The 2025 Grammy award ceremony did a lot of things that meeting professionals might want to think about scaling for their own award gala.
While few meeting planners have the star power or budget The Recording Academy had when organizing the 2025 Grammys, the show, broadcast over several hours on February 2, did showcase several innovative ideas that those who put on corporate and association award ceremonies could adopt and adapt to make their shows really sing.
- Crisis response support: It would have been almost impossible for organizers to ignore the local wildfires that have decimated Los Angeles, where the ceremony was held. And they did not. The Recording Academy pivoted the ceremony to support relief efforts, raising $7 million in donations, which host Trevor Noah solicited throughout the gala. They also donated TV ad slots — which go at a premium for this event — to feature local businesses affected by the fires.
Planner takeaway: While hopefully your awards gala locale won’t be experiencing anything on the scale of the LA wildfire destruction, there are always local causes that would welcome support from visiting groups. Consider using your platforms to amplify fundraising or volunteer opportunities that align with your group’s goals and values. - Honor local heroes: The Grammys brought a tear to many an eye in the audience when they invited local firefighters on stage to announce the final award, Album of the Year.
Planner Takeaway: Who in your meeting destination community represents resilience, support, advocacy or whatever your specific group values and honors in its award recipients? Invite those local workers or advocates to serve as award presenters. - Be transparent in who decides who gets the awards: The Recording Academy had come under fire in recent years — including being boycotted by previous multiple Grammy Winner The Weeknd in 2020 — for a lack of transparency in its voting process and a voting body that didn’t represent the demographics of its membership. The organization responded by overhauling its membership, which now includes 40% people of color. It also expanded its outreach and now has 66% new members since 2020.
Planner Takeaway: Take a hard look at your audience and/or membership demographic — are you fully inclusive of your industry? Are there any fresh voices that need to be brought to the table? - Broaden the scope of who can participate: The Grammys were aired live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ to maximize the reach to those who wanted to watch the show.
Planner Takeaway: Consider using a hybrid format with live streams of your award gala to ensure that global or otherwise remote audiences who may not be able to make it in person can celebrate the award winners along with the in-person audience. - Surprise and delight: The Weeknd generated a lot of buzz for the Grammys when he took to the stage with Playboi Carti for an unannounced performance of his latest single.
Planner takeaway: What unexpected reveals, guest appearances or surprise collaborations can you come up with to heighten excitement?
By blending local inclusion, technology and inclusive design, your next award ceremony may not hit Grammy levels of glitz, but they can be more impactful, memorable experiences that resonate long after the awards are packed away.
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