By: A few years ago, the Tysons Corner Regional Chamber of Commerce called us about providing a DJ and sound system for their awards ceremony. And what they got, was beyond their wildest dreams.
Since that time, we’ve handled many different corporate events, from speaker panels, to presentations to a few more awards ceremonies. The biggest fear is that the awards ceremony is going to be stuffy and boring. That’s where we come in.
When coordinating a corporate awards ceremony, hire entertainment that’s going to create an enjoyable atmosphere and play music that’s recognizable, upbeat, and may even lead to dancing. Once you get someone dancing, it really breaks the ice and takes the event to a whole new level.
While you probably have a reception, a PowerPoint presentation, and served hors d’oeuvres, adding the element of fun to the event can relax your guests and make it a more enjoyable event, which will attract more people next year, but the short-term gains can also enhance employee morale.
When presenting the awards, using music that connects to the award winner is a good idea. Instead of sticking with the same fanfare, choose something that’s going to work with the recipient. Do they work for IBM? Play 2001: A Spacy Odyssey. But how do you know about this? Ask for the biographies in advance, rather than wait and do it on the fly. We’ve had recipients mention their significant other and play a song associated with their name. We’ve had recipients bring their child up to the dais, and we played a song that tied in there too.
Remember, you’re trying to take an event that has a “stuffy” association, and make it more relateable to the attendees. It’s fairly simple to turn those “oh, this is a boring night” thoughts to, “wow, that was fun, and …” thoughts.
