AV Awards entry deadline extended to 30 June

We know that putting together a great entry isn’t a quick process – there’s research and evidence gathering required – and maybe even approval stages. That’s why Integrate media partner, AV Magazine in the UK have given you more time.

Did you know the AV Awards entries deadline has now been extended to 30 June?

We know that putting together a great entry isn’t a quick process – there’s research and evidence gathering required – and maybe even approval stages.

For that reason, we’ve given you more time. You can begin the entry process on the AV Awards website and save it as a draft. You can then log in and add further information at any time. You can also edit the entry once you’ve submitted it.

If you’re still not sure whether to put in or complete your entry, the reason may have been lack of time or fear of disappointment. But don’t let this phase you. There are tremendous short and long-term business benefits to entering.

Elevate the status of your company and brand recognition
Winning an AV Award is looked upon as the certificate of excellence. It’s the industry’s highest accolade. Winning will raise the credibility of your company, brand and technology – it will also increase visibility across the industry.

• Educate and attract
  The AV Awards is proven to draw new customers and drive sales. It will also help attract new employees to your business.
• Improve company morale
  We’ve seen it first-hand. The AV Awards creates a buzz within a shortlisted company. This leads to better engagement with staff, greater inclusion and productivity. The efficiency of staff can even increase from an enhanced sense of pride, and absenteeism can fall.
• Increase customer loyalty and business wins
  Knowing that your company employs skilled experts in your field, and your work has been recognised, encourages customer loyalty. Entering also gives you the opportunity to highlight your services to your customers; promote your high standards; best practice approach and breadth of knowledge. It is your way of guaranteeing they’re making the right choice when they choose you.
• PR Value
  Being shortlisted for an AV Award alone gives you additional press coverage and free publicity for both internal and external audiences. Separate to that, your entry will be seen by our expert panel of end-user and consultant judges which is an incredible PR opportunity.

Remember: wherever you are in the world, everyone has a chance of winning an AV Award. You don’t have to have the biggest budgets, the sexiest product or the flashiest project – your entry is judged purely on what appears in front of the judges, but most importantly, it is judged on the user benefits to your customer.

Guidelines

You can increase your chances of being shortlisted or even winning a prestigious AV Award this year by following some simple guidelines. Many of the entries we receive fall short simply because the application is not of sufficient quality compared to other entries.

Here are our top tips.

• Allow plenty of time: A good awards entry can take up to six weeks to put together. From initial fact-finding meetings through research and ultimate sign-off, you can be sure it’ll take longer than you anticipate.
• Follow the instructions carefully: Make sure you keep the judges and their requirements in mind as you create your entry. Each award category has specific criteria and instructions – try to comply as closely as possible and you’ll give your entry the best chance of meeting the judges’ basic requirements.
• Grab our attention! Our judges spend many days reading entries across every category – make yours clear and concise to ensure it captures their interest and sticks in the memory.
• Answer the questions: This is perhaps the most important tip we can share – these questions are used to identify the entries most worthy of consideration, so make sure your answers are direct, easy to find and cover all the relevant criteria.
• Prove it! Think carefully about how you can demonstrate your claimed results, looking at both the quantitative and qualitative metrics you could use. Customer testimonials are particularly impactful.
• Check, and check again: Once drafted, have at least one other person check your entry for spelling, grammar and punctuation. Cross-reference to make sure every question has been answered.

Who should enter!

With the clock ticking, you may not yet have submitted your entry. If you haven’t, is there a reason why? You should be entering the AV Awards if you have done any of the following:

• Launched a new product or technology between the 1 February 2018 – 21 May 2019. Remember, your entry is not judged on the reputation or popularity of your company, it’s judged on how beneficial your product has been to your customers.
• Completed a project and event that deserves global recognition. You need to consider if the project has met or exceeded success measures established at the outset: has it met or exceeded the client’s brief? set a benchmark for the industry to aspire to? and did it use a ground-breaking approach to delivery?
• Performed work as an individual in AV or events in the channel, for an end-user organisation or as a freelance professional whose value to the job deserves to be recognised.

AV companies of all shapes and sizes, and in all markets, are able to contribute and tell us about their expertise and achievements. Most importantly, the AV Awards is the only awards scheme in AV to be judged fairly and independently by real-life users of AV technology. So, should you be shortlisted or be lucky enough to win, it’s because you’ve earned it. Is there a higher accolade than that?

• You can view our esteemed judges HERE
• You can find the available categories HERE
• Video tips from the judges on how to enter HERE
• Download the entry guidelines HERE.
• View all the important dates HERE.

The final entry deadline is 30 June 2019. If you have any questions, please email Rachael Hamilton or call +44 (0) 20 8253 8641.