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Planning a Successful Award Ceremony
Coordinating an award ceremony or a corporate recognition event can be
a challenging task. An award ceremony can be part of a departmental or
corporate annual meeting, or a stand-alone event. It can be conducted
on site, off-site, or can be teleconferenced among multiple office
locations. It can be formal corporate event or a more relaxed gathering. So,
where do you begin? We asked recognition industry experts for their tips and
advice on organizing a memorable and successful award ceremony.
Successful planning requires good time management and organizational
skills. Divide the entire event to smaller tasks such as location
booking, catering, awards order, invitations, press and media, attendees lists,
etc. Make a list of tasks and organize them based on time sensitivity and
priorities. When each task is executed, mark it of the list and add
administrative notes.
 Order awards to arrive two-three weeks prior to the event. If you are
placing a large order, ask your vendor to produce a few extra awards
and keep them in stock for last minute changes. When ordering awards, keep
in mind the nature of the event and compose relevant personalization
verbiage
Compile a list of the award recipients and send them a special
invitation asking them if they wish to bring guests. Award recipients and their
guests should be seated in the front rows next to the stage.
Compose a list of each recipient, award category and their special
achievements. Organize the recipients list in the order they will be
called on stage. People are sensitive about their names. Ensure that
the announcer rehearses the list and pronounces each name correctly.
If the event is formal, we recommend recognizing all of the award
recipients in the event program. Nominees and runner-ups can be given
honorary mentions. Emphasize the importance of each award while
presenting it. What role did the recipient's achievements play in the overall
company's success? Make your top performers feel special. Encourage
recipients to prepare a short speech. Take photographs during award
presentation and later publish them in a corporate newsletter or
website. Conclude the award ceremony with a thank you speech, which relates the
recipient's contributions.
To make your event dynamite, have fun and come up with creative
unconventional ideas. For instance, you can set-up a red carpet
reception for the award recipients and their guests. Hire a professional
photographer to capture the red carpet appearances. Another way to
present an award is by having award recipients also act as award
presenters. For instance : recipient A will present an award to the recipient B,
who will present an award to recipient C. This way people feel more
involvement and participation in the event. When the recipient is
called on stage, you can show a short video clip of hers/his colleagues talk
about the recipient. This nicely fills in the time required to arrive
to the stage and also involves more employees in the event.
Crystal Art USA, LLC. Copyright © 2002-2010
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