Industry Awards, Edmonton & Calgary, Alberta
Should Award Winners Be Announced Before or at the Event?
At the event, not before. Pre-announcing winners removes the primary attendance incentive for nominees and finalists — they have no reason to book a table if the outcome is already public.
The standard practice for Alberta industry events: notify winners confidentially 48–72 hours before the event so they can prepare an acceptance speech and arrange for their team to attend. Ask them to keep it confidential until the announcement. This is widely understood and rarely breached.
The exception: People's Choice or community vote categories where the voting result is inherently public. These can be announced before the event because the vote itself is the news, and the result drives attendance from the winning company's supporters.
Common questions
Notify them after the event, not before. A pre-event 'you did not win' communication creates awkwardness at the event — the person knows they will not be called to the stage but still has to sit through the program. Post-event notification, with specific feedback on their nomination if possible, is more respectful and more useful.
Plan your should award winners be announced before or at the event?
Tell us the date, the headcount, and what you are trying to accomplish. We will come back with an honest assessment.