Trophies2Go Blog

Does your company have an Employee of the Month recognition program to recognize stellar employees? If so, how effective is it? Many programs can be highly successful if measurable criteria are implemented for choosing the winners.  Some questions to consider are:

1. What criteria do you use to choose your winner each month?

2. Is the criteria tied to your company values?

3. What happens if more than one person meets the criteria?

4. How transparent is the process to your employees?

Once you establish the metrics for choosing your monthly winners and communicate them to your employees, the next hurdle is implementation.  It's important if you start a program, you follow through until a specified date.  At that time, you can re-evaluate the program to make sure it enhances your company vision, mission and goals.

Employee of the Month Awards

Many customers who administer employee of the month programs ask our advise on what kinds of awards are appropriate for the monthly winners.  Below are our suggestions.

We offer many different styles of perpetual plaques, including styles that hold photos of your winners!

Employee of the Month Plaques:

Most companies display, on a highly visible wall, a perpetual plaque with the names of their monthly winners.  This is great public recognition for not only the winners, but also for the program.  Two popular plaque choices are the beautiful rosewood 12 or 24 Plate Perpetual Gloss Plaque or the Black and Silver Perpetual Plaque.

Engraving for the Plaques:

At Trophies2Go, we include the price of engraving of the large header plate on the top of the plaque.  Popular engraving includes Company Name and Logo, words 'Employee of the Month' and the Year.

Engraving for the Small Name Plates:

Blank plates are included in the price of the perpetual plaque, but there is an additional fee to engrave individual names onto each small plate.  Many organizations pre-pay for a year's worth of 12 individual name plates when they place their order for the plaque.   Then we engrave the plate as needed, and the customer sticks or screws it onto the plaque each month.  This option simplifies the ordering process.

For the text on the small plates, I recommend engraving the winner's name and month of the award.  If the text is short, you can also list the metric that made them the winner for that particular month.  It's important to keep the engraving size, font, and style consistent from month to month so that all of the small plates match.

The popular Clear Acrylic Star Award Trophy makes a great, affordable Employee of the Month reward.

Individual Monthly Awards for Employees: 

To commemorate the achievement, many companies will give an individual employee of the month trophy to each winner.  This personalized award can be displayed with pride on their desk, on a shelf in their office, or at their home.  For example, a number of years ago my mother-in-law was honored as "Employee of the Month" at a large municipality where she worked.  Even though she is retired, she continues to display her award on her family room shelf for all to see.

Probably the most popular employee awards for this type of recognition are either Acrylic Awards or Glass Awards. Made of Lucite, acrylic awards have the look of glass but are durable and more economical than crystal.  Glass awards look very professional without breaking your budget. After discussing this post with our customer service team Margene and Janice, they recommended these beautiful yet affordable awards for your monthly winners: the Jewel Mirage Self-Standing Acrylic Award, the Beveled Bent Glass Award, or the bestselling Clear Acrylic Star Award Trophy.

Engraving Ideas for individual Employee of the Month Awards: 

For engraving, I would suggest etching the facts such as the person's name, the company name, the name of the award (Employee of the Month), and date (month and year), but then also add a short personalized message about their contribution to the organization.  You could include why they were chosen, how they supported the vision or mission of the company or what specific action they did to win.  Get as detailed as possible, as that makes the award more meaningful.

Employee of the Month Gifts:

Instead of, or in addition to, individual awards, companies may also give employee of the month certificates, gift cards, cash or other rewards to their winners.  These are also appreciated by deserving employees!

Use the tips above to update your Employee of the Month recognition program and choose the perfect plaques and awards for your winners. It's never too late to start honoring deserving employees!

Cheers!
Jessica

Top 6 questions a customer should ask when purchasing awards

Don't mess up your order or pay too much -ask the right questions to ensure accurate awards within your budget every time!

Whether you are ordering championship trophies for your kid’s sports team, elegant awards for a corporate gala, or an engraved gift for someone special, all customers buying awards should expect them to be high quality, accurately engraved, and delivered on-time. Below are  questions to ask when purchasing trophies or awards.

Question #1:  What awards are most popular and new?

For a first time buyer, ask the staff at the awards company what is the most popular award for your particular event.  They will know through experience what sells well. If you are ordering online, read the customer reviews before deciding what to buy.  Learn what has worked well for other shoppers and repeat the positive experience!

If you order awards on a regular basis, especially for kids who participate in sports or activities, take a new look at the new awards offered by your retailer. By choosing a new award, you can ensure that the kids won't already have the award on their trophy shelf!

Question #2:  When will the awards be in my hands?

Most of our customers have an event, whether for a business or for a sports team, where they will be presenting their awards.  If you are buying from a local trophy company, when placing your order, ask when the awards will be ready for pick up.  Be sure to plan plenty of time before your event, in case there is a misspelling or you need to add an extra trophy – things come up!

If ordering online, make sure to ask about production time (how long it takes to make and engrave the award) plus shipping time.  The company should be able to tell you the expected delivery date and then send you a tracking number after your order has shipped.  That way you can track the package yourself to ensure on-time delivery.

Question #3:  Can I engrave different names on each trophy?

The answer to this question should be “yes”; personalization is the reason you would buy an award in the first place!  If the answer is “no”, I suggest finding a different company to work with.

Question #4:  Is personalization included in the price?

Many awards companies include personalized etching in the price of their awards.  Here at Trophies2Go, all engraving is included, and if we can fit the words onto the award, then we will engrave as much (or as little) text as you want - we don’t count characters.  Some companies charge set up fees or price per letter/character – be sure to ask, as these costs can add up.

Question #5:  How do I get my engraving information and artwork to you?

Personalization is what makes trophies and awards so special. When ordering an award, it’s important that the engraving is accurate and correct.  Ask your trophy provider the best way to get engraving information to them.  Many will ask you to email the engraving, as cutting and pasting your text electronically into their engraving equipment minimizes spelling errors.

Also, if you are adding a picture or a logo to your award, most engraving machines, such as laser engravers, require camera ready artwork. High quality and high resolution, this type of artwork includes eps, ai or jpg files.  Lower resolution files, such as bitmap, png, and some jpg files, are highly pixilated and don’t engrave well – the logo turns out fuzzy and distorted.  Scanned images cannot be engraved.

For sublimated products (that’s for full color stuff like photos), a high resolution jpg works well.  Many phones now take high quality photos which work great for sublimated products.

Question #6:  Can I see what the engraving will look like?

Here is an example of an engraving proof created for a customer by Lori, one of our laser engravers.

Most trophy and awards companies should be able to create a proof of the engraving before they actually engrave the text or logo onto the award. Some companies charge for this service; others do not. We offer free proofs for any order over $50 and for AwardPerks loyalty members at any price. This gives customers the option to work directly with the engraver to ensure perfect engraving every time; it's piece of mind that everything is spelled correctly and looks fabulous.

Being in business since 1987, we know the questions customers need to ask to ensure their awards are on time, on budget, and perfect every time. Give us a call at 877-926-4700 anytime - we are here to answer your awards questions!

Cheers,
Jessica

Why should new spring trends be just for fashion and home decor?  Trophies and awards have exciting new trends as well, and a month ago I attended our annual trade show in Las Vegas and scoped out the hottest new awards for 2015! So what are the top award trends for spring?

Trend #1:  Color

Our new pearl line of acrylic awards are an example of new color trends in awards.

Just as in fashion, color is huge in awards.  New colorful resin designs, colored crystal awards, and sublimated colored gift items continue to be hot this year. Our new "pearl" line of acrylic awards showcases this trend; we will also be adding many new sublimated products this spring.  This allows customers to personalize items with colored photos, colored logos, and bright customized designs!

Trend #2:  High Shine Metallics

Coming in many precious tones and with various finishes, the metallics appear to be stronger than ever, both in fashion and in awards.  Metallic designs are popular in corporate crystal awards and new chalice cup trophies.  Watch for new designs coming this spring!

Trend #3:  Wine

When you are invited to a friend's house for dinner, what do you bring?  A bottle of wine, of course!  Personalized wine products, such as engraved wine bottles, wine storage boxes, and personalized wine tools, continue to be a trend this year.  With the popularity of wine, it's no surprise!

Trend #4:  Custom, Custom, Custom

Just like last year, unique, personalized pieces were everywhere in Vegas.  Awards with full color photos, 3-dimensional acrylic awards made out of logos, and crystal awards filled with custom designs were hot at the show.  We now offer a Special Order section on our website, where you can design your own awards...check it out here to find out more!

Trend #5: Fantasy Sports

Get ready for the upcoming fantasy baseball season with a Tower Baseball Trophy!

Trophies2Go is ahead of the trend, as we are the leader of Fantasy Sports trophies!  Not only do we offer fantasy football awards, but also fantasy baseball, fantasy basketball, fantasy hockey and fantasy NASCAR!  We are adding many new perpetual trophy cups, especially popular for our fantasy customers.  Check out our huge selection of Fantasy Sports Awards here!

Mix things up with your awards this spring by picking a trendy piece! Just like with your wardrobe, adding one fun new item can really jazz up your awards program!

Cheers,
Jessica

Jeff on stage accepting the 2015 Best Retailer Web Site Award in Las Vegas.

We are pleased to announce our award for '2015 Best Retailer Web Site" from the Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) a week ago in Las Vegas.

After a year of planning and building, our new website launched in October of 2014.  Through the struggles of learning and using a new system, this new platform improves our customers' experience with better product photographs and a faster one page checkout.

We couldn't have created our web site without the hard work and commitment of our developer, David Ward of Meticulosity.com.  Dave helped up plan from the beginning and he, along with his team, created a state-of-the-art, world class website, now officially THE BEST in the awards industry!

Jeff and I with our new award!

Thank you to our staff for being flexible with the changes, bearing with all of the bugs, and for helping our customers navigate through the new system.

Thank you customers for your support and understanding through our transition.

Finally, thank you ARA for the award!  We appreciate the recognition!

Cheers,
Jessica

Are you looking for something exceptional for your loved one for this Valentine's Day?  Consider a personalized gift or customized trophy!  Below are some ideas to make your romantic day and night even more special!

Our engraved hearts make cherished gifts that will be remembered for years to come!

1.  Engraved Hearts:  The quintessential expression of love, an engraved heart makes a perfect Valentine's Day gift.  We offer a few styles of personalized hearts in both crystal and acrylic.  Write an affectionate message and we can engrave it directly onto the heart.

2.  Engraved Vase:  Our Vinata crystal vase is the perfect vessel for your special flower bouquet. Engrave your wedding date, date of first kiss, or a tender endearment for your Valentine.

3.  'World's Greatest' Trophy:  Ideas include 'World's Greatest' Husband, Wife, Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Mom or Dad. An achievement trophy, such as an Oscar, is a great choice for this type of award.

4.  Beauty and the Beast:  If your Valentine has a good sense of humor (or a hot bod!), our beauty queen or body builder trophy may be the perfect gift. Check out all of the options in our Beauty and the Beast joke category.

Personalizing Your Gift

What transforms these items into cherished gifts is the etching on the awards.  Put some thought into making the engraving special, as your message will be treasured for years to come.

Since the engraving space is limited make each word count. At Trophies2go, our engraving is free and we do not count characters.  However keep in mind that the more words you use, the smaller the engraving font size will be.

With our fast production time, we can get your personalized gift in time for the holiday. Just give us a call at 1-877-926-4700 with questions.

Wishing you and your loved one a romantic Valentine's Day!  XOXOXO

Cheers,
Jessica