EDCO Awards & Specialties has prepared a list of 7 tips to help any business develop a successful corporate recognition awards program:

1.        Look for quality:   Above all, it’s important to consider the quality of the product.   Pricing will give you a good idea when you’re comparing one vendor to another.   A $35 corporate award, while perfectly suitable in a lot of situations, will not be of the same quality as an award that costs $135.
2.        Buy like you’re shopping for a diamond:   Clarity, color, finish and weight all have meaning when shopping for your corporate awards.   The difference between a glass award and crystal award is the clarity of the material.   Glass awards will typically fall into a lower price range as a result.  The weight of the award is important as well.  You want a good quality glass or crystal, one-half to three-quarters inch thick so it’ll have good weight.
3.        Go for the sizzle:   You can buy a nice crystal award that is very traditional, but don’t do that till you’ve checked out the newer selections that combine colors and materials.  We have several new optic crystal awards that combine optical glass, crystal, black glass or colored glass.   EDCO’s line of Contemporary Crystal Awards features several new styles that offer traditional glass designs with vibrant colors like blue and red.
4.        Appreciate good engraving:  The impact of a nice award can fall flat if it’s not engraved in a way most suitable for the material.  Many local trophy shops will laser engrave crystal, which is inferior to the more state-of-the-art sandblasting process.  Sand engraving or carving uses aluminum oxide as the blasting medium, which is a very fine material that does a very good job on detailed artwork and which delivers a precise, deep etch.  Laser engraving doesn’t cut deep, so it doesn’t look as crisp and can really compromise the intricate details of a company logo.  Depending on the material, color and design, EDCO uses one of five different engraving methods:  sand carving, laser etching, UV printing, sublimation or deep edge and color fill.  (View video of sand carving process for crystal engraving. )     
5.        Ask for help:  It’s important to work with a trophy or awards vendor whose customer service department has in-depth knowledge of its product line.  Time is of the essence.  Most companies will order their awards 3-5 days before they need them, and we sometimes are asked about 24-hour turnaround.   As a result, you want to make sure the person you’re talking to understands how much time each step takes, what’s involved in the art design process and so forth, to meet their time schedule.
6.        Buy from a manufacturer:  Most local trophy shops lack expertise in the area of corporate awards.   Working directly with a manufacturer, like EDCO of Fort Lauderdale, enables companies to ensure they’re getting the highest quality product for their budget in a timely manner.  Knowing the time constraints, it’s important to work with an awards vendor that has the product in-stock, offers quick service and turnaround and can work with the customer on art design. 
7.        Talk to a person:  The Internet has made it easy for businesses to purchase most of their office and production supplies without ever having to talk to another person.  But, when it comes to your corporate awards program, the outcome is too important to rely on a faceless, cheap Internet site.  Economy sites don’t offer the quality craftsmanship, selection or customer service of a traditional manufacturer.  We’re able to do a lot more for our clients that make their corporate awards programs very meaningful.  Because we stock all our items and do our art design and engraving in-house, we can create custom pieces for our clients, meet short turnaround times and tight budget constraints.

For help with your corporate award program, call 800-377-8646.