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Are you hosting an awards show!? Well, you’ve a lot on your plate! But, so long as you know a few top tips, you’ll have a great time organising it and an even better time seeing it happen. Here’s how to plan your awards show so well that everyone will be talking about it for a long time afterwards…
Nail down a plan
First things first – you need a plan. It will set out what you want to achieve, what your budget is, and how you’re going to tell whether it was a success or not. Once you have a clear understanding of these things, drill deeper into the specifics by outlining:
- the number of guests you’re inviting (perhaps even who they are at this point too – nominees and winners must be on this list, of course!)
- the date of the awards show (or a least a rough guess if you’re not quite sure yet)
- the kind of ‘tone’ you want to set for the show
- the awards that are going to be handed out, and who the winners will be.
Pick a good venue and theme
Then, you need to pick your location. Decide where the best place is to host the show, considering factors like how easily accessible it is, transport links, proximity to hotels, and how easily your other suppliers (such as caterers, for instance) can reach it. Just bear in mind that the location you choose may be determined by the venue you want to host the awards show in – by their very nature, awards shows are exciting, glamorous and ‘exclusive’, so your venue will need to reflect this.
Having a theme is a good idea too: it will generate a particular kind of excitement and anticipation for the event, and it will help to inform other choices such as the food, music and decorations you go for.
Find judges
Hosting an awards show means that you’ll need to apportion plenty of time to drumming up excitement about the nominees, handing out the awards, and allowing time for acceptance speeches. That’s where one really important factor of planning comes in: the judges!
The judges you choose will impact the ‘integrity’ of your awards show, so you’ll need to make sure that the people you choose are qualified to pass judgement in their field. Secure judges who are well-respected, well-known and have won awards themselves if you can.
It’s also really important that you can trust your chosen judges to adjudicate fairly and impartially, as well as giving some thought to blend of personalities on a panel… everyone loves a ‘baddie’, so be sure to book a judge who’s hard to please, as well as one who dishes out compliments and kindness too!
Organise a VIP guest
Another way to ensure the success of your awards show is to organise for a VIP guest to hand out some special awards. Don’t reveal the identity of the guest before the show (a little bit of mystery is perfect for whipping up anticipation and excitement about attending!), and enjoy the surprise and delight on your guests’ faces when your VIP celeb walks out on stage. You can hire celebrities such as Omid Djalili if you book through Speakers Corner, for instance, injecting your awards show with tons of energy, humour and hilarity.
Give some thought to context, though; an awards show centred around food might benefit from a celebrity chef, whereas an awards show centred around sport might be best served by booking an Olympic athlete, for instance.
Keep the pace up during the awards section
Give some thought to how you’re going to keep the pace going – people can get bored during awards ceremonies, so think about peppering the schedule with entertainers, games and food to keep people from slipping away quietly!
Follow these tips for a successful awards ceremony, and have a great time!
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