"Are the UnAwards a proper awards event if it only costs £20 to attend them?"
by Darren Caveney
I was asked this question last year. Well, actually, it was an attendee who said her boss had asked the question.
It's fair to ask. We're all busy and our time needs to be spent on things which add value, help us develop, make us better at our jobs.
Yes, the UnAwards are proper awards because the people who take part, enter, nominate and attend are what make an award. Not the ticket price or the venue.
Now we could run the UnAwards in a large London hotel, make it black tie and exclusive and charge £300 a ticket. But that isn't our style. And I don't believe it's what colleagues across the industry that we meet every week want either.
350 entries and 5k public votes in the 2014 and 2015 UnAwards back up our thinking.
So come along and enjoy what's my favourite industry gathering of the year.
The UnAwards16 will take place at the cool Everyman Cinema in Birmingham's Mailbox. It will feature a winners ceremony, a film - which remains a closely guarded secret until the big day (last year we watched the brilliant Planes Trains and Automobiles) - and then you'll have a rather lovely meal in the Everyman's Diner which we also hire for the event.
But best of all it's the number one meeting and networking opportunity I know. It's a chance to meet a really wide range of people at the cutting edge of our industry and from all across the UK.
And many of you used last year's event as the springboard to your office Christmas celebrations afterwards. Go you.
How much is it to attend?
We have held the ticket price for a third year running because we want as many of you to have the chance to be there as possible. Tickets are just £20 + VAT.
Will the event sell out?
Yes, almost certainly. The UnAwards15 was a complete sell out and we have a strict limit on numbers. So if you want to be at the coolest and most unique event in the industry calendar you should book sharpish.
You can book tickets to the glittering UnAwards16 ceremony taking place on 1 December right here. Don't miss it, it's going to be a cracker.
Darren Caveney is creator of comms2point0 and the organiser of the UnAwards16
post image via The Library of Congress
