Awards Dinner Venue Nottingham

Your actionable 8-step plan for the perfect awards ceremony

1. Set your budget

As with planning any event, it is easy to let spending spiral out of control if no one is there keeping an eye on it. The best way to keep costs to a reasonable level is to start by setting a preliminary budget.

As the planning progresses, you may find this initial budget impractical and you have to request additional funds. However, it is always smart to set an initial budget to avoid costs ballooning quickly out of control.

2. Select your venue

The venue is one of the most integral parts of hosting a memorable awards dinner in Nottingham. You should, of course, think practically with regards to location, but you do not want to underwhelm your guests.

Our stunning Lakeside Pavilion has seen many a successful awards night over the years. 

The venue is the first thing your guests will see, and if chosen correctly, a stunning awards ceremony location will set the tone for the evening. You should be prepared for this to be the largest expenditure of the night and allocate your budget accordingly.

3. Choose the entertainment

You need to bear in mind that not everyone present at the ceremony will be receiving an award or will even be nominated. As such, adding in entertainment makes the evening special and memorable for everyone present.

You have a lot of choice with regards to entertainment and are limited only by your budget and the size of the venue. Here’s some inspiration to help you with this part of the planning:

– Circus performers
– Comedian
– Live music
– Magician
– Casino games

5. Don’t forget the food and drinks

It almost goes without saying, but your guests will expect to be fed at the ceremony! You could include a buffet; however, if the budget allows it, then a proper 5-course dinner would leave more of an impression.

Of course, guests will likely want access to drinks throughout the evening as well. You could provide some complimentary drinks with the meal, but guests will usually be happy to buy further drinks from a bar available on-site. After a few well-earned cocktails, everyone is sure to have a good evening.

6. Who will be hosting and speaking?

Finding the right host is an integral part of a seamless awards ceremony. Hosting such an event is no minor task, as it requires them to adhere to strict timing and scheduling, whilst also entertaining and amusing the crowd.

If this is a corporate event, then having bosses and managers get up to speak at certain parts is certainly a good plan. However, you may want to bring in professional outside help from an experienced host who can execute the plan you lay out for them.

7. Draw up a marketing plan

The extent of your marketing plan will depend largely on the exact nature of your awards ceremony. If it is to celebrate achievements in a certain industry, then you will want some sort of marketing plan to reach out to interested people who would like to attend.

Nowadays, social media offers a very affordable and powerful way of reaching the majority of your target audience. Even if your awards ceremony is a closed event for your organisation, then some degree of promotion will at least help to create buzz and excitement around the event.

8. Stick to the plan!

Once you’ve drawn up your plan, you then have the most difficult task of all: sticking to it. You will need to commit to putting in the hours and sorting as much as you can as early on as possible.

This may mean bringing in a team of people to help organise and execute the night you have planned. Be sure to brief everyone involved on what it is you’d like done, and perhaps give ownership of certain tasks to those who are best skilled at such jobs.

5 Common pitfalls to avoid

To help make the night run as smoothly as possible, here are 5 of the biggest awards ceremony pitfalls you should avoid.

– Use engraved awards instead of bog-standard generic ones
– Plan the event well in advance, rather than leaving it until the last couple weeks
– Be sure to test all equipment before the big night
– Check beforehand that you know how to pronounce everyone’s names
– Don’t let individual ceremonies drag on (be respectful of everyone’s time and patience)

Getting started today

We’ve already mentioned that the biggest expense of the night, and the thing that will make or break your ceremony, is the venue that you select. You want somewhere that is large enough to comfortably accommodate all your guests, whilst at the same time giving off that feeling of grandeur.

That is where we at Colwick Hall come in. With the ability to hold a substantial number of guests, and set amidst 60 acres of beautiful surrounding woodland, we are certainly the perfect awards dinner venue available today in Nottingham.

We have plans and pricing that can be tailored to your needs, as well as room to host entertainment, a full sit-down dinner and a fully stocked bar. To find out more, and to help get your planning off to a great start, simply complete the form below.