Over the years I have attended hundreds of awards presentations and heard the stories of many recipients – some are inspiring, others emotional or just enjoyable.

So, why would you enter and what awards are out there that you can enter?

First up there are event industry awards such as the Australian Event Awards, and those run by the associations such as MEA and EEA. Then there are other industry sector awards for catering, weddings, etc.

Apart from industry awards there are also many awards that are not industry specific – particularly for SMEs. Two national programs are the Telstra Best of Business Awards and the Australian Small Business Champions, while the Local Business Awards celebrate small businesses in NSW and ACT.  There are also many small business awards programs run by local councils and chambers of commerce.

Entering an awards program can be daunting and while there are specialist PR and marketing companies who will do your submission for you I would like to recommend a free training video that looks at awards in general and the ones mentioned above in particular.

In this video Matt Alderton from BX Networking (a sponsor of the Local Business Awards) is interviewed by Dale Beaumont of Business Blueprint.

Access the free 90 min video here where you will learn

• Why it pays to enter business awards and what are the best ones for you
• What are the parts of a submission and how to complete your answers
• 5 tips that cover exactly what the judges look for to find their winners
• The 3 biggest mistakes that will render your submission a waste of time
• Why it’s critical to keep your various social media channels up to date
• Inside tips of what to do at the award night to maximise the experience
• What to do if you win so you can turn the exposure into a flood of leads
• Why it’s okay if you don’t win and why it’s still absolutely worth it

One of Matt’s tips relates to sharing your award photos on social media and the EventPix Realtime system is perfect for getting ready to share professional photos onto attendee’s phones during the event.

EventPix are the official photographers for the Australian Event Awards, the Small Business Champions and the Local Business Awards.