Are you going to be hosting an industry awards evening? This can be a huge honour and something that is exciting. But, it can also be a stressful time, and it is going to require a lot of planning to ensure everything runs smoothly at night. So, where do you begin, and how can you ensure it is a success? Well, we have some tips on what you need to know about hosting an industry awards evening. So, let’s get started.
The Size of the Venue Matters
First of all, you are going to need a good venue to host the industry awards evening. You will need to see how many guests will be present in order to select the right size, as well as the best location. Often, an awards evening will benefit from being full. This can create a good atmosphere for everyone and some competition for reading out the winners.
Therefore, when you know the numbers, take a look at local options. Choose a venue that can offer space for everyone but not be too big that it looks half-empty on the night. You want to ensure that there is a stage for the awards ceremony.
Hire Enough Staff
When you are hosting the industry awards evening, you are in charge of everything. This is why you need to be planning the event in advance. In particular, you need to ensure that you are going to have enough staff for the awards evening. This is going to include everyone from security guards at the door to servers if there is a dining or drinks experience during the awards event. The last thing you want is your guests waiting around.
So, know how many guests are going and ensure there is the right number of employees to match. A good way to gain an experienced team for the occasion is to use an event staffing agency. By engaging an event staffing agency, you will be guaranteed an experienced team of ‘brand ambassadors,’ all of whom will have been vetted prior to engagement, ensuring your event is remembered for all the right reasons. Plus, it will save you a lot of time when it comes to the hiring process. Your job is going to be made a lot easier by going down this path.
Have a Theme
Sometimes, you can get so wrapped up in planning an awards ceremony that you forget about one thing. This whole evening is supposed to be exciting and fun! So, do not forget to choose a theme for the evening. This can bring some excitement for guests and allow you to make the venue look great.
It can be difficult to think of a theme for an awards evening. So, try to rack your brains and consider a theme that is similar to the awards that will be handed out or for the companies that are attending. In some instances, you may decide that you want to go all out and choose something very different. You are going to know what is best for the night.
Do not forget that you will have to arrange the entertainment for the evening too. This is often mixed in with giving out awards, and it is a way to keep your guests entertained. You may select certain speakers or even musicians to play. Whatever entertainment you decide is best for the night, make sure that it complements the theme you have selected. You want everything to combine together nicely.
Choose Formal or Informal
Since you are hosting the awards evening, you have the ability to choose whether this is going to be a formal or informal occasion. Think carefully about the way you want this ceremony to go. For example, if you are having an awards night internally for your own team, this might be something that is better to be informal. It is more about fun and rewarding your staff.
But, if you have a lot of different companies attending this awards evening, you may consider formal the better option. Indeed, there are going to be photographs taken of the event, and you want to make sure that everything looks good and reflects well on you. Plus, there might be some competition between different companies, so formal feels better for this type of occasion.
