You’re on your way to enjoying a fantastic Award Ceremony.
And the Award Goes To...
There are various reasons to hold award ceremonies. You could be a local business journal
acknowledging your area’s outstanding companies, a business awarding the employees who
went above and beyond that year, or even an entertainment association recognizing those
who were successful in music, movies, or TV for the year. Whatever the reason, planning and
organizing an awards ceremony takes a lot of time and energy. Be sure to start early in the
planning process and use these helpful tips from Gig Salad.
Where Oh Where Could the Awards Show Be
First and foremost, you must choose a date for the event. This is essential because you
need to make sure the venue is available, and you’ll need it before you book any type of
entertainment or service. The next step is to find an appropriate venue. If you plan to have a
dinner before the ceremony, a convention center or other banquet center would be appropriate.
If you are going for a more large scale event, you could rent out a small or large theatre
depending on attendance. As with any event, you will need to have an estimate of the number
of guests.
Next up, you will want to secure some entertainment for your awards show. Any awards
show will need someone to emcee. Some options for an emcee include a comedian, celebrity impersonator, magician, or motivational speaker. Before the ceremony begins, in between
awards, and at the end, you will need some other forms of entertainment. Consider hiring
a cover band, dance troupe, jazz band, or pianist. You could also hire a DJ to entertain during down time. If your emcee is a performer like a comedian
or magician, they can entertain as well so you wouldn’t have to hire additional entertainers.
The Decor Award Goes To
After you’ve booked the venue and entertainers, you must decide how to decorate for
the ceremony. If you are having dinner before the awards, you will need centerpieces for the
tables. Hire an event florist
to create some stunning pieces for your tables or for the stage itself. If you are not having the
event in a theatre, you may need to rent some table linens and chair covers. Most banquet
and convention centers offer basic linens and covers; however, if you want something more
specific or fancy, there are rental
companies who can assist.
Some other detail oriented aspects you will need to consider are the awards and winner
envelopes. Decide whether you want a standing award or some type of plaque made for your
award winners. When it comes to the envelopes, many invitations printers will be able to create aesthetically
pleasing designs for the envelope and insert.
I’d Like to Thank...
Other services you will need for your event include bartenders and waitstaff. Before and after the ceremony, you will more than likely have drinks
and hors d’oeuvres even if you don’t have a full meal, in which case you will need people
to make and serve the food and drinks to your guests. If you do choose to go the dinner-
before-the-ceremony route, be sure to hire a caterer to take care of the meal preparation.
Also, be sure to have a photographer and/or a videographer to capture the presentation and award winners. Also, to
prevent any technical issues, be sure to have a sound check with the event staff before the
ceremony begins to avoid any embarrassing situations. If the venue doesn’t have in house A/
V staff, you can find a sound
technician on Gig Salad.
An awards ceremony is a fantastic way to honor employees or acknowledge those in
a particular field. However, it takes a lot of coordination to set up this type of event. Don’t
hesitate hiring an event
planner to do the work for you. You work hand in hand with the planner to see that the
event is created the way you want. Let the planner know that they can go to Gig Salad for any
type of event or service they need for the ceremony.
