5 Ideas for Your Next Awards Banquet

5 Ideas for Your Next Awards Banquet

Holding an awards banquet is a great way to celebrate an achievement. The winners get their awards and the guests get an amazing meal. But how do you make it a memorable event and not just another dull gathering?

You might not be able to land a top sportsperson to speak at the event. But there is still plenty that you can do!

We've rounded up five tips to help you make your company's banquet a more creative affair! Read on if you're in charge of banquet planning this year and need some ideas.

1. Choose an Exciting Awards Banquet Theme

Your theme dictates everything else you need to organise for your event. Start there before you plan the details.

Will you go for a medieval banquet theme? That will help you decide on a menu and plan for decorations.

Or would you prefer a glamourous Hollywood theme? Guests get to dress up in their finery. You could even have a red carpet leading up to the entrance to build the excitement before they get inside the venue.

Use the theme to 'brand' the banquet. Choose an invitation design that matches the theme. Then pick out drinks, food, entertainment, and even the type of the awards within that theme.

Sticking to a theme will help guests remember the event. It won't just be another dull banquet in a hotel.

2. Hire Performance Artists Instead of a Band

Maybe a classic swing band suits your theme best. Or perhaps you'd prefer to have a rock band.

Both options are good but they're also 'safe' options. You might have performance artists instead of a band. Guests will remember ballerinas or mime artists more than a stereotypical band.

Dress up the serving staff in similar costumes. Just make sure they stick to your theme to help the banquet feel more cohesive.

Consider hiring a toastmaster to act as your MC. A toastmaster can also help to move along any lucky winners who won't leave the stage quickly enough.

3. Put Your Name in Lights near the Selfie Booth

Having a selfie booth is a great way to involve guests with the theme. Provide props so they can take silly photos.

You could even have a rolling showreel of the photos projected on a wall nearby.

But have your name in lights somewhere in the background. That way, whenever someone posts their selfie on social media, it's extra exposure for your organisation. And it's a great way to show potential guests for future banquets how fun your events are.

4. Pay Attention to Your Stage Design

You don't need to have screens either side of the stage anymore. Try putting smaller screens around the room. That's particularly helpful near the back to make sure people can still see.

Spend some time thinking about what the stage will look like. Incorporate the theme where you can. If your budget won't stretch that far, use grey fabric as a backdrop.

Grey reflects colour better than black so you can use creative lighting to make the backdrop look more expensive.

5. Spend Time Thinking About the Food

It is an awards banquet so put your main focus on the food choices. Do you want a traditional sit-down dinner, with a starter, main course, and dessert?

Or would a buffet better suit your theme? Maybe themed hors-d'oeuvres are a better choice.

The option you choose will affect the order of your programme. You can hand out awards during a sit-down dinner. But you might want to do awards after a buffet, since people at a buffet are more inclined to chat.

Wow Your Guests with Your Awards

Any or all of these ideas will help you wow your guests. They'll be talking about your awards banquet for weeks!

If you're looking for creative awards to hand out at your banquet, get in touch. We're happy to help!