It’s Halloween! How to avoid an awards horror show…
Trick or treat?! Don’t worry, we’re not really going to dress up as a ghost and ‘boo’ you, but here at AwardStage we do have lots of tricks up our sleeves to make sure that your awards are a treat for everyone involved. We’ve put together some terrifyingly good tips on what not to do, to make your awards programme less of a hair-raising ordeal and more of a heavenly experience (sorry, we’ll stop the Halloween references now).
Don’t leave it until the last minute
They say ‘by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail’, and when it comes to awards programmes at least, they’re right. The success of an awards programme is all in the planning. While here at AwardStage you can put together an awards site in a matter of hours, we much prefer a timescale with a bit of breathing space to allow for the inevitable changes, and also so you can test your set up thoroughly – so think through each stage and give yourself plenty of time, to avoid any excess grey hair!
Don’t make the entry form too complex
There’s nothing like a mammoth form to put people off filling it in, so try and make yours as straightforward as possible, while gleaning all the information you need, obviously. Do you really need to know the hour at which the entrant was born?
Don’t overcomplicate the judging process
Judges are busy people, so the last thing you want to do is make their job tedious and time consuming. Provide them with the key information they need to make their decisions, and make the scoring system straightforward – that way, they’re more likely to come back next year (not to mention say nice things about you to their friends).
Don’t make it difficult for entrants to upload files
No one wants to see the spinning wheel of doom when they’re frantically trying to finish their entry, so make sure you use a powerful platform that can cope under the pressure of numerous participants uploading large files, images and videos.
Don’t forget to celebrate
The best bit about awards is bringing people together to celebrate success. Whether it’s a traditional ceremony or something less conventional, be sure to recognise the achievements and efforts of everyone involved – and don’t forget to shout about it on all your social channels too.
And finally, don’t stress!
In something of a spooky coincidence (here we go again…), we at AwardStage are here to help with all of the above! We know that running an awards programme can send chills down your spine but it’s our mission to turn what could be a scary nightmare into a dreamy experience.
Find out how we can help by watching our short welcome video, or book a demo with one of our friendly team – we’re really not that frightening, we promise!