Written by Sarah Christens & Kristen Colavecchia
As the world relaunches their virtual events, we’re here to help you navigate your award ceremony that may have been put on hold. Through Redstone’s vast experience planning and executing 500+ virtual events – with 25+ of them being award ceremonies – we’ve provided our insight on how to keep the virtual ceremony engaging, entertaining, and celebratory for all stakeholders. With our five simple considerations, your next virtual award ceremony is bound to be enjoyed by all!
- Celebrate Award Winners
There are a few ways to celebrate award winners in a virtual format. One option is to let your winners know in advance that they’ve won. When doing so, they can film a pre-recorded acceptance speech to be aired in real time, along with a headshot for all attendees to see.
Alternatively, their colleagues can record a short, heartfelt video of why the award winners deserve this recognition. This is not only a nice surprise for the award winners but can provide an added component typically missing when the events aren’t in person.
Lastly, you can have their physical award delivered for winners to receive ahead of time – either moments before the announcement, or earlier in the day of the award ceremony. This way, it will remain a surprise until the very end. If winners are unable to receive their award in time for the ceremony, there is an opportunity to keep the momentum going and have them take a photo with their award to include in the post-event e-blast.
- Virtual Integrations
At Redstone, we are platform agnostic. However, we do have favourites. We’ve discovered some fun ways to engage the audience and create an elevated experience for all stakeholders through virtual integrations. One fun way to celebrate award winners and engage the audience is through the use of word clouds. These can be done through integrations such as Kahoot, Mentimeter, and Slido. Through virtual integrations and engagement from the audience, auto-populated word clouds can be shared with the audience, and act as a nice take-home image for the winner.
- Entertainment
Virtual events can make for a long day in front of the screen. Whether your award ceremony is after a day of sessions or a stand-alone event, it can greatly benefit from an entertainment break. We have found that live music, whether it’s a DJ, band, or solo artist, is a great way for the mind to reset and for attendees to have some fun.
- Giveaways
Giveaways or swag bags are a great for attendees to feel more involved with the ceremony, especially when everyone is behind a computer screen. Swag bags can be mailed to attendees and include anything from sponsored products such as snacks, drinks, tumblers, noise makers and more!
- Live vs. Pre-Recorded? That is the Question.
When it comes to virtual events, there is always one big question: live or pre-recorded? We’ve done both! There are benefits to each, and ultimately it comes down to your goals and objectives. We’re here to work with you to execute the perfect awards ceremony.
Contact us today to find out how we can help!