Here at Ultimate Experience, we love nothing more than heading down to the unique events which are put on year round across the city. It’s always a thrill to see what great new ideas are being implemented at launches, conferences, award ceremony events and more, and when it comes to our own events, we’re all about thinking outside the box, and getting creative with our planning.
This is especially true when it comes to unique fundraising events like award ceremonies. By their very nature, award ceremonies are supposed to be fun, exciting, and a time to celebrate and recognise the hard work of employees, partners, clients, and those who deserve a big round of applause. As such, they’re the perfect opportunity to flex your creative muscles, and start planning something truly spectacular.
Innovative events are those which go the extra mile, and unique events can’t be unique with the same old tired formulas. As such, this week’s blog is going to be all about introducing some popular, fun, and winning ideas and approaches, which are aimed at raising the standard of your next awards ceremony event, and ensuring that everyone has a rip-roaring time worthy of a trophy. You’ll benefit from heightened engagement, a better ROI, and plenty of positive social media posts zipping their way across the networks. What’s more, your unique event will give everyone involved the kind of night out they really deserve. What’s not to love?
So, without any further ado, let’s take a closer look at seven tried-and-tested award ceremony event ideas, which are guaranteed to hit all the right notes. Enjoy!
Book a Funny MC
Your MC or host is the cohesive glue that sticks your whole awards ceremony together. Just take a look at the world’s biggest awards ceremonies – the Oscars, the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs etc – and consider which type of people they usually get up on the podium to keep the energy flowing. Do they employ the heads of industry, or senior managers, or professional speech-givers? No, far from it. Instead, they get bonafide entertainers and comics to take the reins. Why? Because such people have the energy and charisma, needed to keep the ceremony whistling along at the right pace, and the attitude and jokes required to keep everyone engaged and having a great time. Booking a funny MC – whether a professional comedian for hire, or another type of entertainer – is the perfect way to ensure your unique event has the perfect level of energy to get everyone through each and every category. Give it a try and see the results for yourself!
Neil Patrick Harris (2015)
Include a ‘Lifetime Achievement’ Award
Take your cues from all of the big award ceremonies in the world, and be sure to include some prizes which go above and beyond the usual corporate categories. Recognising the long-term commitment and dedication of one particular individual is a brilliant way to add real authenticity to your event, and a lifetime achievement (or similar) award is the perfect way to achieve this. Make sure it’s somebody that everyone present can agree upon, and be sure to offer a fantastic prize which reflects the award’s significance.
Adopt a unique and memorable theme
Make no mistake, your awards ceremony event will be made all the more exciting, entertaining, and immersive with the inclusion of a theme. Your theme gives you the opportunity to tie all the various strands of your event together; once you’ve settled on a theme, you’ll have a clearer idea of what to do about catering options, decoration, dress codes, music, entertainment… and believe us, it’ll make your life a whole lot easier.
Why not go all-out Hollywood Glamour and have a red carpet or Oscars theme to your event? Or head back in time to the luxury of yesteryear with a 1920s bash or Great Gatsby theme? If your event is close to a particular holiday or during a particular time of year, you could give it a seasonal slant, or you could go with something totally different. Whatever you choose, you’ll be grateful you took this route both during the planning stages, and during the event itself.
Pick an awesome venue
Want to really capture that ‘wow-factor’ when your attendees come along to your awards ceremony event? Heighten the whole occasion with a venue which really stands out from the ordinary, and gives everybody plenty to explore and enjoy during their attendance.
Here in London, we have access to some truly phenomenal venues which are suitable for events of all types and sizes. Just imagine the look on your guests faces, for example, when they walk into the main hall of Old Billingsgate (where they’ll have the chance to watch the ceremony in truly spectacular period settings), or when they walk through the doors of a venue like Plaisterers’ Hall, with its jaw-dropping Neoclassicist decor and furnishings. For outdoor summer ceremonies, there are also plenty of fantastic options to consider, such as the truly iconic Pavilion at the Tower of London. By holding your unique event in an equally unique venue, you’ll be able to take your awards ceremony to new heights of excitement and wonder – so don’t pass up the opportunity to do so!
Plaisterers’ Hall, EC2
Create a signature cocktail
Nothing screams sophistication like a signature cocktail on offer at your unique fundraising event. Booking a professional mixologist or cocktail master at your awards ceremony is a fool-proof way of adding instant glamour, and that sense of luxury is heightened even further when you’ve curated a new cocktail that reflects your event. Many event organisers like to create cocktails which feature corporate colours, and – unless your corporate colours are something seriously out of the ordinary – this shouldn’t be a particularly difficult thing to achieve. Just make sure it tastes as good as it looks, that you have a non-alcohol version for those who prefer a clearer head in the morning, and that you can make large batches of it to share around!
Use special effects and visuals
You want your unique event to be as visually impressive and spectacular as possible. As such, why not bring in some genuine special effects and visual wonders, to ensure that there’s always plenty to do and see, and to make the event an immersive and atmospheric one?
Huge leaps have been made recently with innovations like projection mapping for events, which allows you to completely transform your venue into a visual wonderland of colours, lights, and video footage. Projection mapping offers a new frontier of special effects for event venues, and it’s impossible to be left unimpressed by the impact this technology can have. If you’re looking for more affordable options, laser shows, projections, smoke and haze machines, and even bubble machines can bring a sense of ambience and fun to your event, too. Check out our special effects team at Full Circle, to get an idea of their full range of amazing visual additions for your event!
Be creative with your swag
Your innovative event will need an equally innovative swag bag for your attendees to take away with them. However, we’ve seen more disappointing swag bags that we’d care to mention, so be sure to think carefully before choosing the items you’ll be giving away to your guests. Don’t fall into the trap of stuffing a carrier bag with branded plastic items like keyrings and flash drives (seriously, who still uses flash drives?) and go for items which are actually going to be appreciated, used, and cherished instead. High quality snacks and drinks, portable chargers, vouchers, and decent clothing is always appreciated, so feel free to think outside the box when it comes to your giveaways, just as much as you do for all the other aspects of your event!
Explore Unique Event Ideas for Award Ceremonies Today!
As we’ve seen, there’s no shortage of different ways to add a real sense of pizzazz and spectacle to your next award ceremony event, and all it really takes is a bit of creative thought, a touch of inspiration from industry leading events, and plenty of effort and drive. By implementing some or all of these ideas, you’ll surely end up with an awards ceremony that’s really and truly worthy of excitement and anticipation, and which will make those awards all the sweeter when they’re given and received.
At Ultimate Experience, we know the value of innovative events more than most. Over the years, we’ve risen to the top of our industry as a result of our creativity and drive to bring truly exciting events to our clients and the public. If you’d like to find out more about what we do, and how we can help you make your next event stand out from the crowd, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to hear from you soon!