TM
Awards Gala Night
Friday 27th June
2014
Monday 26th
May 2014
Entries Close
An initiative of
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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WEDDINGSGOLD COAST & HINTERLAND
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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About The Wedding Awards
The Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ Awards are an awards program recognising the success, innovation and ethics of local companies and organisations across the wedding industry locally.
Conducted annually, the Awards honour the region’s industry leaders through the acknowledgment of innovative business processes, product development, enterprise, sustainability and overall business success. The Wedding Awards also recognise the important social and environmental contributions made by organisations through excellence of service, commitment to their customers, philanthropic ideals, ethical behaviour and environmental sustainability.
The most comprehensive of its kind, the awards are open to all wedding businesses in the region. Entries are judged on specific criteria underpinned by the program’s values of success, innovation and ethics. The judging panel is carefully selected and coordinated by the Australian Wedding Industry Awards to ensure that the judging process is fair and objective, free of bias or influence.
Receiving an Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ Award is an independent and prestigious endorsement of your organisation and the quality of the products and services your organisation produces. If you are striving for excellence, the awards raise the bar across all aspects of business and provide you with ways to benchmark against top performers in the Australian Wedding Industry, locally but also Australia wide.
Submitting an entry provides your business with the opportunity to review its business performance, identify its core strengths and future focus. A valuable resource of evidence and endorsement that can be put to good use in a variety of communications, creating opportunities for publicity, positive business profiling and heightened credibility within the Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ Industry.
The Wedding Awards are an opportunity for the wedding business of the Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region to gain that competitive advantage by having their achievements recognised whilst highlighting their best products and services. The Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ Award winners are acknowledged as industry leaders and named the elite of their Industry. The selected organisations are eligible to publicise their achievement and display The Australian Wedding Awards winners mark on their marketing and promotional materials.
Just as bridal and wedding businesses require a lot of time, dedication and passion, so too does recognising its achievements. The Australian Wedding Industry Awards program is more than just a popularity contest. It is about delving deep inside a business and finding out what their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are, meeting them face to face and examining their work ethic, customer service and knowledge plus so much more. This in depth process is what sets our awards apart from the rest.
Our Wedding™, Wedding Marketing Group Pty Ltd and Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ facilitate the awards but all assessment is carried out independently by our judging partners, who are independent judges to assess the questionnaire. These external Judges are independent business and wedding industry professionals and are leaders in their fields of expertise. The judging panel of The Wedding Awards only provide Wedding Marketing Group Pty Ltd with the list of Winners/ Highly Commended at the conclusion of the judging.
You don’t have to advertise with Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ or any other Our Wedding product to win a Wedding Award. Any eligible business can be a Wedding Award Winner – regardless of whether they advertise with Our Wedding™ or not.
The Wedding Awards recognise not just the ultimate success in business but also the courage, skills and innovation needed to breathe life into a promising business idea.
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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Industry Awards
Cake Designer A business or individual that supplies wedding cakes directly to Brides and Grooms or to venues that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Bridal and Formalwear A business or individual that is either sale or hire focused in supplying Bridal Gowns, Bridesmaids dresses, Formalwear or Lingerie that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Celebrant An individual that is a legally registered Marriage or Wedding Celebrant that performs marriage ceremonies that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Floral Designer A business or individual that supplies floral arrangements to Wedding Venues, Brides and Grooms and/or Churches for weddings that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Hair and Beauty A business or individual that either operates as a mobile business or from a retail shop that undertakes hair and beauty treatment for Brides and their Bridal Party that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Photographer A photography business or individual specialising in Wedding Photography that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Large Reception Venue A business that offers Brides and Grooms wedding receptions that cater for over 120 guests, that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region. Boutique Reception Venue A business that offers Brides and Grooms wedding receptions that cater for under 120 guests that is based or operates within Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Stationery, Bomboniere and Invitations A Business or individual supplying wedding invitations’, Bomboniere, Wedding Stationery that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Special Services A business or individual that value adds to a wedding and can be in the form of Wedding Decorator, Event Coordinator, Wedding Planner, Bridal Jewellery, Gift Registries, DJ, Entertainment, Fitness, Caterers that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Transport A business or individual that offers wedding transport, be it cars, bus, helicopter, parachute, horse drawn vehicle that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
Videographer A business or individual that specialises in wedding videography that is based or operates within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region.
The Award Categories
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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Specialty Awards
Wedding Chef of the Year A Venue or Caterer within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region can nominate a Chef in their employ as a candidate for this award, they must be exemplary to be considered and be able to prove their worthiness by showing their calibre in: food preparation & presentation, team development, management, preparation of a ‘Love Food” menu and present it. A separate application will need to be requested.
Wedding Photograph of the Year A Photographer may submit a photograph (one only) that they believe is the one that has the WOW factor that has been taken within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region. The photo needs to be supplied in high resolution and a description of up to 500 words needs to be included.
Wedding Setup of the Year A Wedding Venue or Wedding Decorator within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region has the opportunity to submit a Wedding Reception that is that little bit different and has that WOW factor. A separate application will need to be requested.
Wedding of the Year A wedding nominated by the suppliers to that wedding be it reception venue, photographer, celebrant or any other wedding business that serviced the wedding wwithin the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region. A minimum of 3 suppliers must nominate the Wedding. A separate application will need to be requested.
Young Gun of the Wedding Industry Are you an individual under the age of 30 who has developed a business from start-up? Have you nurtured your business from concept to reality and achieved ongoing success? The Young Gun’s business must have been in operation for the past two financial years and within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region. A separate application will need to be requested.
Lifetime Commitment Award to the Industry Open to nomination from your peers, you cannot nominate yourself, but is only open to recognition from the Industry of an outstanding individual who has contributed over many years to the development of the bridal and wedding industry within the defined Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings™ region. A business can also be nominated. This open to nomination, please submit a 1 page document outlining this person’s commitment to the industry and the demonstrated commitment.
Outstanding Business This is an award based on all entries, you do not need to enter this Award, and it is based on the Judges assessment.
If you are unsure about which category you fit into please call Wedding Marketing Group Pty Ltd on 1300 305 802 for help with selection.
Each category you wish to enter needs a separate entry form.
Increased reputation
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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The Brides Choice Award, is an initiative of Our Wedding®, the purpose is to give a voice to Brides in support of their wedding suppliers and to give an opportunity to the Brides from the Gold Coast & Hinterland Wedding Region a platform to express Excellence, Recognition, Dedication, and Advocacy for the wedding suppliers and providers to their Gold Coast & Hinterland Wedding. The annual Brides Choice Award will be part of the annual Gold Coast & Hinterland Wedding Awards and will be held at a Gala Cocktail Evening where the wedding industry will meet to share the experience and the opportunity to network as one. Only one Award will be given, making this the most prestigious of all Awards! The Brides Choice Award celebrates and recognises the pinnacle of professionalism and the surpassing of all expectations of their Brides by wedding suppliers, this is the only Annual Wedding Awards Event where real people - not industry insiders - determine the nominees and winners, setting it apart from other Wedding Industry Awards. There is the opportunity for Brides to vote in The Brides Choice Award for a Maximum of five (5) wedding suppliers and they can only vote once so that we don’t have multiple votes cast by the one person. It will be conducted on www.facebook.com/goldcoasthinterlandweddings from Monday 2nd June to Friday 13th June 2014. There is nothing that you need to do except encourage your Brides to vote for you! When voting the following points apply: 1st choice - 5 points 2nd choice - 4 points 3rd choice - 3 points 4th choice - 2 points 5th choice - 1 point
The Brides Choice Award
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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The Awards are open to any business in the Gold Coast & Hinterland region or that services that region in the course of their business. The Gold Coast & Hinterland region is classified as from North: Pimpama and South: Kingscliff, West: Murwillumbah and North: Canungra and Tamborine Mountain. The business must offer wedding and bridal services to be eligible to enter. Businesses can enter multiple categories, and some categories have special entry requirements, these are detailed in the Categories section.
Who Can Be Nominated For The Wedding Awards
1. All entries receive a finalist certificate
2. There are two levels per category - Winner - Highly Commended
The Awards On Offer
Your Award Entry is broken into 2 parts, 60% of the value of your mark is the written entry and 40% is the bridal review component. PART 1 You will be asked to complete a business questionnaire to assist the judges. It should not take more than five hours to complete. You will be asked basic questions about the success of your business including contributions to your community and industry, leadership, and business planning.
Points to include in your entry submission (1000 - 2000 words, no more than 4 pages maximum).
1) 50 word description Prepare a 50 word description of your business for use in presentation and publicity purposes.
2) Overview of the company & its history Include length of time business has been in operation, customer/target market, number of employees, customer target market etc., plus company structure & organisational chart (if any).
3) Products/services Include innovative products and/or services, research and product development undertaken, distribution chains. Please also include your mission statement and / or your unique selling point (what makes you different).
4) Management Practices This could include staff training, incentives, personal development, encouragement to guide the
Your Award Submission
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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company in its goals for growth & success.
5) Innovation including Research & Development Innovative products, services &/or technology. Innovation can be demonstrated through the provision of products and services that are recognised locally and are pioneering. Also, a demonstrated commitment to provide services for enhancing the client’s experience.
6) Citizenship How your company supports the community whether through sponsorships to community groups, charity work, how you help new start up businesses, your mentoring, work experience etc.
7) Details of recent significant achievements Include awards received, implementation of systems, or a new product, staff expansion or goals met etc.
8) Future Plans What does the future hold for your business, are you opening a new store, developing a new product.
9) Why should you win this Award? This is where you can put any information that can support your application and reinforce to the judges why you should win this Award.
PART 2 Bride Reviews You will need to ask your past and present Brides to rate your business against 1. Customer service, 2. Value 3. Communication 4. Follow Up and along with any comments. Please ask three Brides to fill out the Bride Review form.
In summary you are to prepare up to a 2000 word Award submission, which is an overview or snapshot of your business telling us the high points of your operation - particularly over the last two years. Don’t forget to let us know who the people are that are involved and what sets your business apart from the rest. We also like to hear about growth and where you see yourself heading in the future. The 9 heading sections listed above must be addressed in your submission, this will help you to review your business and put in the best Award submission. Please use dot points to assist in writing your answer.
Please include any other information that may assist you in this process in an Appendix at the back of the submission. Please DO NOT include complimentary products or services or samples.
Please note: If you supply any financial information and/or commercial in confidence information it will be treated in the strictest confidence. This information will only be used for the purposes of judging your entry. This information will not be disclosed to anyone outside of this process. All hard copies of entries are securely destroyed.
Build relationships
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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How To Enter
Businesses can only enter through a written submission via hard copy. Entries should not be any longer than 5 pages. Please refer to the Award Entry Forms pack for the appropriate entry form and further guidance. A few of the categories require additional information as indicated.
INCREASED REPUTATION - What makes your business stand out from the crowd? Displaying this award adds prestige and credibility to your business and lets your potential customers know that they are being served by the best in the business! Gain competitive advantage and valuable marketing tools
INCREASED SALES - Consider two similar businesses; one that received a business award for exceptional service, and one another that didn’t. Which business would you choose? These business awards generally bring huge increases in sales and profits almost immediately and the positive effects on business can be enormous.
ANALYSIS OF STRENGHTS AND WEAKNESSES – By completing the Application process it allows you to review your strengths and weaknesses, and those areas that need improvement.
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS – By entering The Wedding Awards you create credibility for you and your business, and by going along to Gala Awards Evening you can network and meet the crème of the Illawarra and South Coast Wedding Industry.
RECOGNISE, REWARD AND CELEBRATE – By entering you rewarding those staff and members of your team that have excelled, at the same time as recognising their efforts.
What Are The Benefits Of Being Involved?
The Judging Panel
The Awards are fortunate to have the assistance of prominent small business experts from government, business and academia serving on the judging panel. To ensure impartiality and confidentiality, the judges names are kept confidential. They may be introduced on the Evening, if they choose to be.
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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The Judging Process
Finalists will be judged by a panel consisting of representatives from business, government and academia, who will review questionnaires and other materials. Your businesses may be visited by a mystery shopper, and you may be contacted by a judge for additional information. All decisions by the judges are final. Please read our terms and conditions at the end of this information kit.
1. Part 1 a. Application form This is your cover page, it covers your business contact details and important business data.
b. Questionnaire The main component of your application for these awards, maximum of 2000 words. 2. Part 2 a. Bride Reviews please submit three reviews from Brides attached to your submission.
All businesses will be assessed on the same criteria. The questions are designed so that businesses are judged on a level playing field. The results and comments of the judges are kept confidential, the judges may decide to supply you with some comments based on your submission.
Analyse your strengths
and weaknesses
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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The Prizes
• Trophy• Certificate of Achievement• Use of the Wedding Awards logo, this will be provided to you on the night.
The Awards Cocktail Party will be on Friday 27th June 2014 at Venue TBC Tickets $88pp Drinks will be available to be purchased.
Winners in each of the award categories will be announced at this Cocktail Party, along with the awarding of the Top 25 Bride’s Choice Awards.
Please note: The Wedding Awards are free to enter, the only way we are able to keep this a Free process is by getting the support of you to come to The Wedding Awards Gala Cocktail Party. Even if you don’t win it is an opportunity to network, meet the key players in the Industry and get away from all the pressures of running a business for one night and letting your hair down. But if you do win, it allows you to bask in the glory and limelight in front of your peers. Awards will only available to those that pay and attend the Cocktail Party in support of The Wedding Awards.
The Awards Night
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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How Can Entries Be Sent In?
Post to: The Wedding Awards – Gold Coast & Hinterland PO Box 208 Ingleburn NSW 1890
ENTRIES OPEN Monday 28th April 2014 ENTRIES CLOSE Monday 26th May 2014
BRIDES CHOICE OPEN Monday 2nd June to Friday 13th June 2014
AWARDS NIGHT Friday 27th June 2014
Timeline And Important Dates
Award Submissions and General Questions Matthew Bushby Phone: 1300 305 802 Email: [email protected]
Award Contacts
Recognise, reward and celebrate
AWARDS‘1The Australian Wedding Industry Awards
The Wedding
www.theweddingawards.com.au
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Frequently Asked Questions
My Business Is Small. How Can I Compete With The Bigger Companies?
Every business is on a level playing field. The Wedding Awards were created to honour the contribution of small businesses to the Wedding Industry and the community as a whole. The judging process has been designed to allow businesses to be judged based on customer service and successful business practices, this may include increasing your turnover, new business practices and innovations, developing and improving products, these are within reach of any business, and allows those businesses to shine who might not normally receive the recognition they deserve.
Are The Wedding Awards A Credible Award Process?
We believe so, the judging panel is independent and at no stage does Our Wedding, Wedding Marketing Group Pty Ltd or Gold Coast & Hinterland Weddings have any say in the final result or who wins or doesn’t, they are there an initiative of Our Wedding™ and are just facilitators of the Awards and Gala Evening.
Tips On Submission
• Usethetopicsasheadingsforeachsection. • Includeanymaterialincludingbusinesscataloguesandbrochuressupportingthesubmission.
Is There A Template?
No.
What Happens Now?
Once your Award Application is submitted, you will receive confirmation via email that it has been received. The judges may contact you for more information, a mystery shopper may come into your shop, but you won’t know when.
Do not be concerned if a judge does not contact you.. You will receive confirmation of the Gala Awards Cocktail Party.
Turn up on the night and enjoy the festivities and celebrate with other businesses in their win!
Who can I contact if I need help and guidance?
Please call the facilitators of the Awards Our Wedding™ and Wedding Marketing Group on 1300 305 802 or email [email protected]. They cannot help you write your submission, they can only provide guidance and clarification on the question headings.
