Awards Ceremony Sites and Tips

Deciding Where to Hold Your Occasion for Awards

So you want to present awards to your employees, team members, supporters, volunteers, or any group of people who, well…deserve an award! Ok, so you have the awards, of course provided by Trophies2Go; but do you want to just hand them out in the office (anti-climactic, lack-luster, and just plain boring)? Or do you hold a nice awards ceremony event somewhere?

Holding an awards ceremony doesn’t necessarily mean extravaganza, but it will be nice to make the occasion memorable as you hand out that special award from Trophies2Go. There are ways to hold an awards ceremony and venues for awards parties, that can garner praises from your group without breaking the bank. Here are some ideas and tips for award presentations and events:

• A low-key awards event: Park pavilions make great venues. They are cheap to rent or sometimes free. People can hang streamers and balloons, plus rent or buy an $80 Karaoke machine to make announcements on. Have 6-foot subs or barbecue buffet delivered and let everyone chow down. This is good food that isn’t expensive. Give prizes and be creative with awards from our joke and gag trophies section.  Be creative with your engraving like; ‘the person who has the oldest coin in their pocket’ or ‘the person with the brightest colored socks’. Have each recipient of an award or Trophies 2 Go trophy say any one thing they’d like to say to the group. Courtyards in office buildings or attached to restaurants work well, too. Adding Tiki torches or candles in vases is a nice touch to keep it classy, yet affordable. The nice thing about pavilions is that rain won’t deter your event.

• A mid-range awards party: A step up from the park idea is to rent a trolley or limo to transport people. Better yet, if you surprise the award party guests / award recipients by having them meet somewhere. Many fine restaurants offer function rooms / meeting rooms to rent that are large enough for your entire party – from 30 to 300. Depending on the size of the crowd, you may be able to speak without a microphone. Pass the trophies and awards around, and do some networking. Not to mention, pop the champagne that goes with the award celebration!

Bonus: To jazz it up, pull up to a jazz club or lounge, and have a surprise cake or dessert feast delivered to the group. Everyone loves dessert and an award ceremony is a great way to expose that “sweet side”.

• An upscale ceremony: Choose a really hotel for an award presentation party. Here’s a tip. Don’t call and say, “How much per person for a group of 25 to come in and eat dinner?” Instead, say “I’m inquiring with a few local restaurants and hotels to get recommendations for a large group of people (give estimate of how many people). What do you have to offer for a group like this? What specials can you offer?”

Let the restaurant or hotel earn your business with a discounted price or by throwing in a couple of freebies, like the first drink free or free dessert. If you speak like you have already chosen and want their venue, the site will charge you the max. Also, don’t hesitate to ask that they decorate for your event by putting out some candles and/or fresh flowers. If they won’t, they should be willing to let you come by and do some light decorating yourself. If not – make another choice.

No matter how large or how small your awards ceremony may be, the main goal is for it to feel celebrational and special. And remember, Trophies2go.com has the right award item for your needs!

Tips for Getting Awards Mentioned in the Press

How to Maximize Publicity

Getting publicity is a real challenge for any business or individual. Free publicity is a commodity, and there are many companies vying for it. If you are having an awards ceremony or presentation, or an individual in your company has won an award – and you want to publicize the fact, there are certain steps you can take to catch the media’s eye.

First – tie in your award ceremony with some charity. Choose a local charity – or local office of a national charity – and allow them to have a table, hang a banner, and speak at your awards presentation. Give them an award for serving the community! You can show your appreciation for the hard work of your employees and for the hard work of a non-profit organization. This makes your award ceremony event more newsworthy. Especially if you present a donation to the non-profit at the ceremony.

If you don’t tie in with a charity, then consider looking for a NEW local business. They need PR, too! And because they are new and haven’t been in the news yet, the press is more likely to cover them. So find a building that was just restored, a restaurant or hotel that just opened – and host your award ceremony there. Then, have them co-promote the story with you!

Of course, you will send out a press release to various media members. Remember to keep press releases short. If they are too wordy and need extensive editing, journalists will pass them by. Stick to pertinent facts – the 5 W’s and the H (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How).

Another tip – humanize the story. Find some newsworthy tidbits about the person or persons receiving the Trophies2Go award. Do they volunteer somewhere? Do they have special circumstances or challenges in their life? Did they do something truly exceptional to reach this award? The public likes reading about other people’s accomplishments, but more so if there were unique challenges or tough odds along the way.

Another good piece of advice is to consider joining a news service. A public relations newswire can distribute your awards presentation story for you for a minimal fee; this ensures that the media names you chose will receive the release.  Another tip – proofread once and then proofread again. Nothing says “no go” like typos or incorrect words in a news release. Make sure no information is missing.

Finally, one very important tip – follow up! Call, fax, and email the people who received your release. Pitch the story and offer that they speak to the award recipient(s). Invite them to attend the award ceremony event. Do this by phone, not just email. Follow up will get you noticed. Turn to Trophies2Go.com for all of your awards and trophies needs – from basic advice to knock out tips, stunning trophies and unique accolades!