Northern Power Women Awards: Planning an Unforgettable Celebration
Northern Power Women Awards (NPWA) is the largest celebration of gender equality in Europe, annually welcoming up to a thousand guests from across the North West to recognise change makers, trailblazers, and advocates.
Saving Grace Events were brought on board as the official events partner for 2024, to make Northern Power Women Awards more outstanding and memorable than ever before!
Read our case study to find out more.
The brief
We were tasked with planning and managing the whole awards celebration, from concept to delivery, ensuring a seamless but fun and exciting evening for all attendees.
The whole Saving Grace Events team worked on this impactful event, the format of which consisted of a drinks reception, glamorous dinner, awards ceremony, and after-party.
New for 2024, the after-party injected a boost of fun and allowed guests to let their hair down and continue to network after the awards ceremony.
The venue
The awards took place at Manchester Central, which has several different event spaces and excellent transport links. This impressive venue is also rich in Manchester history, making it an ideal choice for the Northern Power Women Awards.
Event themes, entertainment, and décor
Hosted by TV’s Nina Houssain, the awards featured eleven categories, including ‘One to Watch’ and ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur’. But first, guests were treated to an exciting rendition of Matilda’s ‘When I Grow Up’, by a group of performing arts students from Burnley College. This bespoke performance was based around growing up and empowering women.
The branding of the event was based around the theme of power and played homage to previous years’ events, including boards with previous winners, giant POWER light-up letters, and a ‘purple carpet’. There were also plenty of photo opportunities for guests to capture and share on social media.
After receiving an award, winners and sponsors were guided to the purple carpet to have an interview with Michelle Eagleton, with the help of two of her students from the University of Salford, George Icke and Leonie Husselbee.
Bentley, one of the event sponsors, brought their one of a kind Bentayga for a unique photo opportunity. Known as the ‘The Belonging Bentayga’, the car was decorated with drawings of people and nationalities around the world, designed by Stephen Wiltshire MBE. The Bentley Bentayga marks Bentley’s commitment to diversity.
Event set up and management
Our team were at the venue all day to oversee the build, liaising with the venue team to make sure everything was ready to go.
On the night of the event, we had a full delivery team present to greet guests, help usher people to their tables, and answer any queries.
Some of the Saving Grace Events team were also with the production crew (MSP) throughout the evening, as well as at the side of the stage to ensure the correct people were on stage at the right time to receive awards.
Post-event, we made sure everything with the after party was ready to go, before finally packing up at the end of the night.
Event highlights
The Northern Power Women Awards 2024 was an inspirational evening, which recognised some incredible trailblazers in the North. A key moment was when the founder of Northern Power Women Awards, Simone, welcomed the legendary female football team Manchester Corinthians to the stage. Manchester Corinthians, who defied the national ban on women playing football, received a standing ovation when welcomed to the stage, creating a great energy for the evening.
What makes a standout awards event?
An event such as this stands out largely because of the people who are recognised, all of whom are making a difference in their relevant fields. The finer details don’t go unnoticed, and so things like production, design, and branding should make the event memorable for all.
Ready to make your next event stand out? Get in touch with our team of experts.
Would you like to find out how to choose the right events agency for your event? Read our blog for more.