

If you want to join our team—or discover why our team members love working with us—then see our “Careers” page.

4. Contact us

We help businesses worldwide, so get in touch!

© 2024 Conversion Rate Experts Limited. All rights reserved.