How to Plan the Fair Awards Night

WHAT IS THE FAIR AWARDS NIGHT:

·       Awards night is a culmination of the fair events in which the winners of each category are recognized with an award and the round robin winners are announced.  It is optional for members to be in uniform, and award donors are invited to attend and hand out the award they sponsored. 

WHO IS IN CHARGE:

·       Awards Chair and awards committee

·       The current All-Stars help hand out awards

WHEN:

·       Last Saturday evening of the county fair, usually 7:00-10:00 pm

WHAT TO DO:

·       6 months in advance:

-       Meet with fair personnel

·       Discuss available facility for ceremony

·       Make them aware of any additional needs or wants

-       Meet with awards committee and confirm needed awards

-       Update donor letter and list

-       Recruit donors and solicit donations

·       3 months in advance:

-       Order Buckles

-       Order Thank you cards for awards night

·       2 months in advance:

-       Publicize specific time, location, and rules for earning awards at the fair in the Timely Topics.  Monthly deadline for the TT is the 15^th.

-       Contact All-Stars regarding their roles and responsibilities

-       Order other awards

·       1 month in advance:

-       Confirm facility

-       Complete work order for location, chairs (250), tables (8), microphone and any other needed equipment to be provide by fair

-       Make arrangements for set-up with the fair personnel

-       Recruit people to help tally during the fair

-       Confirm still entries with fair for appropriate quantities of awards to order

·       Week before fair and week of fair:

-       Contact donors thanking them for their donation and inviting them to awards night

-       Tally awards

-       Gather information

-       Start work on program

-       Speak with fair personnel about award winners

-       Display trophies at the fair if possible

-       Post winners

-       Confirm with All-Stars that they will be emcees at awards ceremony

·       Day before:

-       Complete program including all the winners, categories, and award donors

·       Day of:

-       Set up a minimum of 1 hour before participants arrive

-       Meet with All-stars to go through program and confirm how things should be run

-       Place awards on tables in order to be handed out and attach thank you cards to them

-       Make sure microphone works

-       Conduct awards ceremony

-       Have winners write thank you cards to each sponsor who donated an awards they received

-       CLEAN UP afterwards

·       1 week after:        

-       Update the binder for the following year

-       Put thank-you cards in mail