August 2012

You know you want to recognize a special employee with an award.  They’ve worked hard, they deserve it.  But what do you have engraved on the award?  How do you make sure the award is worded just right?  This isn’t always easy.  We get asked for assistance with this quite a bit.

General Tips for the Message

Keep in mind that your recipient's plaque or award will be displayed forever; on a shelf, wall, desk or bookcase.  Make your message stand out.

Make sure it’s reflective of what they are being recognized for.

If your award will be announced in front of an audience; keep it short, sweet and clever.

Make it catchy and memorable, not long and drawn out.

Having a sense of humor is fine, but make it tasteful if you choose to go this route.

Read your award phrase out loud before printing it on the gift.

Always include the date the award is presented, or at a minimum, the year.

Wording will normally be centered, unless you specify otherwise.

Include your company’s logo if possible.

Use a motivational quote that is meaningful to your company or the individual.

Typical Format

Here are a few wording examples for various types of awards.

Leadership, Service and Retirement Awards

In Appreciation of
Twenty Years
of
Outstanding and Loyal Service
to XYZ Widget Company

***

In Recognition of Your

Outstanding Efforts in Keeping

Our Systems Operational

24x7x365 in 2011

***

The difference between success and

Failure is often determined by one's

Dedication. Your undying commitment

To our company's success has

Earned you our highest esteem.

***

In Grateful Appreciation For Your

Outstanding & Dedicated Service

To The People in Your Community

***

NAME

ON BEHALF OF ALL THE WORKERS AT

Jamba Juice

WE WISH TO THANK FOR YOUR FINE EXAMPLE OF LEADERSHIP. YOU ARE THE #1 BOSS!

Sales Awards

In Recognition of Your

Outstanding Sales Performance

in Selling the Greatest Number of

Licenses in 2011

***

Congratulations On Attaining 125%

Of Your Sales Goal for 2011

***

Other Award Ideas

FOR ACHIEVING THE IMPOSSIBLE AND BREAKING THE COMPANY SAFETY RECORD

Target

CONGRATULATES

Name

***

FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO OUR TEAM AND YOUR DEDICATION OF TIME,

The Eagles

WOULD LIKE TO THANK

Coach Name

FOR LEADING OUR TENNIS TEAM TO VICTORY IN

Year

My most important tip?  Spend some time on the wording.  The recipient has done something wonderful for your company or organization.  Make it meaningful.   Speak from the heart.

Note:  My next blog article will be sharing with you how to get that engraving to us.  Look for it on Thursday.

Blessings, Anne

What Does Acrylic Award Or Perpetual Plaque Mean Anyway?

You’re looking online for an award for your organization.  As you’re reading the description, it says something like “Made of acrylic, this product stands 6 inches tall with a metallic silver resin insert”.  What the heck is resin?  Or acrylic?  These and other common trophy terms will be described below, hopefully making it easier to decide what trophy to buy.

This is an example of a soccer figure , blue column, and white base with a gold engraving plate.

Acrylic:  This clear plastic material resembles glass.  However, it’s stronger, lighter, and safer than glass, as it won’t shatter.  It comes in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes; it engraves easily, making it a great material for awards.

Base:  The base is the bottom of the trophy, what the figure and/or column is attached to.  Some common materials for bases include plastic, wood, or marble.  The engraving usually goes on the base.

Column:  The column is the colored cylinder that gives a trophy height. It goes between the figure and the base.  Available in a variety of colors, a column can be cut to any size, making trophies customizable.

Figure:  This is the person in action, star, or sports symbol that is attached to the top of a trophy.  Figures can be of any sport or activity – we have over 1000 different figure types at our Awards Factory.  There are also generic figures that can be customized with a mylar insert.

Engraving:  The engraving is the personalized etching that goes on the trophy.  Engraving is either etched directly into the product or is etched onto a metal plate, which is then attached to the award.

This chili award is an example of a medal with a mylar insert.

Mylar insert:  A mylar insert is a fancy name for a sticker.  Usually round, these stickers are thicker and stronger than regular stickers, with super sticky adhesive.  They are carefully placed in either figures or medals to make them colorful and customizable.

Medals or Medallions:  These are the same thing.  They are round awards that hang around someone’s neck or can be displayed on a stand.  Made of a metal alloy in gold, silver, or bronze, most medals also come with a colorful neck drape.  Some medals can be customized with the addition of a mylar insert in the middle.

Perpetual:  A perpetual award is one that continues indefinitely.  It goes on and on.  So, for example, an employee of the month plaque with a few years’ worth of names would be an example of a perpetual award.   A new name is added each month.  Another common perpetual award is a Fantasy Football Trophy, with the names of the winners added each year to the base of the trophy.

Our monster trophy has a resin top and perpetual base. Engraved plates with winner's names are added to the sides each year.

Plaque:  A plaque is a common corporate award that usually hangs on a wall.  Usually made of wood (and sometimes acrylic), plaques are flat with a large space for personalization.  Engraving is done on a metal plate and then attached to the front of the plaque.  Many plaques are perpetual, with lots of smaller plates that can be added over time.

Plate:  The plate is where the engraving goes.  Usually made of brass, aluminum or another metal, the plate  is attached to an award with strong adhesive tape.

Resin:  Resin is a synthetic compound that hardens into a pewter-looking statue.  It’s heavy, usually silver in color, and can be cast into almost any shape.  Many sports trophies are made of resin.

I hope this helps lessen confusion about the terms we use!  If you have any questions or comments, or want to know about a different term I didn’t include, please comment below.  Thanks for reading!

Cheers, Jessica

A perfect 1st Anniversary Gift

Happy Wedding Anniversary!

It used to be the 1^st wedding anniversary gift was paper, the 2^nd was cotton, the 3^rd was leather, and so on.  Now there is a modernized version of the wedding anniversary gift list.  And I like it!  You get way better stuff earlier in your marriage.  (Oh, and you can give way better stuff too.)  Here are some of the best exchanges as far as I am concerned:

1^st Anniversary. Who needs paper?  How about clocks instead?  We have an amazing assortment of clocks, all sizes and prices.

3^rd Anniversary is crystal rather than leather.  OK a leather jacket would be pretty cool, but I’d also love a crystal vase.   Or even better, a crystal heart with a very special message engraved on it.

Glass is also an option for the 3^rd anniversary.  Have you seen our Art Glass?  These pieces will make a statement in any room of your home or in your office.

6^th Anniversary is Wood.  Traditionally it has been candy or iron.  Really?  Wood is a great substitute.  Check out this Piano Finish Box.  I could put some lovely stuff in there.  Or how about this Elegant Wine Bottle Box. We engrave right on the lid.  The tools are included but you need to pick up your own favorite bottle to put in it.

For the 7^th anniversary, desk sets are in.  For the executive, we have many sets.  But maybe your sweetie doesn’t have an official desk.  Better to get an Engraved Bamboo Pen with an Engraved Bamboo Pen Case as an on-the-go desk set.

The 25^th anniversary is still silver.  Can't go wrong with silver.  Check out one of our Silver Trays or this beautiful Silver Flame Crystal.

Let us know if you’d like help finding that special wedding anniversary gift for your special someone. We’d love to be a part of celebrating your love.  877-926-4700.

Happy Anniversary!

Anne

Yes, it's a little confusing.  We have two brands, out of the same location.  So how are these companies the same, and how are they different?  What makes them unique?  And why should I care?  I hope to answer these questions below.

Confused yet? All of our pick up orders have both Issaquah Trophy & Awards and Trophies2Go logos on the box.

Issaquah Trophy was founded in 1987 in the garage of Bonnie Kosko, my mother-in-law.  Why is this important?  Because the company began locally and has stayed that way ever since.  Our community-centric Awards Design Center has been serving the award needs for the greater Issaquah and Eastside communities for over 25 years.  And we plan to be here for another 25+ into the future.  We care about this community and can't think of a better place to live, work, and raise our children.

Issaquah Trophy grew and grew.  Then the dot-com craze happened, and Trophies2Go was started in the midst of this mayhem in May 2000.  Since most people throughout the US and Canada have no clue where Issaquah is (or how to say the name), Jeff, our president, chose Trophies2Go as a catchy alternative.  The name 'Trophies2Go' suggests our fast turn-around time, great customer service, and delivery guarantee.  Over the next 12 years, this brand morphed into our national brand, serving all of the US and Canada.  Through the Internet, we've been able to fulfill over 100K orders of meaningful recognition worldwide.

So, in a nutshell, Issaquah Trophy is our local community store; Trophies2Go is our national Internet web store.  How are they the same?

We carry many of the same high-quality products at both locations.  All of our personalized engraving is done by either Paul (our rotary engraver) or Jeremy (our laser engraver) out of our Awards Workshop in Renton, WA.  All of our customer service phone calls, emails, and order processing happen in Issaquah, WA by either Margene, Janice, Mika or Anne.  You will receive the same outstanding service regardless of which company you work with.  Also, we have a production time guarantee at both companies - we will have your awards done in time for your event, guaranteed, whether we ship your awards to you or you walk into our Awards Design Center door to pick them up.

No matter which brand you work with, you will get personalized service from caring, professional awards specialists.  Whether it is a corporate crystal award or a t-ball trophy, each award is given special care and attention to make sure it's flawless when you give it to your deserving recipient!

Cheers,
Jessica