Tustin Awards

Specializing in Corporate Awards and Promotional Products Since 1978

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(877) 589-9989

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Trends in Employee Recognition Awards

Looking for the latest trends in employee recognition awards? You are in the right place!

Tustin Awards has the best employee recognition awards for your team.

Here are some trends we are seeing for 2021:

Recognize Everyday Heroes

Every day, we talk to customers who have been profoundly impacted by COVID-19. From medical to education, law enforcement, and small business, every industry has faced newfound challenges with tremendous bravery, dedication, and innovation. The ability of our clients to continually adapt and persevere inspires us to create employee recognition awards tailored to the achievements of their incredible team members. Click here for a few employee recognition awards ideas to show appreciation for the everyday heroes at your company.

Employee Recognition Awards

Awards for the Home Office

As many continue working from home, the employee recognition awards we create often reflect this change in environment.

Since most in-person awards presentations have been cancelled for the next few months, a slightly smaller award in the 7” or 8” tall range is easier and cheaper to ship to individual recipients. Plus, people are also more likely to have space for a slightly smaller award. Options such as the Everest and Sophistiqué would be excellent choices because they are freestanding (no base required), are easy to ship, and have plenty of engraving area.

We are also seeing an increased popularity in personalized gift items. Giving your employees something like a high-quality journal, water bottle, tumbler, or even an embroidered item like a jacket with employee names on them has a much higher perceived value than a company logo alone. And giving employee recognition awards which people use daily will frequently remind them of your appreciation.

Full Color Digital Printing

Eye catching and always on-brand, the options for customizing your employee recognition awards with full color digital printing are endless! Whether you need 1 or 100 awards, we can use our full color digital printer to ensure your awards perfectly match your corporate branding standards.

Full color printing is an easy and cost-effective way to make a standard award style feel custom, and it is a popular choice to reflect different levels of employee achievement (i.e. different art colors depending on the years of service, sales achievement level, etc.)

All our acrylic and plaque employee recognition awards are available with full color printing. We also offer a selection of stunning crystal awards available with full color printing as well.

Art Glass

Another trend in employee recognition awards for 2021 is art glass. Like your employees, no two art glass awards are identical. Each art glass award is handmade and completely unique. With stunning colors ranging from deep blue and purple in our Elegance Award to the vibrant red in our Imperial Award, we love art glass awards. And if you are looking for a truly custom art glass award, we also partner with local art glass artisans to achieve the art glass award of your dreams.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our Tustin Awards page, and we look forward to creating beautiful employee recognition awards for you soon!

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Things to Consider for Your Online Awards Ceremony

This year, one of the biggest trends in recognition is the online awards ceremony. While most companies have cancelled in-person events, many have chosen to continue with their awards programs. Why? Because….

Appreciation is ESSENTIAL!

The need for appreciation is stronger now than ever before, and while virtual events cannot match the excitement and prestige of in-person events, an online awards ceremony can still provide meaningful recognition to those who are most deserving. Whether you are a business, school, or non-profit, the people supporting your organization have stepped up in major ways this year, and a simple “thank you” will mean more to them than you can imagine.

online awards ceremony

Here are our recommendations for how to add excitement and elegance to your online awards ceremony:

  • Send formal invitations & gifts before your event
  • Include an award in your event marketing and ceremony
  • Send awards to your recipients
  • Add flair to your presentation

One of the best ways to create momentum for any online awards ceremony is to mail high-quality invitations to guests along with a few gifts to get the party started early. A delicious meat and cheese platter from Maple Ridge Farms or elegant wine glass with your favorite bubbly beverage are classic choices your guests will surely enjoy.

For added distinction, we suggest ordering a few awards ahead of time. You can include photos of your awards in your invitations as well as your email/social media promotional campaigns. You can also use a physical award in the online awards ceremony to add prestige to the event and give recipients a preview of the stunning award they will receive.

We also recommend sending awards to your recipients. Providing tangible recognition of their effort will demonstrate your appreciation for their dedication and infuse your organization with renewed inspiration for continued achievement. If you need help delivering your awards, we have the capability to individually box and ship your awards to each recipient.

And when sending your awards, we suggest thinking about other ways to add flair to your presentation.  Our suggestion is to include a personalized notecard with each award as this adds a personal touch and increases perceived value. We also offer other corporate branded appreciation items such as lapel pins and other promotional-products which are easy to include with your award.

Still deciding whether to have an online awards ceremony? Here are a few benefits of a virtual awards presentation:

  • Less expensive than a traditional event­
  • More convenient and safe for guests to attend
  • Opportunity to experiment

One major benefit to hosting an online awards ceremony over a traditional in-person event is the significant cost savings – no hotel rooms, catering, DJ, florist, etc. to pay for. Given the online format, guests can easily and safely attend from any location (guests won’t worry about missing their flight due to a snowstorm, no need to cancel or postpone the event due to a sudden rise in COVID cases, etc.).

And lastly, the online format can provide the opportunity to experiment with new technology and easily connect different people in your organization. For example, to foster networking, you can still group guests into online breakout rooms as if they were sitting at “tables” at an in-person event and give them an opportunity to mingle.

How Can Tustin Awards Help?

Regardless of whether you choose to move forward with an online awards ceremony, we have the expertise and service you need to make sure your employees, donors, and clients receive the recognition they deserve.

At Tustin Awards, we combine family business values with industry-leading expertise. 

Shop local at Tustin Awards for high-quality awards and promotional products, and contact us to start your order for your online awards ceremony!