No glittering awards ceremony is complete without a visit from officers of the Metropolitan police. So it was this week at the PR Week annual Awards held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Pall Mall.
Just as the 1200-strong guests were getting down to the serious business of eating, a commotion in one corner of the vast ballroom sent ripples of interest around the room. Reportedly – too many sparkly dressed bodies and tables in the way for this to be checked – a family of first-time airport protesters had sneaked their way in to the industry’s premier annual event. Resplendent in black tie garb the protesters wanted to make their point to unnamed representatives of the aviation industry who were not in the room. Described by one bemused guest as “a family of protesters who had not done this sort of thing before,” they had to be removed by the folks in blue as rumours swirled that the latter were in fact strip-o-gram fake police officers. So far, so awards dinner usual fare…
And all this activity before the main course! The appearance much later of our host Alexander Armstrong – with his divine timing and tongue very firmly in cheek – prompted another unplanned interruption from the floor. We began to wonder how early some guests had arrived for the pre-dinner champagne as a woman shouting loudly and unintelligibly tried to get to Armstrong. Quite what she wanted to say or do was not clear and he handled her so well we thought it part of his act. The ceremony finally got underway to the sight of her being ‘danced’ out of the room by a smiling but firm security guard.
And so what was the business of the evening? To recognise and give awards for the PR industry’s best communicators, campaigns and clever ideas…
The charity sector did itself proud and the four CharityComms judges who were part of the 60 judges overall felt rewarded for those weekends spent reading entries. Well done to CharityComms Board members Betty McBride, British Heart Foundation; Carolan Davidge, Cancer Research UK, John Grounds NSPCC as well as Norma Johnston, CharityComms.
Here’s who got the gongs: for further details check out the PR Week website: www.prweek.com
Communicator of the Year: Joanna Lumley
NGO Department of the Year: Macmillan Cancer Support
With a Highly Commended for Greenpeace
Other finalists in this category were: The Children’s Society, The Prince’s Trust, World Vision UK.
Public Sector Department of the Year: Westminster City Council
With a Highly Commended for Transport for London
Other finalists in this category were: British Waterways, Department for Work and Pensions and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council.
Not for Profit Parkinson’s Disease Society’s The Brain Donor Appeal with
Highly Commended for Macmillan Cancer Support and Finalists The Children’s Society and Beatbullying
Young PR Professional of the Year: Katie Hayward, Lansons Communications with Highly Commended to Heron Holloway, IFFRC Southern Africa Zone, Office, British Red Cross
Digital innovation where the British Red Cross was a Finalist
Broadcast Innovation where British Heart Foundation was a Finalist
Green Campaign Friends of the Earth with Unity
Public Affairs where British Heart Foundation was Highly Commended
Internal Communications Highly Commended for Action for Children