Chapter and Regional Awards are an important part of IABC. They are a chance to showcase some of the best work being done in your area. Many teams and people who win local Awards go on to win International Gold Quills.
But they can be expensive to run. On-line providers like AwardForce, OmniSolutions and AwardStage charge upwards of $1,200 for their basic services. This is a lot of Members’ money going outside the IABC community. If all 86 chapters bought the basic package, the total cost to IABC Members would be over $100k. Think what IABC could do with that money.
As of now, it doesn’t have to be that way.
We have developed a new approach to awards software which is tailored to IABC, and saves chapters money. It is based on an approach we developed for the recent IABC EMENA Conference and provides many of the same features as common awards software:
- An entry form where entrants can upload their content and materials.
- A password-protected ‘hub’ for judges where they can access materials and rate the replies.
- A management system to help track replies, and chase people if needed.
- Accessible via laptop, tablet or mobile/cell.
- Plus it can be totally customised to your chapter and awards programme.
- The system is based on Google drive technology and is therefore robust, secure and accessible 24/7.
What’s the catch? Let’s be honest: it’s not as professional as someone like AwardForce. We developed in-house so it is not on its own server. It’s not been developed by expert coders.
But on the other hand: it can work, and it proved successful in the EMENA region. And it is cheaper than existing providers. Basic package starts from $700; with additional add-ons and features available on request.
If you are interested, or would like to hear more, please contact Stephen Welch, IABC UK. stephenwelch@eml.cc