How to plan an awards ceremony
Awards ceremonies are the perfect way to celebrate achievement, whether at a school, college, club, organisation or workplace. They can bring everyone together and are a chance for a group to find out what others have been up to in the past year, as well as giving people something to aspire to.
Organising an awards ceremony can be tricky, and can be just as daunting as organising any big event, but with our helpful hints, you’ll have everything moving along just nicely. At Simply Linens, we’ve organised event linen hire in London, Essex and nationwide for years, so now we’re sharing some tips we’ve picked up along the way.
Remember the awards!
An awards ceremony without awards isn’t really up to much so make sure you don’t forget this vital component. Awards could be many different things so have a think what’s appropriate for your event. A simple certificate is ideal for smaller organisations on a tighter budget, such as schools or local charities, or an actual trophy or statuette could be a fun alternative. For corporate events, bigger prizes can often be welcome, so consider things like gift vouchers for different amounts, depending on the prestige of the particular award.
Get the seating plan right
However you choose to seat people, you need to make sure award-winners can get out of their seat and up to the front to accept their award easily. For this reason, theatre-style venues often don’t work, unless winners know they’re winners in advance and can all be seated near the front. Instead, function rooms with tables can be a much better option. This can also offer a much more sociable setting where people can talk and enjoy themselves between awards. It even offers the chance for a dinner as part of the ceremony. Just remember, with this setting you’ll also need to factor in table decorations and table linen hire.
Keep timings spot-on
If you have a lot of awards to get through, you’ll need to make sure timings are right, particularly if dinner is part of the event. Generally, it’s advisable to have the meal first so people’s appetites are sated and they’re not getting hungry. It can also be a good idea to have drinks on the table, so people aren’t getting up in search of refreshment and then going missing when they should be collecting an award. Treat the awards like the speeches at a wedding and have them after food has been eaten, and while everyone is enjoying a drink. If award-winners are making a speech, make sure they keep to a specified time so that the event keeps running without a hitch, but bear in mind winners of bigger awards (such as lifetime achievement awards) may well have a bit more to say — so factor this in while planning.
