The UK Digital Experience Awards 2015 is approaching fast. The Finalists have been announced so now’s the time to start preparing that all important presentation and make sure it’s an excellent as your initiative. Have a read of our top tips to make sure your awards story has a happy ending.
- Make sure your presentation is based on the entry you submitted. Although the judges will be impressed if you tell them something they didn’t know from your reading your written submission, ultimately the purpose of your presentation is to tell your story and bring it to life!
- Provide sufficient evidence for all criteria to enable the judges to score each criterion based on robust and compelling evidence. Read the Scoring of Entries page and be sure to include both qualitative and quantitative evidence where it is available.
- Your presentation must be clear and slick, leaving absolutely no doubt of what you’re all about. Clarity is vital.
- Use visuals including photographs, graphs, videos, etc., to bring your presentation to life and clearly convey the essence of your entry to the judges. If you decide to use video, don’t attempt to run it live from the internet as you will experience buffering unless you book ahead with the hotel for extra bandwidth.
- Ensure you communicate the impact of your project upon customers and the organisation itself. Provide fact based results from a customer and business perspective and remember to provide the evidence to back up your customer quotes and stories.
- Brush up on your presentation skills and practice your delivery so that your presentation is 15 minutes maximum and is delivered in a smooth and joined up way, especially if different people are presenting.
- Be prepared for questions – the judges will have up to 15 minutes after your presentation to ask questions – make sure you’re prepared and have the right people there to answer any tricky questions. The judges can ask anything they wish – you never know what might come up and those who are confident and well prepared will reap the rewards!
- Be aware of the technology available – if you decide to use PowerPoint you’ll need your own laptop computer with a VGA output to link to the projector provided (NB If you are using a Mac, you will need to supply your own mini display port to VGA Adaptor.). The ratio of the projectors provided is 16:9. Please keep this in mind if you plan to use slide development. And if audio constitutes a major part of your presentation, we urge you to take precautions. It might be well-advised to bring external speakers. Although our venue provides attendees with WIFI, we cannot vouch for its perfect functionality at the moment of your giving your presentation. Therefore, be sure to download any materials that your presentation depends on, such as video or similar media content, onto your device in advance of giving your presentation. This will eliminate the risk of irksome connectivity issues, affecting your presentation.
- Have a back-up plan should things not go as planned. Your presentation is a vital part of your contribution. Letting technical mishaps stand in the way of doing it justice would truly be a shame. Remember: winners who come prepared win.
- Check all timing details and plan your journey to the venue accordingly!
Enjoy your 30 minutes in the spotlight with the judges and good luck! I hope you have a very enjoyable and productive day at the Awards.
Neil Copping
Managing Director at Awards International
neilc@awardsinternational.eu
Neil is the head honcho here at Awards International HQ. When it comes to managing the team and all the nitty gritty, he makes sure everything is running smoothly! He oversees the Marketing team and all the Awards Consultants, pushing the business forward on a steep trajectory! With a marketing background in the FMCG and leisure sector, Neil has received recognition for his successes, having received a number of awards himself.