Great Tips to Host a Corporate Employee Party

Recognize Employees With This Great Advice:

Bravo to you – on beginning an employee recognition program at your corporation or organization.  You’ve made a choice to embrace your current valued employees and in the course of action, you’ll increase company spirits and productivity.  While selecting the recipients and choosing the awards may seem like fun, the real challenge will surface when it comes time to arrange a ceremony that your employees will enjoy and remember.  A truly memorable awards event is one that not only recognizes achievement with honors and awards, but that is also an enjoyable occasion that employees will talk about around the water cooler throughout the year.

Organizing an employee recognition awards ceremony can sound like a frightening prospect… but it can be a lot of fun.  Here are some helpful tips that may assist you to make the night everyone will appreciate.

• Forgo the Table Dancing and Liquor – One of the biggest dilemmas that organizers fear in planning a corporate awards ceremony is whether or not to serve alcohol.  We’ve all heard stories about the company Christmas party, where someone let loose a little too much and how badly they embarrassed themselves.  Alcohol during a company gathering will result in boozy behavior that will inevitably bring about somebody’s firing the next work day.  Consider a wine and beer only event, as it will still allow your employees to unwind, socialize and enjoy the evening but put a cap of two drinks per employee by using “vouchers”. 
• Avoid the Shabby Diggs – Conduct your ceremony in a hall or restaurant.  Having the employee recognition ceremony at your office or place of work is in poor taste, and no one wants to meet up at the smoky Elks Lodge with poor Vixen’s head staring down from the wall. It makes the whole experience feel cheap to have shabby diggs.  It’s only fair to match the quality and elegance of the awards ceremony itself with worthy surroundings. 
• Look Dapper – Make your employee ceremony a formal affair.  This classy touch will allow your employees the opportunity to escape the daily grind and be glamorous for the occasion.  People love to dress up! 
• No Trespassers – Make sure you accommodate at least one guest per employee, only.  Letting award recipients bring a spouse or significant other to witness their important moment will make them feel more like part of the team and a family-oriented company.  However, just don’t leave it open to the employee bringing his whole extended family.  Especially Crazy Uncle Ralph who burps unexpectedly. 
• Be Happy and Festive – With all the crystal awards, trophies, ribbons, plaques, formal attire and acceptance speeches – it’s easy to forget why you are having the awards ceremony.  You’re there to celebrate teamwork, togetherness, success and achievement.  These are instilled by providing a happy workplace.  So above all else, be sure to have a good time.  This is an event for the employees.  What matters is that they take a break from the 9-5 to connect, get to know one another and celebrate the occasion. 

Planning an awards ceremony can seem like a tall order.  You are sure to have a great evening in store for you, your valued employees and their loved ones.

Trophies2Go can help you plan that special employee awards ceremony, with nice cups, trophies, plaques, Corporate Awards and Gifts, Recognition Certificates, Retirement Awards, Plaques, Ribbons and every accolade under the sun.  We can customize orders in a hurry and have an amazing assortment of creative materials at great prices. Visit www.trophies2go.com.

How to Choose an Awards Presenter

“The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself…and a Crappy Emcee”

It’s fairly safe to say that presenting an award isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Not everyone has the poise, audacity and spirit to get up in front of an enormous crowd of strangers, fellow colleagues/peers and distribute a speech that is reminiscent to the likes of JFK, LBJ or even Bill Cosby (in his prime that is). Presenting an award takes preparation, know-how, a little bit of natural talent – but most importantly – it takes someone who knows the recipient! It is amazing and dreadfully unfortunate how often this is NOT the case.

How many times at your monthly company luncheons has the CEO went up on stage and butchered the name, background and livelihood of the person he or she is presenting? We see and hear about this occurrence all the time and it’s the unfortunate plight of most business functions. People want and deserve a little recognition with information that is accurate and honest – not some churched up, willywack regurgitation that comes from everywhere but the heart.

At your next award ceremony at quarter’s end, do the right thing, and assemble a cast of presenters who come in contact with the recipient on a regular basis. How about a direct supervisor who sees the work ethic that’s displayed, knows the recipient’s family and friends and understands what exactly his or her job entails? Better yet, how about someone underneath the person receiving the award?

Whoever said that presenters need to be high and mighty and on the upper echelon of the company food chain? Wouldn’t it be better if someone presents an award to a superior or supervisor who best understands the mandatory functions that are being displayed and performed on a day-to-day basis? Morale is crucial at these awards functions and with a variety of people from numerous areas on the company hierarchy; the process just seems to flow a bit smoother.

Let’s face it, sometimes people cringe when the CEO gets up on stage, if they don’t know the individual’s performance on an intimate basis, no matter what circumstances surround the situation. This year, mix it up a little bit and let the “common folk” get in on the action. They may not be the next John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King – but at least they will have first-hand knowledge of the person who deserves the awesome crystal award, acrylic award or plaque (of course provided by Trophies2go.com)!