DSE Opens Up Awards Submissions – Why You Should Care

August 26, 2015 by Dave Haynes

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The Digital Signage Expo people have opened up the submissions process for its annual Apex awards for content and installation work, with a November deadline to get your pitches in.

DSE moved the awards event from a dinner (which it ran for several years) to a breakfast in 2015. I’m not sure how that went, but an indicator might be that the 2016 awards will be handed out at the trade show’s annual networking mixer, held after the exhibit hall closes and people start thinking, “It’s Beer O’Clock.”

That makes more sense than dragging people out of bed for breakfast, since many will have just fell into bed (the show’s in Las Vegas). The remaining neurotransmitters in my skull are helping me vaguely recall awards in the early days of DSE were done like that.

As I have written many times — regardless of what you think of the relative merits of awards, the way they are judged, etc, etc. — they are very good marketing tools. Some smart companies who enter like crazy know that.

You may think winning a DSE award is a big fat shrug of a happening, but even nominations make clients feel special. End users look at award-winning service providers and likely conclude, “These guys must be good …” They’re not asking, “Yeah, but how many entries were there? And were the judges truly qualified?”

Filling out entries and cutting checks is a pain in the butt, but if you and your clients are doing good work, make the effort.

 

 

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