Last week I realised that I had attended three business awards ceremonies in seven days. Three! First, and probably the most impressive was the incredibly glitzy Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, held at the Grosvenor House hotel in the aptly named ‘Great Room’ and hosted by the suspiciously unwrinkled Joanna Lumley.

The second in my hat-trick was the Barclays Trading Places Awards. These awards recognise those who have overcome adversity through establishing successful businesses, although it would appear that several attendants had become confused and thought they were entering the ‘most original outfit’ awards. Perhaps that was next door.

The third, and at the top of the cool-ometer, was O2’s X Awards held at new superclub Matter at the O2. The 02 X Awards recognised the achievements of the UK’s most innovative and exciting small businesses in the sectors of music – Concert Live, two of this year’s Young Guns won this category – technology, food and fashion and was presented by the delectable Holly Willoughby.

As diverse as these events and the businesses they attracted were, they all had one thing in common – a shared sense of optimism and excitement at what the future holds. Were these business owners at home fretting about the downturn? No. Were they dashing to the supermarket to stockpile canned goods? Not on your nelly.

I was pleased to see at the launch of BT’s Small Business Week last Monday that Dragon Peter Jones shared my sentiments and was insisting that now is the time to go back to the bank manager and ask about the business loan you may have been turned down for a few months back.

 “There will be a slow phase but the actions of the government have been first class. Today is the start of the recovery. A hole has been plugged, and the credit lines have been opened up for small businesses,” he said.

Mark Prisk, shadow minister for business and enterprise was equally upbeat. “It’s usually in a downturn that the next generation of entrepreneurs come forward,” he said.

Prisk might be right. Look at the last recession – just a few years later online auction site eBay emerged and now we can’t imagine life without it. I can’t help wondering what the next generation of businesses born out of a downturn will bring….