The duomedia team had a blast at the second IBIS Awards, which are dedicated to celebrating success in the Belgian PR industry. It was a perfect opportunity  to bring everyone together to network and share experiences.

Aside from the backslapping and champagne quaffing, the event proved very insightful. The organizers 3C and BPRCA highlighted the trend for flexible, converged communication strategies, with social media playing a key role alongside conventional channels, and the need for consistent output across all platforms.

One of the highlights was undoubtedly the roundtable discussion, which was attended by communication experts and two journalists. Again, a key topic was the role of social media channels in the communication mix. While everyone agreed the impact of such platforms will likely only get bigger in the future, there was a common consensus that traditional media and personal relationships cannot be fully replaced digitally.

All these PR and communication efforts are aimed at building and  maintaining company’s reputation - in times of crisis even more important, confirmed Monique Delvou who chaired the IBIS Awards jury and is spokes person of the Belgian Belfius bank, previously Dexia.

But back to those IBIS awards. It was clear from the number of entries that the Belgian PR industry has enough work to keep everyone busy. So how come we’re not communicating more on what’s going on, and how we can continue driving the PR industry forward?

This was a thought shared by many at the event, judging by the animated discussions at the networking session afterwards. Inge Van Tendeloo at Pfizer Belgium, winner of the Gold IBIS Award for the Alzheimer campaign, voiced the opinion of many attendees when she said the awards afforded her the perfect opportunity to meet and interact with other communications peers. Something we do too little,  to be very frank.

Times could well be changing, however. The duomedia team is looking forward to a #prdrink to be hosted in June/July, when different PR agencies will get together and #talkPR. We’re confident this will be a very creative experience. We’ll be able to share ideas and develop how we do things, which can only be good news for the industry in general – and, of course, our clients.

Tony White, Chairman of Judges at FINAT, has 17 years’ experience of judging print competitions around the world. In this guest blog he reveals how to avoid the common pitfalls and submit an impressive award entry.

Time to get serious with label competitions

Winning an award feels fantastic. There’s nothing like experts in your industry confirming you’re doing a great job. It boosts morale, does wonders for your company’s profile and can have a big impact on sales.

So it’s a mystery why many businesses don’t invest sufficient time in submitting a compelling entry.

In my experience of judging dozens of label print competitions around the world, the same mistakes crop up time and again.

And one of the most common mistakes is an entry which doesn’t follow the rules or meet the criteria. Make sure you read the entry requirements at least twice before putting pen to paper. And when your entry is finished, check it thoroughly to make sure you haven’t forgotten or misinterpreted anything.

Next up, be clear about which category you want to enter. Ticking two or more options on the entry form and leaving the judges to decide is a big no-no. It’s your product – you pick the most appropriate category.

Now for the technical part of the form, where you must prove your label is worthy of walking away with the prize. Make sure you include a sample of your best work and go over the label carefully, looking for any flaws (the judges certainly will). You’ll be assessed on the technical processes adopted, the quality of the finish, and the appropriateness of the label’s design for end use.

One area to pay particular attention to is the register. More than half of entries are rejected for poor register – you have been warned!

Finally, most competitions invite you to include additional information. This is a chance to add weight to your entry and sway the judges. You’d be amazed by how many companies ignore this opportunity – make sure you’re not one of them.

Want to get serious about scooping an industry gong? Then read the full article How to win a label print competition. It reveals in detail how to avoid the common pitfalls and submit an impressive entry.

For the official duomedia pr press release, please click here.