The venue has been chosen, refreshments ordered and guests invited – all that’s left to complete your red carpet event of the year are some dazzling engraved glass trophies.
After weeks, or even months of planning, choosing the right trophies can be the most exciting part of organising an award ceremony. Whether it is a full-blown black-tie affair with a sit-down dinner and champagne, or a bit more of an informal do held in a sports hall or community centre, the reason for the event is the same – to award trophies to deserving recipients. This means that several more choices have to be made before the ceremony is ready to go ahead.
What is the purpose for the award?
There are many reasons that awards are given. Professional achievements such as Salesperson of the Year, Excellence in Customer Service or Design Excellence Award are often a great way not only to recognise someone’s hard work, but also as an incentive for colleagues to reach the same goals. As well as this, there are entertainment, music and sports awards. Holding an award ceremony for aspiring actors and musicians or rising sports stars can boost morale and encourage talent to shine through.
The same can be said for community awards. Often volunteers go unrecognised for the important contribution they make to the community, and many clubs and societies would not exist without the hard work of the volunteers that run them. Being able to say ‘thank you’ with the presentation of carefully chosen engraved glass trophies can be very uplifting for everyone.
Picking a design
The design of any engraved glass trophies will very much depend on the budget available. A high-quality crystal will be far more expensive than glass, and of course the number of trophies required will also affect the budget. However, this does not mean that you have to compromise on quality, as the designs available today can be very attractive and look much more expensive than they actually are. With designs including stars, plaques, abstract shapes of different sizes, and tall elegant columns of solid glass, you will be spoilt for choice, but remember to choose something that is appropriate for the occasion. Presenting something quirky or funny may not be suitable for an industry service award, and could raise a few eyebrows.
Choosing the wording
If you are presenting several awards, the wording on the engraved glass trophies may follow a theme. It could be a very formal ‘For Outstanding Performance’, ‘With Sincere Appreciation’ or ‘In Grateful Recognition’. Then again the wording may be quite informal and light-hearted, such as ‘Star Performer’, ‘Heart of Gold Award’ or ‘10 Years Hard Labour’. The wording should reflect the tone of the ceremony, as well as describing what the award is for.
There can be as much pleasure in presenting awards and trophies as there is in receiving them, with the feel-good factor working both ways. By carefully choosing the right engraved glass trophies to present, any award ceremony can be a dazzling success.