Printing, Awards, Promotional Products & Personalized Gifts

Often the task of ordering awards for a corporation or organization falls to a person with little experience in this area. If you are new to purchasing awards and unsure of where to begin, follow these helpful tips to ensure that your awards arrive on time, correctly personalized, and created to honor accomplishment or gratitude to the recipients.

Coordinating an award ceremony or a recognition gala requires planning and detail, be it formal or casual. The following are tips and advice for organizing a memorable and successful event. 

 Make a list of tasks and organize them, such as location, catering, awards, invitations, and program books.

Order awards to arrive more than a week prior to the ceremony. For large orders, add a few extra awards to allow for last-minute changes. Double-check name spellings and titles if the awards will be personalized. 

Choose the appropriate venue and food. Make sure it is in a convenient location for honorees and within your budget. Compare prices for a sit-down dinner and buffet. Although the latter may be less expensive and offer a larger menu, you may decide you don’t want guests standing in long lines to eat. 

Send out invites (include guests if appropriate). At the ceremony, try to seat recipients and their guests in the front rows near the stage. Ensure that the announcer rehearses the list and pronounces each winner’s name correctly. 

If appropriate, encourage recipients to prepare a short "thank-you" speech. 

If it’s a sports award ceremony, considering presenting a slideshow showing highlights from the past season that can play during dinner and just prior to the award presentation.

Hire a professional photographer or videographer to record the event. The only thing recipients like more than receiving an award is a having a picture or short video of them being honored.