THE PANEL
Maria Duddin sales and marketing director, The Brewery
Helen Horton awards director, Haymarket
Jonathan Rutherfurd Best managing director, Urban Caprice
Andrew Williams events director, Seventeen
What are the key elements needed for producing a successful awards ceremony?
Maria Duddin Create excitement from the outset. Media coverage either via the web, consumer or trade press makes sure that people are aware that the awards are happening. By eliciting interest from the start you should draw a larger audience to the event.
Jonathan Rutherfurd Best It is important to consider the guest profile when thinking about food and drink. One example is a food concept where, instead of having a formal three-course affair, the dinner is a series of grazing platters for guests to help themselves. It means they can eat as little or as much as they like.
Andrew Wilson Getting the right shortlist in front of the right crowd is the key. It's vital that the audience really cares who wins, are there to shout for their corner and respect the whole awards process.
Helen Horton The content is crucial, make your graphics enjoyable for your audience to view - not a basic PowerPoint presentation.
What are the most challenging factors in creating an awards ceremony?
AW There may not always be a lot of time between choosing the winners and the night itself, which can make turning around complex graphics and visuals a challenge. And not all awards ceremonies are formal dinners - for example, the Observer Ethical Awards have an informal party to announce the winners, which can make it trickier to get everyone's attention.
HH Keeping your client, magazines and brand informed and happy is important, as is allowing non-professionals to have an input. Having the courage to tell a client that their idea will not work is always a challenge.
JRB The timing of the ceremony is vital. It is important to make sure all the key guests and likely winners are in the room throughout the ceremony. We've had moments where someone has wanted to nip to the loo just before their award is announced and have had to rejig the ceremony as we went.
How is the success of an awards ceremony measured?
AW Not all measures of the success of an event will be tangible. It's usually easy enough to see whether people are having a good time, but whether they agree with the choice of winners can be a different matter.
MD It really depends on the type of event. For a charity it may be the money raised, yet for a consumer brand with a sponsor it may be all about the column inches, viewers and listener figures garnered.
JRB Nothing is a better indication of a great event than guests wanting to stay and party the night away.
How have the budgets for award ceremonies changed in the past five years?
JRB In recent years we've found that clients are looking to make their budgets go further. The challenge is to come up with impressive designs and talking points that don't cost the earth.
MD There is certainly a greater conscience at the moment when it comes to budgets. Clients need their awards to stand out from their competitors, but at the same time they need to work with the venue and what it has to offer to ensure it is cost effective. I suggest you need to be honest with your budget and use the expertise of the venue to your own advantage.
AW Entries, sponsorship and ticket fees have increased in recent years, with tables of ten now being charged £2,500 almost as standard.
HH Budgets continue to fall in real terms, more is expected for less money, negotiation is tougher. Expectation of the product is higher, they want more awards and more knowledge.
What is the most hostile crowd you have faced at an awards ceremony and how did you counter this?
HH Mostly the problems are caused by very drunk guests who don't want to leave, doing stupid things like dancing on tables, annoying other guests and doing inappropriate things.
MD Let's just say that organisers must be very wary of who they choose to be an after-dinner speaker. I have never seen a room fall silent and empty so quickly than when faced with a ranting TV presenter on a mission for his own goals.
AW We launched an awards project in the media sector last year, which was great fun. That's a crowd that knows how to drink. We had Hardeep Singh-Kohli and Miquita Oliver hosting, who don't take any prisoners, but we still had a mini-stage invasion. One guy who had been shortlisted, but didn't win, took it upon himself to clamber up on stage to try to argue the point with Singh-Kohli. Unfortunately, he was in a category for bloggers and was what you might call 'a bit of a geek'. Needless to say Singh-Kohli had a field day and the audience was in hysterics.
How important is it to have a household name presenting the ceremony? Should this take precedence over the content of the rest of the ceremony?
MD Celebrities will always help to draw the numbers. On the other hand they don't necessarily have anything to do with the brand and can be a complete waste of budget.
HH Depends on the event, the history and your competition. The venue needs to be considered when choosing your presenter. The content and production of the show is more important. It is pointless spending a lot on a presenter for the audience not to hear or see what they are presenting. Thinking laterally can save money.
JRB It's not vital but it does make people feel comfortable and able to read the mood of the event. For example, if you have Kevin Spacey hosting, guests know it will be serious, intelligent and humorous with a real touch of intrigue, whereas if you have Justin Lee Collins guests know they will have unscripted innuendo, sexual conflict and a lot of banter.
Finally, what is the most impressive award ceremony you have witnessed that wasn't your own and why?
MD The Grammys - this is a showcase and goes well beyond the UK's expectations.
JRB The Creative Vision Awards in New York, which honoured people in the creative arts industry. It was impressive because it was a co-ordination of the talents of many creative artists. It made for a night of amazing experiences on a seemingly unlimited budget.
HH Recently, I attended the Mercury Music Prize Awards. They were impressive because they were for the consumer, with live acts, different stages, very rock 'n'roll, and on TV.
AW There are two that spring to mind at opposite ends of the event spectrum. The Shockwave NME Awards always have a slightly unhinged quality to them, and the 'Godlike Genius' award has got to be the highlight of any band's career. I also love the Teaching Awards, simply for the human story behind all of the winners.
EXPERTS' CHOICE
The experts from our awards ceremonies club reveal their favourite venues and suppliers for producing the perfect event
VENUES
Maria Duddin
Indigo2
Matter
Old Billingsgate
Roundhouse
Royal Courts of Justice
Helen Horton
Grosvenor House
London Hilton on
Park Lane
The Hurlingham Club
The Royal Lancaster
Jonathan Rutherfurd Best
Banqueting House
Hayward Gallery
Natural History Museum
Roundhouse
Royal Horticultural Halls
SUPPLIERS
Maria Duddin
Contraband;
Creative Draping;
Hybrid;
Ingredients;
PSLL
Helen Horton
First Image
H2 Business Communications
JLA
The Kew Workshop Company;
Stage Electrics
Jonathan Rutherfurd Best
Chatterbox;
Coloursonic;
ESC;
Harlequin Flooring;
Laurent-Perrier