Staff Awards Night Ideas: How We Turned a Staff Restaurant into an Awards Venue

A staff awards night is one of the few times a year a company gets to say thank you to its people in front of everyone, so the room should feel like an occasion. The good news is you don’t need a hotel ballroom. Some of the best awards nights we supply are held in a company’s own staff restaurant, canteen or warehouse, dressed for the evening and back to normal by the next morning.

For the last two years we’ve dressed FM Conway’s staff restaurant at their Sevenoaks head office for their Staff Achievement Awards, so here’s exactly how we turned an everyday space into an awards night, and how you can do the same.

1. Hide the everyday with wall draping

Fridges, noticeboards and serving counters don’t say “awards night”. Floor-to-ceiling black wall draping covers the working parts of the room and gives you a clean, dark backdrop that makes the lighting do the work. It goes up on its own freestanding frames, so nothing is fixed to the walls.

2. Light the room in your brand colour

Wireless uplighters placed along the drapes wash the walls in your brand colour. For this client that meant green, matched to their logo, and blue for the earlier part of the evening. Because they’re battery powered there are no cables across the floor, and the colour can change during the night.

3. Put your logo on the wall

A gobo projector throws your company logo onto the draping in sharp light. It’s one of the simplest ways to make a room feel like your event, and it gives every photo taken that night your branding in the background.

4. Make an entrance

A VIP carpet aisle lined with chrome posts and ropes turns the walk to the front into a moment, whether that’s guests arriving or winners going up to collect their award. A balloon arch in your brand colours at the entrance frames the doorway and doubles as a photo spot.

5. Give people somewhere to take photos

Staff will want photos with their award. A dedicated corner with the logo on the drapes, a carpet to stand on and a pair of LED film lights gives everyone a well-lit, on-brand picture without a photographer having to set up.

6. Signage, lectern and sound

A welcome sign on an easel at the door, a lectern for the speeches, and a microphone and speakers so the back row can hear every name read out. These small details are what make the evening run smoothly.

What to hire for a staff awards night

• Wall draping to hide the everyday parts of the room
• Wireless uplighters in your brand colour
• A logo gobo projection
• VIP carpet with chrome posts and ropes
• A balloon arch at the entrance or photo spot
• LED film lights for photos
• A lectern, microphone and PA for the speeches
• Easels for welcome and seating signs

Planning your own staff awards?

We deliver, set up and collect across London, Surrey, Kent and Sussex, and we’re happy to match everything to your brand colours. See our staff awards event hire or request a quote with your date, venue and numbers and we’ll come back to you the same day.