Holding an award ceremony can be a great way to recognize those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty at work, in sports, or in other social circles. In any case, it also serves as a way to reward desired behavior and give people something to strive for. Using the right strategy, an award ceremony is much more than just recognizing one or several people. It is an important community-building activity. Let’s go over the steps you should follow when planning an award ceremony.
Determining What Behavior to Reward
An award is basically the “carrot” part of the old “sticks and carrots” saying regarding behavior modification techniques. This being the case, your award ceremony should be designed to reward desired behavior of some kind. This could be an achievement in a sport, meeting certain goals at work, winning a contest, or creating an outstanding piece of artwork. Whatever the case may be, make sure your awards ceremony is geared towards acknowledging and rewarding the behavior you want to encourage.
Arranging the Ceremony
Once the purpose, criteria, and recipient of the award have been decided, you then need to plan out your ceremony. This is more effective than casually giving out the rewards because hosting a ceremony increase the perceived value of the awards and makes them more desirable. In any case, let’s review some of the most critical aspects of arranging the awards ceremony.
1. Who to Invite
The very first thing you need to decide is who to invite to your award ceremony. Obviously, those receiving the awards will be invited, but you’ll also need an audience as well to make the event seem like a big deal. The friend and family of those receiving the awards are a good choice, and their coworkers and/or fellow athletes can also be a good idea.
Something else to keep in mind is that many of your recipients may have children. If this is the case, you may want to make arrangements such as creating a separate children’s section where the kids can be supervised and entertained while the ceremony is going on so that they’re taken care of and not in the way.
2. Time and Place
The next thing you need to do is choose the time and place of the ceremony. Ideally, this will be in a location and at a time that is convenient for those who you plan on inviting. The more accessible your ceremony is, the more people will show up.
3. Entertainment and Catering
If you’re hosting a larger ceremony, then planning entertainment and catering can be a smart move to keep your guests from getting bored. You should also plan an intermission time as well to give them a chance to stretch their legs a bit if the ceremony is going to last several hours.
Something else to consider is the fact that your entertainment and catering can fit a certain theme that you choose for your ceremony. Examples of themes include a fancy masquerade, medieval times, or a theme revolving around a specific sport. While you don’t necessarily have to have a specific theme, it can make things more fun for your guests and get you a higher attendance rate.
4. Choosing the Awards
It wouldn’t be an award ceremony without actual awards. In many cases, giving out crystal awards is a great option since they are relatively cheap to produce, highly customizable, and visually striking. In any case, the awards should be something that your recipients will be proud to take home.
Also, you may want to consider giving your recipients prizes in addition to the awards you’ll be handing out. This could be anything from cash prizes, vouchers, gift cards, and branded merchandise. It just depends on the nature of your ceremony and what you’re giving awards for.
Make Your Award Ceremony Fun for All
The key to hosting a successful award ceremony is to make sure that everyone is having a good time. The last thing you wants is a boring ceremony that leaves your guests checking the time on their watches or phones. Make sure that your presenters are lively and good at their job, and make your recipients feel comfortable when they’re on stage. Music and/or activities that encourage audience participation can also be a great way to keep everyone interested in what’s going on.
