13d • General discussion
Why You Should Always Attend the Awards Ceremony
So you’ve entered an award and made the shortlist, but that voice of doubt is creeping in. The one that makes you unsure about whether to attend the ceremony. The voice that asks;
What if you don’t win?
Firstly, we will always encourage you to ignore that voice and start thinking about what if you do win. But let us reassure you that attending the awards ceremony isn’t just an excuse to get dressed up and go out, it’s a strategic move whether you walk away with the trophy or not.
Showing up puts your brand in the spotlight, connects you with the best in the business, and unlocks long-term value you simply can’t get anywhere else. Here's why…
Real Connections with Real Business Impact
An awards ceremony is not just a dinner and pleasantries. It’s a unique room full of like-minded decision-makers who are actively building remarkable businesses like yours.
You’ll be rubbing shoulders with potential clients, future collaborators or partners, high-quality suppliers, and even the new and upcoming businesses bringing new ideas.
And you’re all there because you've done something excellent, that shared recognition creates instant credibility and trust. Because of that, there's a huge amount of actual business that gets done at awards ceremonies too.
So just by being a finalist and being in the room, that already opens up new opportunities before the ceremony even begins.
Content That Keeps on Giving
In a world where content is king, and people want to see the real people behind the brands they are purchasing from, ceremonies are goldmines for content creators. (Your marketing team will thank you!)
By attending, you’ll have access to:
- Professional photography and video of your team
- Moments you can turn into reels, posts, blogs, or newsletter stories
- Live content from behind-the-scenes stories to bring your audience along with you
You’ll leave with a bank of visuals and experiences that showcase your brand’s credibility, confidence, and culture. Plus if you tag the awards themselves, they are also on the lookout for great content so may share to their audience, giving your brand even more visibility.
And if you do win, well that’s award-winning brand content sorted for the year ahead!
Celebrate Your People
Recognition is powerful and can have a profound impact, in fact research shows that employees who are recognised through external awards are 88% more motivated than those who only get a pay rise.
Entering awards and attending the awards ceremony is the perfect moment to reward your team for the hard work that got you there, motivate them to go further, and reinforce your brand values by celebrating how you got there, as well as the results you’ve achieved.
Outside of your team, you could even invite clients or partners to join your table to share in your moment of recognition. It’s a great way to build relationships and loyalty.
An awards ceremony is about celebrating that journey together, receiving an award is the cherry on top. Not winning doesn’t erase that hard work, and remember, there might be just one point between the winner and second place.
What Happens If You Win… But You’re Not There?
Now, let’s talk about the awkward situation where you don’t attend, and go on to win… but nobody’s there to collect the trophy.
What do you think that says about your brand?
It’s not just an etiquette issue, when every other finalist has shown up to celebrate, your absence can look like disinterest, arrogance, or poor planning… even if that’s not the case.
And we have witnessed winners who don’t show up being booed by the room – talk about bad PR!
So if you are shortlisted, you need to make sure someone is in the room to represent your brand. Better yet, why not bring the team and make a night of it.
Attending an awards ceremony is never a wasted investment – it’s a powerful brand-building opportunity.
Being a finalist in an award and being invited to the ceremony is such an exciting time, but we know it can also bring up those imposter-syndrome thoughts and feelings.
As we’ve shown, even if you don’t win, you walk away with:
- Authentic connections
- High-quality marketing assets
- A stronger, more motivated team
- Increased brand visibility
So next time you’re shortlisted, don’t hesitate. Book the table, bring your team and be in the room.
Entering awards is all about confidence, if you’re going into the process feeling uncertain, that could impact your chance of success. But don’t worry, you can banish the doubt with one easy step: having an awards strategy.
An awards strategy works with your goals in mind, only includes the awards and categories aligned with your strengths, and details all the costs and dates involved – deadlines, shortlist date, and ceremony – so you can get ahead, be prepared, and enter confidently.
Want to learn more about building an awards strategy? Join our next masterclass – find out more here.
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Why You Should Always Attend the Awards Ceremony
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