J L Morison's first employee rewards event in Mumbai, planned from scratch

Before proposing anything, ICE India held discovery sessions on J L Morison's culture, employee mix, recognition objectives, budget and stakeholder expectations. It also asked what informal recognition already worked and which past company events employees had enjoyed, so the event would build on strengths.

Three directions, A, B and C, followed, each with a tone, a likely audience reaction and a cost range.

Against Option B, the modern cocktail-format venue, ICE India shortlisted five Mumbai venues that could take 120 people in cocktail format, looked modern, were easy for staff commuting from across the city to reach, had in-house food and beverage, and fitted the approved budget. Site visits gave the team an objective view of each one's strengths and limits.

The team gravitated to a stylish Lower Parel venue with good transport links. ICE India negotiated favourable rates and flexible terms, which mattered to a client nervous about commitments, and steered away from the common mistake of choosing a space that impresses but is hard to run.

J L Morison first proposed 15 categories, which would have made the ceremony long. ICE India advised cutting to eight tied to company priorities: Sales Excellence, Customer Service Champion, Innovation in Distribution, Team Collaboration, Quality Commitment, Rising Star for newer employees, Leadership Impact and Lifetime Achievement.

Criteria were communicated months ahead, and a nomination process let peers recommend colleagues, so selection felt earned rather than political.

8 weeks before

The event and award categories announced, with nominations invited.

4 weeks before

Finalists confirmed, creating talk about who might win.

1 week before

Formal invitations with dress code and schedule, treating the evening as special.

J L Morison's internal communications team sent the messages using templates ICE India supplied.

ICE India advised J L Morison to put its first-event budget into execution rather than ambition: choose formats and elements it could afford to do properly instead of stretching across too many components. Each decision came with options and trade-offs set out plainly, not a long catalogue, so that a team without event experience could decide with confidence.

Three complete menu packages were offered at different price points. The one chosen had vegetarian and non-vegetarian appetisers in the networking hour, international and Indian main-course stations, a dessert bar, and mocktails, soft drinks, beer and wine rather than a full bar, which controls cost and risk. Advice on portions, timing and service style followed: passed appetisers for elegance and stations for choice.

Production was split into essentials and options. The essentials were professional lighting, a good audio system, a stage with AV for presentations and video, and a photographer and videographer. Elaborate decor was advised against for a cocktail format in an attractive venue, and so was celebrity entertainment, which suited neither the culture nor the budget.

ICE India applied for the music performance licence, the liquor permit and the venue-specific clearances, and managed the paperwork.

The venue was dressed with lighting and branding that felt special without excess. The first 60 minutes were informal networking with passed appetisers and drinks. First-time recognition events work better when people feel comfortable rather than intimidated.

The awards sat in the middle of the programme, after networking and before dinner. Each category followed one format: the criteria, the finalists, the winner, presentation by a department head, brief remarks and a photograph. Winners' speeches were kept to 90 seconds. Between categories video montages of workplace moments, team celebrations and light-hearted outtakes reminded people why contributions mattered. After the ceremony came dinner and open socialising, where winners were congratulated and leadership circulated to thank employees informally.

Four ICE India staff worked on site: coordinating with venue staff on timing and service, running AV cues for video and music, directing photography of every winner, extending the networking time when guests were absorbed, and handling small issues such as microphone adjustments and late arrivals, so HR could concentrate on the employees.

The trophies guide covers how to choose awards like these.