Trophies2Go Blog

As 2016 draws to a close, its time to wrap up your awards programs for the year.  January brings one of our busiest months of the year with a plethora of corporate plaques, President's Awards, sales achievement and other yearly recognition.   Below are 5 examples of year end corporate awards our customers provide to individuals within their organization.

These pretty purple YAHOO! acrylic awards were a hit with the winners!

1.  Awards for an Annual Ceremony.  The award you choose is an extremely important component of this occasion, and fortunately there are many options for any sized budget. Read 5 Tips for Choosing a Corporate Award or contact our staff to help you choose the perfect award to make your winners proud.  For ideas on hosting an event, read my post on Planning an Awards Ceremony.

2.  Service Awards.  Reward those employees who commit to your company for an extended period of time with a Service Award.  Present this award to 1, 5, 10 and 20 years of service, or tailor the time frame to your organization's specific needs.  In addition to awards, clocks, gift certificates to a special store, and personalized gifts are popular for this type of recognition.  Rule of thumb is the longer an individual is at the organization, the more significant the award.

Our customer presenting a sales award plaque to a distributor.

3.  Sales Awards.  Celebrate reaching goals and achieving quotas monthly, quarterly, or annually, as your recognition program and budget allows.  Depending on your business, a sales award can be an individual award for a specific person, or a group award for a top store, regional leader, or top distributor.  Plaques, acrylic awards, glass awards and etched crystal awards are popular options.  Read the Sales Achievement Awards post to learn more.

4.  Employee of the Month Awards.   This can also be Employee of the Quarter or Employee of the Year.  As with any awards program, its important to decide on the criteria for choosing the winner prior to launching the program.   When a person is selected for the award, be sure to publicize it.  This has two benefits - the winner feels important and others are motivated to win in the future.  For the award, perpetual plaques posted in a central location are most popular.   It's also nice to give a small take-away award to each winner to display on their desk or bookcase to memorialize their honor.

5.  Other Types of Awards.  These include community awards, corporate honors, leadership awards,  product launch awards, past president, retirement gifts, and teamwork awards.  Many organizations create their own awards too, tailoring the recognition specifically to their need.

It's important to set up a recognition program carefully before launching to ensure success.  But once it's implemented, measured and executed, corporate awards programs can improve your company culture and increase your staff morale.   Feel free contact me or any of our staff for more information about End of Year Corporate Awards!  Here's to a great 2016 and a wonderful new year ahead!

Editor's Note:  This post was originally published in December 2013, and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Cheers,
Jessica

Fantasy Football Playoffs kick off this week and next, when the best teams in your league battle neck and neck to win the coveted fantasy league trophy!  Even if your team has been less than stellar, your record starts fresh during playoffs and anything is possible. With a lucky couple of weeks, you could end up winning it all!

For many leagues, the trash talking and hazing is an integral part of the season.  Increase the hype with a trophy for both your winners AND your losers.  And the cash, don't forget the cash baby.

Top 3 Fantasy Trophies

Our Replica Fantasy Football Trophy is a best seller, any winner would be proud to display!

Many leagues either go one of two ways, and individual trophy for the winner to keep each season or a perpetual trophy that gets passed around year to year.

Winners:  The individual winner's trophy is pretty straightforward, you choose one you like and have your league name, year and winner's name engraved on the front.

League winners:  For a perpetual trophy to hold all of your winners' names in infamy, consider spending a little more up front to invest in the future.  Then each year engrave the winner's name on the side.  This requires a little more effort, as you have to get the trophy back from the winner each year in order to engrave the next name.  For instructions, read my post How to Order a Fantasy Football Trophy.

Big Losers: this is where it gets fun.  Again, you can do an individual loser trophy, such as a goat, cry baby, or horse's butt, or you can do a perpetual trophy, such as the FFL toilet Perpetual award. Check out our funny selection of fantasy football joke trophies.  I've also seen bumper stickers for losers, sashes, and other humiliation.

Whatever you do, don't go on a rant when asked about the playoffs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq7BYOnDrM

Here's to a great season and good luck in post season!  May the best team win!

Cheers!

Jessica

Corporate Awards Blog Series

You have your recognition program set up, know what types of accomplishments you want to recognize, know what you want to say on the awards, and your ceremony planned. Now what? You go to our website and are overwhelmed by the hundreds of choices of corporate awards.  I’m here to help! Read my top 5 tips below to narrow your search and to help you choose the perfect corporate award for your situation and accomplishment.

Be sure to make the award match the occasion!

#1: Start With Your Budget.

Know how many people you want to recognize and the cost per person of the award. That can help you narrow your choices. We have beautiful awards in every price range, so even if your budget is small, we’ll create something beautiful for you.  Read tips on Budgeting for a Recognition Program here.

#2: Have The Award Fit The Accomplishment.

What I mean by that is you wouldn’t give an expensive crystal award to someone for a menial accomplishment; that’s saved for those who have gone above and beyond for the organization. Conversely, if someone has worked for your organization for years and years and is celebrating a big anniversary, a $10 gift card doesn’t cut it. Make sure to match the award stature to the accomplishment.

#3: What’s The Message?

If you have a lot of text or a large logo you’d like to incorporate into your engraving, make sure you choose an award that can accommodate it. For example, an engraved plaque has a lot of space for a long message and logo, where as a 4 inch crystal cube doesn’t. Know what you want to say before ordering your award and then make sure the award has enough room for your engraving. (And as always, your engraving is free!)

This beautiful crystal award deserves to be displayed with pride on a desk or a shelf for all to see and admire.

#4: Where Will It Go? Form Follows Function.

Where will your recipient put the award? On a desk? On the wall?  Or on a shelf in the lobby? Is it a gift that will be displayed in the home? These are all things to consider when choosing an award. A sales award may be hung on a wall for all to see; if so, then a recognition plaque may be a good choice. If you are honoring a past president or someone who has given service to the organization, an award that goes on a desk or on a shelf in their office is a winner. If the award is for retirement or years of service, something more functional and pretty, such as an engraved clock or personalized vase, is appropriate.

#5: Personalize The Award.

This is your opportunity to get creative! If your organization is more conservative, stick with a traditional award. But if you’re in more creative place, choose something a little more artistic or funky! There are lots of unusual yet beautiful awards to choose from. If you are giving an individual award, consider the recipient’s personality and have the award match it. For example, if the person loves to fly airplanes, get a crystal plane award. Or if they are a realtor, get a house shaped award. There are lots of choices – get creative and think out of the box!

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any suggestions or guidance when picking out awards – email is [email protected] - and I'm here to help.  With thousands of choices in every budget, our awards impress and will thrill your recipient!

Cheers!
Jessica

Personalization Makes an Impression

In three colors, personalize this ceramic bowl for man's best friend.

You already know that Trophies2Go makes awesome awards, but did you know we also have personalized gifts?  Check out our large gift selection with the same quality and service you expect!  Our engraved gifts stand the test of time to be enjoyed for years to come.  Check out our beautiful gifts for under $50, engraving is always FREE.  Below are recommendations of some of my favorite gifts...

Gifts Under $50

For the Golfer:   Rosewood Golf Box: Add a special message on the top of this box and then put a dozen golf balls inside for your favorite golfer's next round.

For the Pet: Large Engraved Ceramic Bowl:  Personalize a ceramic dish with your favorite dog or cat's name. Add a bag of treats for a special gift for man's best friend!

For the Grandparents: Square Stone Photo  Create a memento of a special memory!  Add a photo of a trip, birthday party, or graduation onto a stone tile to be displayed by grandparents with pride.

For the New Baby: Engraved Crystal Circle Ornament  Engrave the baby's name, birthdate, or year for a cherished holiday gift to be enjoyed for years to come.

A set of beer glasses is a great gift for your favorite craft beer lover.  Pair with a growler of their favorite brew.

For the Wine Lover: Bamboo Wine Bottle Box with Tools  Add your wine lover's favorite wine inside with a special message on the lid!  The perfect way to package a beautiful bottle of vino.

For the Craft Beer Lover: Engraved Pilsner Beer Glass - set of 4 Engrave your favorite brewery's logo, the drinker's initials, or a special name onto any of our craft beer glasses for FREE!  Add a growler of your favorite brew for a super tasty gift!

For the BBQ Chef: Bamboo Cutting Board and Engraved BBQ Tools Personalize a cutting board and tools for your favorite grill master.  Add a bright apron, a cookbook, a gourmet  barbecue rub or spicy BBQ sauce for an extraordinary and thoughtful gift.

No matter the gift, it's the thought that counts.  Personalization makes a gift that is truly one of a kind!  With Christmas and Hanukkah just around the corner, consider one of our engraved gifts for your family or friends.

Cheers!
Jessica

Does your High School want to recognize outstanding student athletes, coaches, and staff, but your ASB is strapped for cash?  Consider a colorful and custom Full Color School Plaque!

High school plaque

Why these plaques are awesome:

They are fully customized to your school.  A graphic designer by trade, our engraver Lori creates each school's plaque individually.  Your plaque design will be unique from any other one in the country, just like your school!

Extremely budget friendly.  Under $20 each, these plaques have a high perceived value.  They look much more expensive than the price.  When ordering in multiples, the price continues to go down.  Helpful on a ASB budget!  And all personalization is FREE, no extra fees!

Cutting edge technology is used to create these plaques.  The plaque plate is actually made using sublimation, a state of the art process for color transfer.  The ink actually changes phases and is permanently bonded to the material.  The color does not scratch or fade from the surface of the metal.

How To Order:

Show your sponsor or booster how much you appreciate their support with a customized plaque.

Choose product #24915, enter the quantity and add to your cart.

Next you will go to the "Customize" page.  This is where you add your school logo and engraving.  Choose "enter engraving now", the first option.  Attach your logo to Line One.  The artwork needs to be a high quality, high resolution Jpeg, Eps or Ai file.  A full color Jpeg usually works best.  On the other lines, enter your text, such as school name, student's name, accomplishment, etc.

After placing your order, you will receive a proof of the design.  You work directly with Lori to make sure it looks exactly the way you want.  Please be sure to approve the proof quickly though, otherwise this can hold up the production time.

For payment, many schools pay with a Purchase Order.  This is no problem we can accommodate that for your school if necessary.  Just choose the "pick up/alternative payment" option at checkout.

Questions?  Our friendly and knowledgeable customer service team of Janice, Mika, Mike and myself are here to help!!  Just give us a call at 877-936-4700, email us at [email protected] or visit us on live chat!

Check out these awesome school plaques for your high school!  Your athletes, scholars, and good citizens deserve recognition for a job well done!

Cheers,
Jessica