For the die hard cricket fan, two months of bleary eyed mornings are almost upon us as England defend their Ashes trophy down under. While many of us will have to make do with watching England retain the famous urn (we hope) on the evening highlights show, many will brave the overnight coverage even if it means turning up to work a little worse for wear the following morning.
The levels of hype that are generated are almost second to none, with neither Aussies or Poms willing to give any ground in the mental battle that accompanies every series. The centrepiece of the whole tournament is the famous urn, with the many legends surrounding its contents ranging from burned bails to the ashes from a fireplace. One thing is particularly striking about the famous urn however and that is its dainty size.
Although the real thing is locked away safely in the MCC museum at Lords, the symbol of the Ashes urn is still fought for every two years, and it must count as being one of the smallest trophies in sport. As you can see from the worldwide furore the competition causes, it certainly isn't size that matters.
At the other end of the sporting award scale is Ice Hockey's Stanley Cup. This monster trophy is awarded to the winners of the NHL season in the US and Canada, and owes it huge size to the fact that it is engraved with the names of all winning players, coaches, management and club staff. It now stands at a massive 89.54 cm and weighs 15.5 kilos, giving the winning captain a weightlifting challenge when he hoists the trophy aloft at the end of the final.
Both of these trophies make the humble FA Cup or Premier League trophy look a little on the dull side, and it goes to show that no matter how big or small the trophy is, it will be eagerly fought for by those charged with the responsibility of winning it for their team or country.
Increasingly businesses have used trophies and corporate award ceremonies to give their teams and individuals recognition for their achievements and these are often presented either at industry awards ceremonies or end of year corporate awards evenings. Corporate awards try to conjure some of the passion and enthusiasm from the sporting arena and inject it into the workplace and achieve great levels of success when it comes to motivating and incentivising employees.
You only need to look at the Ashes urn and the Stanley Cup trophy to see just how different trophies can be and this is the same for corporate awards. Big, small, fat or thin, companies can have corporate awards designed and manufactured to be brand consistent so that they are in keeping with the look and feel of the company.
When businesses decide to use corporate awards to reward staff they often look to the world of sport for inspiration, so if you are considering using
corporate awards in your business, look no further than the sporting world to see just how much choice there is available.
