The image that comes to mind of a “corporate awards banquet” is a slow, boring recognition event. To keep your event from fitting that unexciting and dull stereotype, approach your corporate awards banquet planning with a few, strategic tips in mind.
Choose a theme.
To make sure that all the details of your corporate awards banquet are coordinated, and to give your event a unique feel, choose a theme that makes your event distinctive. Themes can set your corporate awards banquet apart, such as:
- Olympics
- Mardi Gras
- casino
- sports
- nautical
- beach
- red carpet (Hollywood awards)
- patriotic
- night under the stars
Set the scene.
Set the expectations of your guests and co-workers high with an excellent invitation and entry once they arrive. If your venue is not predetermined, choose a venue that makes a statement—and don’t stop there. A red carpet, balloon archway, or a well-decorated registration table can create the atmosphere you want before your guests walk into the awards banquet.
Put effort into décor.
Resist the urge to open up the doors to your awards banquet room and…that’s it. If you want to turn your corporate awards banquet into a memorable event, you have to give them an event atmosphere to remember. Invest in decorations that won’t damage your venue, such as centerpieces or balloon ceiling displays. Ask your décor vendor for ideas that fit with your awards banquet theme to ensure that all your event details fit together.
Minimize the amount of “winging it.”
Don’t put the success of your program entirely into your emcee’s (or CEO’s) hands. Schedule the night accordingly to ensure speeches and transitions are seamless and keep moving. Test all your audiovisual equipment hours (not an hour) before the start of the corporate awards banquet to minimize delays during the program, and to allow for replacement equipment to be located (if needed). Your guests are going to thank you for your efforts later—especially when they’re not attending another boring, tedious corporate award banquet.
