Are awards important and are they worth the pain of entering?

Over the years we have taken great pleasure in watching our events help our clients to win various Purple Apple Marketing Awards but we have never before independently entered any awards in our own industry. We’ve always been put off by what is a lengthy, resource heavy and incredibly detailed process. Time is precious in any business but you have to be in it to win it right? But are awards important and are they worth the pain of entering? This year we dipped our toe in the pool to find out with these five:

Prolific North Awards
UK Agency Awards
Event Awards
Northern Marketing Awards
The Drum UK Event Awards*

How to choose which awards are right for you?

With so many awards out there, it can be a tough decision choosing which one or more to enter. My advice is to do the research, check back over past winners and see if theirs is the company you want to keep. Ask the team and your clients what their perceptions are and, if the fit matches, then go for it.

Will the gain outweigh the pain?

It’s the question on everyone’s lips! Recognition is an endorsement, but simply being nominated or shortlisted offers a new level of credibility and can be helpful in positioning your business as industry leaders. It also shows a certain work ethic and dedication that’s reassuring to your existing clients, reinforcing their loyalty.

Bringing home a trophy is next level stuff. It raises awareness of your brand and sets you apart from the competition. It’s a clear message to everyone that your business delivers award-winning services. This new found visibility is attractive to clients, new business leads and potential investment opportunities.

Approval, reward and recognition from your peers are also a massive morale boost for the team and goes a long way in retaining and attracting the best new employee talent. Who doesn’t love letting their hair down and celebrating their achievements at a glitzy evening ceremony? Trust me, those events are 10 times better if you win!

Results.

It’s been a hell of a journey but one that’s paid off for us. The process has been entirely worth it. We were shortlisted in four of the five awards we entered. We’ll hear about the fifth later today (fingers crossed). And, we won one!

But… now we have broken the seal or opened the floodgates so-to-speak, there’s the added pressure of keeping up the momentum. For now, we’re celebrating and riding the wave of success into 2017 where, fingers crossed, we’ll manage to repeat it.