# Awards nights - the good, the bad and the ugly...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awards-nights-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/272469>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [November 2, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awards-nights-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/272469 "2004-11-02T01:19:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Burnt\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awards-nights-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/272469/1 "2004-11-02T01:19:57Z")

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I need your awards / presentation night stories!

I’ve volunteered to organise my gymnastics club’s (where I work) first awards night. Now, I’ve never organised something like this before – I volunteered because I will be on holidays soon and I’m one of those people who are in their element when they’re busy.

I’m after:

- Stories of bad and good awards nights, and what made them bad or good;
- What sort of awards are good to give out;
- Advice regarding things I might forget; and
- Advice from anyone who has organised something like this before.

Or, whatever ya wanna say!

We’re having a stand-up dinner beforehand, included in the price, and a disco for the kids afterwards. I’m hoping to make it very short and sweet – although we will have a couple of displays in the middle.

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**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awards-nights-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/272469/2 "2004-11-02T02:31:34Z")

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Everyone seems to forget when they’re organizing these things that NO-ONE likes long speeches. Do what you can to keep people short and sweet. Even one sentence speeches are liked.

That’s all I can think of at the moment based on every ceremony I’ve ever been to putting people to sleep with horrendously long anecdote filled speeches.

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**Author:** ![Burnt\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/awards-nights-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/272469/3 "2004-11-02T09:01:58Z")

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_Tries to keep thread’s head above the water._