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Choosing Great Awards

Posted on March 14, 2007 | Filed Under Tips and How To's 

Choosing an appropriate award can sometimes be a daunting task. Some things to keep in mind when selecting a meaningful and memorable award can be found in this article.

Taking into consideration the deed or achievement being rewarded, my favorite solution to making a choice is to apply a simple two-step test. The test I use is, 1) to consider if the award is something that I myself would like to receive and, 2) determine if the item is one which I would display prominently in my own home or office, then there is a very good chance that your award recipient will feel the same.

Another consideration to factor in is the amount of personalization or wording that you want to adorn the award. If you have a lot to say, then you will need to choose an award with plenty of room to do so. Plaques with large engraving areas are usually best for this. Conversely, if the message will be limited to a few words, then a trophy or statue may fit the bill.

A very important aspect when choosing great awards is “Bang for the Buck”. If purchasing only one award this is not such a problem - you have $100.00 to spend on the
Retiring Fire Chief, and that is easy to deal with. However, a purchase involving many awards going to several recipients means you will have to decide how much to spend on each, and with that comes the added burden, in many cases, of setting a dollar value based on award importance. To get the best “Bang for the Buck” it is a good idea to sit down for a few minutes and lay it all out on paper. The total amount of money you have to spend on one side, and all the awards or gifts needed on the other. This is also the time to rank your list of awards by importance or prestige. Now you’ll be able to see exactly what you have to work with and by fiddling with the numbers for a while, will be well armed for your award buying attack.

One last tip for making great award choices is to minimize as best you can, the number of people involved in the selection decision. From many years in the awards business - I can emphatically say that the old adage “Too Many Hands Spoil The Pie” is very much in effect!

Gary Barber - www.FireAwards.com

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