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Nothing can provoke more panic and cause more stress than realizing that the date of an awards ceremony has arrived and the trophies and awards haven’t. Or worse, the trophies and awards arrived all right, but something is wrong with one or more of them.
There are ways to prevent either of these catastrophes (because to the person who was responsible for putting the whole thing together, that’s exactly what they are.) Following the tips below will ensure that trophies and awards are where they need to be when they need to be in the condition they need to be.
First, when making the initial order, make sure that all the information concerning the types of trophies and awards, what is to be engraved on them and the purpose for which they are being used is clearly communicated to the provider. If at all possible, this information should be typed, but if it must be handwritten, it should be printed clearly and neatly.
Don’t be afraid to provide a lot of guidance and instructions with the order. Doing so will actually make you concentrate on the information you are sending, and the provider will appreciate it, too. Even if you find yourself thinking, “The provider should know this. After all, he’s in the business of selling trophies and awards, go ahead and be as explicit as you want to be.
After you have sent the initial order, take the initiative and call the provider a few days after you think he has received the order. Even if the order was sent via e-mail or fax, where receipt should have been almost instantaneous, go ahead and give it a couple of days, then call or send another e-mail or fax.
In this communication, ask directly if there are any questions about any part of the order. At this time, you may want to review some of the information, especially concerning the engraving. Using your copy of the information that you sent the provider, re-submit the information, or if you are speaking by phone, read it to the provider. It never hurts to double-check.
Finally, arrange for the trophies and awards to be sent to you at least a week in advance of the event itself. This will give you time to unpack and examine each piece for errors or oversights. If any are found, they can probably be corrected in plenty of time before the actual event.
A little extra effort on your part at the time of the initial ordering of the trophies and awards, accompanied by a follow-up communication, should ensure that should something go wrong with the event, at least it won’t involve the trophies and awards.
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