3 Ways to Win at Your Next Virtual Awards Ceremony

Nothing beats the anticipation, suspense, and celebratory punch of a well-produced awards show – whether it’s the Academy Awards or a corporate sales recognition event honoring your top performers.

At Brandlive, we’ve helped throw a wide range of virtual awards ceremonies, from the apparel industry’s American Image Awards and the venture capital world’s NEVY Awards, to the 100 Women in Finance gala and the Tech Titans Awards honoring the top technology leaders in Texas.

What can you learn from these successful online awards ceremonies? How can you take what they did and apply it to your next awards bash?

1. Make it feel special.For starters, together with our clients, our goal is to create something memorable, intentional, and meaningful. We’re as thoughtful about the look, feel, content, and flow of the streaming events as we would be for an in-person awards ceremony. This results in events that truly feel special – with dedicated websites, custom branding, pre-produced video segments, and eye-catching graphics. Attendees may have been watching from their living rooms, but they still felt like they were part of an exclusive – and inclusive – group.

1. Embrace the format.Our clients also fully embrace and leverage the virtual format. Unlike the Emmys or the Tonys – shows that audiences can only watch passively – a Brandlive-driven virtual awards ceremony can make attendees part of the show. The chat functionality lets viewers cheer on their favorite nominees and react to each other’s comments- in words or gifs. Polls and quizzes drive viewer engagement and build suspense. And the ceremony’s presenters feel comfortable and poised in the Greenroom – with presenter tools like in-ear producer comms, chat, and teleprompter notes.

1. Make it as exclusive as you like.Planning a virtual ceremony that includes content you don’t want to share with the outside world? For the truly red carpet experience, make sure only authorized attendees with secure access credentials are allowed beyond the velvet rope.

   You can do all that – and more – with a robust platform like Brandlive’s Events. With Events, your online awards ceremony will be an experience like no other.

   Now … who do you think ought to be the leading nominee for this year’s Top Virtual Awards Ceremony Platform?