Applaud Awards

Client: Anglo American

We designed and delivered the Applaud Awards to revitalise an established tradition as a fresh, modern experience. Answering our client’s (and attendees’) need for a meaningful awards ceremony spanning two years of achievements – after the previous year’s postponement – we got to work on producing a one-of-a-kind virtual event to make finalists feel truly recognised.

Above all, we needed to create a sense of occasion for an audience who had missed a year of celebrations. And we did so, for double the number of finalists, in its first ever virtual broadcast. Our design of the event identity introduced a bright new look and feel that still felt like Anglo American; on-brand with the new rebrand. Thousands tuned in to the judging and awards ceremony via our virtual event platform, heddle. From a heartfelt opening broadcast featuring a bespoke composition, to individual awards categories each with their own unique constellation, we made sure each moment felt special. Our technical team worked hard behind the scenes to deliver a user-experience that was easy for delegates to access around the world. We used Disguise and Unreal Engine to build our eXtended Reality (XR) livestream, which presenters and finalists simply joined via the familiar world of Microsoft Teams. On this project we had the honour of reconnecting a global team to celebrate their achievements, a feeling that was echoed by attendees: “So humbling and motivational to see all the great work taking place around our operations.” To our delight, the client also enjoyed the experience we provided through heddle, telling us, “Investing in a bespoke platform was the right decision.” Working through the challenges, we were able to craft a unique solution to our client’s needs and deliver a first virtual awards ceremony to remember – while setting the standard for future years.