How to win a Bath Life Award

Transcription

1 How to win a Bath Life Award

2 Agenda Welcome Greg Ingham How to win an Award Practical tips Judges Perspective John Law & Marcus Whittington Q&A

3 2016 Biggest ever Awards! 260 Nominations 500 guests Nearly 100 on waiting list 14 Sponsors 10 Partners 19 Categories

4 2017: Categories Arts Business Services Café/Coffee Shop Charity Cocktail/Bar Creative Education Event Gastropub Hair & Beauty Health Interiors Legal & Financial Leisure & Tourism New Business Property Restaurant Retailer Technology & Innovation New! Platinum Award

5 Key dates Noms open 1 st November 2016 Ticket sales open 8 th November 2016 Finalists revealed 17 th January 2017 Finalists Reception 2 nd February 2017 Bath Life Awards 23 rd February 2017 Winners Dinner March 2017

6 Headline Sponsor

7 Category Sponsors

8 1. Take time on your Nomination Don t leave it until the deadline Think about what makes 2016 stand out Start gathering testimonials

9 2. Give measures of success We ve had a great year is not enough! Be specific Judges want indications of success Higher sales, more people, new product, new service, award winning..?

10 3. Awards are open to all Free to enter Any company can win previous Winners, first time, advertisers, non-advertisers Check categories & criteria on site Consider all categories; if in doubt, check with us

11 4. Make sure you qualify Need to be in Bath area (no tape measures though!) If near, main business focus needs to be Bath New companies need to have started no earlier than July 1 st 2015 Cited activity needs to be in 2016 itself: previous excellence rarely counts

12 5. Avoid empty claims Saying We re the best in Bath lacks content. Say how Our quality goes without saying won t work. Explain why We re second to none most think that!

13 6. Update your website After your nomination and possible visits, it s what judges look at Check it s fully up to date, especially News & About Make sure links works Check content tallies with nomination Polish it! It s your shop window (And MediaClash can help btw)

14 7. Social media: be active (or absent) If you claim close customer engagement, make sure your tweets are frequent and recent If you cite social media as a marketing strength, make sure it is Doing little, with out of date activity, can be worse than doing nothing

15 8. Gather testimonials One thing to say you re great another to have others say it Don t just say, Check out TripAdvisor. Do the legwork, provide the specifics Make sure testimonials are from 2016

16 9. Use Twitter proactively for support If you ll be entering, stick it out there ask for customers support Use it to gain testimonials Always

17 10. Don t forget your supporting material You can submit supporting material along with your nomination Your supporting material can be a maximum of four sides of A4 Please note we will not accept additional supporting material at the Finalist stage

18 11. Keep February 23 rd clear! Just imagine how great it would feel to win a Bath Life Award and what your team would think and how you could use it for promotion

19 12. Awards process Companies self-nominate Use nomination form on Awards website Shortlist is drawn up, Finalists announced Independent judges meet and discuss at length Winners revealed on the night

20 Former Awards Judges John Law, Woodhouse & Law Marcus Whittington, Bath Boutique Stays

21 From a Judge s perspective Think about the different mix of people judging. From accountants to designers The bigger picture. It s not all down to the bottom line How have you contributed to life in the city? Charity events, work experience etc. How is it best to present your entry? It really is impartial!

22 What does it mean to Win? Being a Winner really does impact on your business Increase in awareness of our brand and recognition by clients Opportunity to promote to clients and customers (physically, digitally) Long-term value: you ll always be a Winner! And opportunity to go to the Winners Dinner

23 13. Independent Judges decide Judges are chosen from all sectors of Bath business and life The Judges decide, not Bath Life Any conflicts of interest are declared No Judge can be involved in a category where they are a Finalist

24 14. Judging process Judges get a pack of Finalists (it s massive!) This is given out 10 days before Judgement Day Judges are encouraged to visit the more visitable (eg, especially retail and hospitality) Likewise prompted to look at websites

25 15. Judgment Day Nine judges, one room, hard decisions All Finalists carefully considered Alpha-male, being too definitive too early is strongly discouraged!

26 16. Judging Approach Much discussion After discussions of all, stronger Finalists remain as possible Weaker ones are dropped Advocates asked to make case for each More discussion. Simple majority usually not enough Vote then revote then revote then choice!

27 17. Decision process Judges usually have their expected Winners, prior to session Typically these change sharply, during the discussion Judges very respectful of each other Wisdom of crowds approach: collective choices stronger than individual

28 18. Judgement criteria Heed the Top Tips! Seeking best with what a company is seeking to achieve (e.g. street food vs haute cuisine) So larger won t necessarily beat smaller (e.g. RUH vs two person Yoga School) Strong preference for indies, though majors can win If equal, sometimes preference is for a first time Winner But perception of quality is what matters whether a former Winner or not

29 19. And the Winner is Adrenaline rush on night (& speech!) Window stickers and digital assets Winners Dinner in March Coverage in Bath Life

30 20. Some closing tips Imagine what it s like wading through the pack! Keep message succinct avoid rambling and repetition Please don t over-claim but do put your best case forward Good luck!

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