Don’t Panic’s MD, Helen, sums up the Year!

2021 is coming to an end and as always, we are spending some time, along with our teams, reflecting on another year. It seems to have passed with lightning speed and we are thrilled to be leaving it with some incredible highlights, after what has been (as for most industries) the most challenging 18 months we have faced. 

At points during 2020 we did wonder if we would ever have the luxury of delivering a live in-person events again, and I have to say the biggest highlight of 2021, for myself, and all of Don’t Panic, is that we have! This year we managed to deliver six live, in-person events which may seem a small number given we organise over thirty each calendar year, but I think it is safe to say given the current circumstances and the restrictions we have faced, the number six is huge.

This year we celebrated turning Sweet Sixteen and have grown with some amazing additions to our team. We have welcomed Sue Johns Chapman as our resident Content Manager, Dan Kilburn as our Web Developer, Jo Diver our Data Analyst, Stephanie Gianfriglia our new Account Executive, Leenesha Friend our new Marketing Manager, Emily Winders our Event Assistant and Kate Humphries our Event Executive. All of whom have played pivotal roles in the success of Don’t Panic’s 2021.

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Aside from turning sixteen, we had more reasons to celebrate. 2021 saw the return of our Senior Event Manager, Sarah Belcher, who spent some time on maternity leave after the birth of her gorgeous little boy Ellis. We celebrated the birth of Otis, our Senior Event Manager, Alex Rimmer’s, new baby boy. Operations Manager Sarah Power got engaged! We feel Sarah will be in good hands for any wedding planning that she needs support with! And I got married to Mark, who got Don’t Panic’s blessing and honorary team member status on our last social night out, and became Helen Barklay.

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Another highlight of this year has been the successful implementation of our judge feedback process, which provides all entrants, whether winners or not, with transparent and qualitative judge feedback across all of their entries. We are committed to being the most ethical and transparent awards provider and want to further expand on this offering by delivering content-driven educational pieces and insights into what exactly our judges are looking for in a 2022 award-winning entry.  Our aim is to ensure all our entrants are supported through the entry process, from beginning to end, and are recognised in the fairest and most ethical way possible.

Possibly the overall highlight of 2021 has been the celebration of YOU, and all the incredible campaigns, tools, software and agencies, located around the globe, that enter each of our awards.  We have been inspired by your entries, joined you online to applaud your efforts, laughed at some of your questionable dance moves at our live events and had one too many Jägermeister shots with you….it has been a joy to be a part of, and exactly why we love every part of what we do. 

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Whilst we round up our highlights, on behalf of Don’t panic I would like to thank all of our entrants, sponsors, media partners, judges, clients and suppliers, as your commitment to our events is hugely appreciated and without your support, our awards simply would not be possible. In particular, I would like to personally thank David Edmundson – Bird our Chair of Judging Standards, Richard Gregory our Non-Executive Director, our Award Ambassadors and Judith Lewis who continually help shape and grow all of our award programmes.

The last highlight of 2021 for me is being appointed as MD of Don’t Panic. It has been an incredible 6 months in post, and I have the team to thank for that. Nicky Wake’s shoes are incredibly tough to fill, but I can safely say each member of the Don’t Panic family have made it that little bit easier. So, my last thank you goes to the incredible team I am lucky enough to be surrounded by each day, thank you for being committed, innovative and above all fun!

2021 has been an extremely busy year at Don’t Panic! So far, we have delivered 29 awards with a mixture of live and virtual events, and seen new additions to our ever-extending portfolio. As part of this we have added the Company Culture Awards to our repertoire, which are an extension of the increasingly popular agency culture categories, across the breadth of our agency awards.

The Company Culture Awards have given us a great insight into the incredible work our award entrants are doing to ensure employee satisfaction, productivity and wellbeing are at the forefront of everything they do. Often, we see how these businesses are taking their staff on their journey with them, and often the incentives they put in place are not funded by big budgets, but make a huge difference.

We too have been working hard as a small agency to ensure we are practising what we preach, and ensuring we create a working environment that rewards innovation, creative thinking, and nurtures our talented team members to achieve their personal and professional goals.

With that in mind, this year we have signed the Breathe HR Company Culture Pledge as an ongoing commitment to putting our team first. As part of this, we have recently launched our Culture Committee, which is made up of a representative from each department who report back to the senior leadership team on changes they feel need to be made and give everyone a voice in cultivating our culture. This can be as little as recommending an array of motivational incentives, or how we can improve communication internally and improve our core functions.

We also launched, what some may feel is a cliché but seems to be a hit with our team…Team of the Month. November’s the Team of the Month were our Event Managers. The Events teams work tirelessly (often behind the scenes) to ensure the logistics of every event we deliver, whether live or virtual is seamless, which is not an easy task! They all received an ASOS voucher to help them choose their very important Christmas party outfits! We are hoping that for one night, and one night only, they may be able to put their headsets and clipboards aside!

Our company culture is not defined by the senior leadership team alone. It has been great to see how our teams have been assisting in the development of our company culture and working hard to motivate and support one another particularly during our busiest months. We have recently had our very own GBBO sweepstake organised by our Data Analyst Jo and an incredible team cheeseboard organised by our Content Manager Sue. We have also recently enjoyed a night out at the UK Search Awards which many of us are still recovering from now!

Given the pandemic has seen a real shift in peoples behaviours, and sadly wellbeing, we will be shutting down all operations on Monday, May 9th for our Don’t Panic Mental Health Awareness Day. This means no emails will be sent, telephone calls answered or slack notifications pinging. This will give the whole team a true day off to do something we enjoy, or simply nothing at all. In addition to all this, we also offer a paid gym membership to assist with employee wellbeing– we can’t say this has been used too much on the run-up to Christmas, but can already hear the “new year new me” slogan making its way around the office.

We aren’t the biggest of businesses, but we recognise our teams, and the people that make them, are our biggest asset.

We are committed to continuing to learn and grow, and would love to hear what other businesses are doing to reward and motivate their teams…How do you cultivate your company culture? Email us at awards@dontpanicprojects.com

My journey with Don’t Panic has definitely been a varied one! I joined Don’t Panic after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University, with a Business Management degree and I’m still here 5 years later, now in my role as Operations Manager. 

When I first started out, I had no idea where I’d end up. I joined Don’t Panic as a Speaker Bureau Assistant and quickly moved on to be Speaker Bureau Manager. From there, my role branched out into a variety of different areas, which led me to where I am today. 

Don’t Panic pride ourselves on putting people first, and that’s something I’ve always loved and enjoyed being a part of. Everyone at Don’t Panic has a huge role to play in the business’ success, which means we never hesitate to nurture and invest in our employees.

A big focus for me at the moment is building on our company culture and making sure our employees are involved in shaping that. This month, we launched our ‘culture committee’, which allows our dedicated ambassadors to share ideas and have their say. We’re always looking to improve, and we know our ambassadors will help us do that. 

Making sure our employees are involved and educated on the business’ goals is key for us. It helps us to ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives, but also shows them what the business is trying to achieve and how they’re important in making that happen. We work hard together as a team with some ambitious goals, but we make sure to celebrate every win, no matter how small. 

If you want to join the Don’t Panic Team contact me sarah.power@dontpanicprojects.com

Author: Sarah Power

Can you ever go too early? We think not!

We have been hybrid working over the past month as we have had several awards to celebrate, UKeCommerce and UK Search Awards being just two of them, so having the whole team back together deserved a celebration.

Our Christmas Elf, Jo, must have arrived in the ‘dark of night’ to spread sparkle across the office as arriving to Christmas decor in the office, first thing Monday, was a delight. Each and every one of us was treated to a cone, filled with everything you need for the perfect hot chocolate, and we have a 6ft tree, decorated with lights, candy canes, and decorations that would bring a smile to St Nic (and I don’t mean our founder!)

The return to the office was also heralded in with a cheese board and appropriate accompanying delights. Who needs chocolate, when you can have cheese, or in our case both!

As the end of the year approaches the team is working towards deadlines for UK Dev Awards, Northern Digital Awards, European Content Awards, and Global Social Media Awards so we are all busy, busy, busy! We call December a unicorn month, a month when we are supposed to have time for catching up and planning, but this year we have seen increased levels of interest and entries, the launch of some new awards, more than one house move, a wedding, and a new baby so we will be working flat out until we shut for the holidays on the 23rd December.

At Don’t Panic we work hard, but we play hard too! We will of course be heading into Manchester to make merry at the office party on 16^th December. If you are out and about, and see us, be sure to come and say hello.

Help is at hand! We’ve teamed up with awards experts Boost Awards (the world’s first and largest award entry consultancy), who can help you with your entry. They can offer the following discounted service to those entering these awards:

A ‘starter for ten’ for £500 + VAT – a one hour call to explore your story, after which Boost will draft a ‘storyboard’ for your entry within a week.

This document will provide you with a recommended angle, key evidence points, and entry structure to align your story with all the elements of the entry form and the scoring system. It will not only increase your chances of success, it will make it far quicker for you to create a clear, punchy, focused and well evidenced entry that wows the judges. Further assistance is available on request should you need Boost to do more of the writing, evidence of graphic design of your entry than within the scope of this introductory offer. 

Boost can help you enter any of the Don’t Panic Awards whether they are Search, Content, Digital, ECommerce, Business Tech and they can help whatever region you are working in.

To accept this offer, please email info@boost-awards.co.uk 

What is the Difference Between the Search Awards and the Agency Award Series?

It’s not a Search V Agency decision!

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The Search Awards are key celebrations dedicated to the Search industry. The Awards are regarded as the premiere celebration of SEO, PPC and content marketing and attract hundreds of entries from leading search and digital agencies across the world. Launched in 2011 the series has grown from strength to strength and 2021 sees the 10 Year anniversary of the UK Search Awards.

The Agency Awards are a broader celebration of all agency types from PR to marketing to experiential; from digital to ecommerce and every agency type in-between. The Agency Awards want to celebrate all sectors and verticals, large and small; they reward campaigns and the teams that deliver them in their specified region, be that UK, Europe, US, MENA or Global! 

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Which should You Enter?

Search v Agency Awards is not an either/or decision. The Awards compliment each other and are your opportunity to be a multiple award winner. Awards are proven to be transformative for business and they are great for attracting new clients, business development, team morale and, in a competitive job market, essential for recruitment. 

Both, Search and Agency awards are brought to you by Don’t Panic, recognised and respected awards organisers, who are proud members of the Awards Trust Mark. The entry forms for both Search and Agency awards are purposefully similar so that business that enter one, can easily enter the other. We understand that time is precious so with only a few minor alterations you can submit the same details and supporting documentation to both Awards and be judged ethically and fairly by relevant industry experts against robust criteria. 

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Want to take on the world and show you are the best? Then the Global Search or Global Agency Awards should be your ultimate goal!

Don’t Panic hosted their first live networking event, since lockdown 1.0, in Manchester’s Northern Quarter last night, 3^rd November. 

Having returned to live UK Award events back in July, it was great to be networking in a smaller venue with search, content, agency and PR experts based in the Northern Powerhouse, prior to the Northern Digital Awards final entry deadline. 

In true Don’t Panic style, drinks and conversation flowed, and food you ask? Well Crazy Pedro’s delivered pizzas! If you haven’t tasted the ‘Fried chicken, smoked bacon, maple syrup, waffle’ pizza you haven’t lived, although the vegetarian, fantastically named, ‘Got the Muncheese’ gives it a good run for the money!

On hand to answer Award questions and do the introductions were Don’t Panic Founder, Nicky, and her right-hand women Sales Executive, Steph and Content Manager, Sue. 

It was great to see the teams from @ForwardPMX, @dontbeshyb2b, @PushDoctor and @FourthDayPR, to name but a few, and Judges @JustinClarkSocial, @SmartRich and @LidiaInfanteM. Big shout out to @Connective_3 and @MountDigi, who were the last men/women standing at the end of the evening, early, but way past 7pm!

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During 2020 and 2021 Covid 19 put a damper on networking. Virtual events were all well and good, but there is nothing like face-to-face connections that lead to forged connections, potential collaborations, increased confidence and best practice sharing. 

It was clear last night, that digitals want to reconnect. The room was filled with buzz and chatter, it was a relaxed and informal event that was a great re-introduction to socialising, talking to like-minded strangers/future friends and sharing industry stories. Tales of homeworking and hybrid working were topics of conversation along with government bursaries available for apprentices and upskilling, and, of course, Award entry and friendly competition. It was an interesting night!

Look out for other Don’t Panic networking events that will be coming up in 2022 as we would love to support you in widening your circle of connections and encourage you to enter Awards! 

We asked One Minute Briefs, winners of Best Use of Social Media at the Northern Digital Awards, about their experience of entering awards and the impact it had on the team and the Ombles community!

Don’t Panic Q: Do you find the process of entering awards in terms of review and development beneficial?

Nick: As entries are judged on a number of different criteria, it encourages you to evaluate your results based on objectives and budgets etc. Effectiveness is as important as the original idea, and it’s important not to forget that.

Evaluation is beneficial to help you improve, but also to look back on a project well done and recognise its merit is helpful for moving forward. As the digital industry is so fast paced, you are always onto the next thing.

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Don’t Panic Q: After you were shortlisted, did you use your finalist assets to promote your success?

Nick: We shared finalist assets across all socials. Having the assets alongside links is great as they are distinctive and provide a good focal point to the content you share about awards. The Ombles responded well the posts as every shortlist or win is for the followers as a whole.

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Don’t Panic Q: You won Best Use of Social Media at the Northern Digital Awards in 2022. How did this affect your clients and team?

Nick: The win reflects well on the community and what we can achieve together. I always share our nominations and wins as I want everyone to feel part of every achievement, OMB wouldn’t be a thing without them. It is also great for our own team to have our hard work recognised too.

Overall I think entering awards is important for team-building, improving output and helping you go above and beyond for your clients to make impactful work.

It’s good to compete with other brilliant agencies and have the chance to see and celebrate all of the other great work out there too.

We are always very proud to have our work recognised.

Follow Nick and the team @OneMinuteBriefs or visit the website Bank of Creativity.

Download your Northern Digital Entry Form or visit our awards page to see how entering an awards can be beneficial to you.

By Montserrat Cano Awards Judge

I have recently had the pleasure of being part of the judging panel for the Global Content Awards alongside talented peers. It was an honour to judge some creative campaigns, especially after an extremely difficult 2020 for marketing and other industries. All of them prove that marketing can drive business during and beyond any crisis. This article aims at helping brands to make their professional awards entries stand out. 

Spoiler – It’s all about making it easy for judges to see that you are presenting an award winning entry. The judging criteria is strict and a great campaign, might not be enough to win an award. Communicate clearly without beefing up any aspect of the campaign.

Connect the dots

Judges look out for a clear connection between objectives and results, as they can only judge on the evidence presented. Show them how your campaign has achieved the previously identified objectives, stating both clearly on your entry form. 

Relevant figures or graphics can help to this end if you need to show any technical results, eg, organic traffic to a website. We’re looking for tangible results, taking into account the budget used for that campaign. 

Overcoming challenges 

This is an important point. We all come across challenges when we plan and implement any strategy. Entries may be scored more highly if they

1. State the nature of those challenges clearly
2. Show how they have overcome such challenges. 

We’re also looking for creativity when approaching them. Therefore, a focus on the process of developing or implementing a campaign is not relevant.

Customise your entry for each category

Entering more than one category with the same campaign is perfectly fine, as a campaign might be considered from several angles. Your job here is showing those angles to the judges by customising your entry for each of the categories entered. 

Remember that the criteria for each category is different, judges need to see that each entry meets that criteria. One risk of not doing so is that we might deem a campaign not suitable for the category entered.

Fill out all areas of the form

This might be obvious, but I have seen entry forms that were not totally filled out. Why not using all the opportunities offered? Brands risk not giving the judging panel enough information as to why their campaigns should win. 

Make it easy for judges to understand why they should score your campaign highly. Not stating why they think that campaign might win or what has achieved for a business might also show that brands may not really care enough about that campaign.

Make it nice

Story telling is a great way to let judges know why your entry is a winner, the challenges you have overcome with it, the excellent results it has achieved for your business. Then, present everything in a readable way to increase the chances to win. It has been a real joy to read some of the entries, whereas I’ve seen others that needed some more work. Some tips:

• Take care of the word count and style
• Make sure your pictures or graphics don’t get cut out
• Make good use of the space you’ve got to write 

Making it easier for judges will help your campaign to stand out and maybe even win an award, while making a good name for yourself.

For details of which Awards you can enter click here.

Making the shortlist for any of the Don’t Panic Awards is worth celebrating. 

Judges and Award Ambassadors do not award any accolades unless the submission is worthy! Judges are committed to upholding the standards across the digital industry and maintaining the worth of award accolades. 

If campaigns, software or teams are worthy of their place on the shortlist they receive downloadable finalist assets which are, to be frank and honest, worth their weight in gold. The assets include badges, banners and animations which can be shared across marketing materials, social media and websites. I recently saw ours across an email footer which scrolled through a number of awards this particular correspondent had been a finalist in or had won. We like your style Impression!

How do you make your finalist assets work for you and your business?

Display your accolade on your website, social media and marketing materials both internally and externally. 

Blog about your success. Making the shortlist is BIG news. Don’t be shy, it is time to boast. Your accomplishments are a story waiting to be shared. 

An Award accolade is for life. From the moment you download, through the event and beyond. In other industries making the final is a really big deal Let’s take Film for example, famous actors resume’s often state Oscar or BAFTA nominee, film tag lines include shortlisted at Cannes Film Festival – the titles are industry recommendations that attract the audience. 

Award winning culture attracts new talent, and teams that make the shortlist strive to stay at the top. Teams develop and grow, creativity will flourish and commitment will thrive. 

Entering Awards is not just about winning, they are about being proud, showing the industry your achievements, sharing with peers and being part of a community. Celebrate your work even if you don’t end up putting the trophy in your cabinet!

To see which awards Don’t Panic deliver and what you could win click here.