Finding the right team for your business may take months, if not years, to fully establish. The right people are essential for a successful and productive business, and when you find them, it’s important to make them feel valued. Organizing an internal awards ceremony is a great way to show staff you appreciate them and recognize what they contribute to the company. However, how can you plan the perfect event?
Leadership meeting
As a first step, call a meeting with your senior leadership team to discuss the ceremony. Ask for ideas and decide on a name. Choose something original that relates to your specific company, such as a play on words or business name acronym. Ask for nominations for employee of the year and any specific achievements by individuals. Once the nominations are made, spend some time writing a brief with details of why they’re receiving the award to announce at the ceremony.
Discuss the budget and decide how much the business can realistically assign to the event, but still make sure to find ways to make it unique so it will be memorable in years to come. Delegate specific tasks such as finding a venue, entertainment, and catering to others, so you don’t have to arrange everything.
Venue
Award ceremonies should be the highlight of the year for businesses, and as such, they are glamourous events that need an appropriate venue with high-quality facilities. An important feature of the award ceremony is a suitable stage for nominees to receive their award. It doesn’t necessarily have to have a permanent stage structure as long as there is enough space to erect one. Once you find a venue that accommodates the stage and quantity, you can draw a floor plan and decide when to locate the stage. The nominees should be placed near the stage for ease when they collect awards.
Delegate someone to organize the sound and any videos that will be shown. Tech problems can disrupt events, so be sure to choose someone with experience who will be able to swiftly solve any issues on the day.
Find Catering
Keep catering simple. You don’t need to provide a 3-course meal, but some luxury beverages will add to the merriment. You can take the stress out of catering by using the services of eventbartenders.com that provide professional bartenders to look after attendees so you can concentrate on other aspects of the evening.
Think about Entertainment for After
The award part of the evening is usually first, and you should investigate entertainment options in the second half. A live band or DJ is great entertainment to allow people to have a dance and let their hair down. Energy should be buzzing, and it will ensure everyone has fun.
Speakers and judges
Public speaking isn’t everyone’s cup of tea so ask your team who is willing to act as guest speakers or host the event. Choose someone with confidence and charisma as well as reliability and commitment.
Choosing judges are vital, and they should be well respected and impartial members of the company. They should also know the nominees well enough and be able to make an informed decision when choosing the winners.
Little Extras
Promoting the event is imperative, and you should invest some time selling the event through the company’s intranet or social media page. You should explain how to get tickets, the cost (if any) and where to collect them. Create some well-designed programs with a list of speakers so guests know what to expect on the night.
Award ceremonies are a great opportunity for team building and increase productivity and staff happiness. Those who enjoy their jobs and are recognized for their achievements will stay in their roles, contributing to a positive and happy work environment.
