As my birthday treat, I am being whisked off to Helsinki (Capital of Finland)! I have only just found out, and I am consequently writing this in a semi-flustered state, as you can imagine. Luckily, my husband, a born organizer, has made all the necessary preparations so that I can crack on and talk to you!
Imagine if I didn’t have things prepared? Do you know where your passports are for the family? Are your suitcases wedged up in the attic somewhere? Imagine if YOU won a holiday today and you have to go tonight! Would you be prepared? Hopefully these ideas will springboard you into being prepared for all eventualities.
Short Break Competitions
You might find yourself in a similar position of surprise if you are entering a lot of short break competitions. Having at least a list of the basic things you need to pack might save you some stress.
If you have entered to win a New York shopping trip – and the promoter congratulated you, saying you are flying tomorrow – would you be prepared? Making a list might seem over the top, but it’s better to be safer than sorry! Lists for beach holidays would obviously be different to lists for city breaks. Many promoters only offer the winner certain dates and if you can’t make it, they would offer your prize to someone else – the horror! This last point also feeds back into the possibility that a promoter might contact you because other entrants couldn’t make it. It could easily happen!
Creative Competitions
There is enough information about creative preparations to make several posts and maybe a book! For the purposes of this post, the preparations for creative competitions are more likely to be required at the start of your entry, rather than as a last minute dash. Looking at past winners is a great way to kick-start your creative endeavours. Pay attention to the tone. Particular promoters have a different style/tone and a judged competition will probably involve the manager at some kind of level. Promoters usually publish the result so will be looking at entries that reflect their goals and values – and certainly not rebel against them. This advice sounds obvious, but you will see what I mean when you look at past entries and the winner. You can really get a feel of why that entry won against the rest. Once you have that feel – hone it and maybe you will be even luckier!
Prize Draws
Winning prizes are usually sent by post. A few prizes have to be collected by the entrant, but in general – they will be sent. What if you are out for the day? Have you got a neighbour that can take deliveries for you? Do you have a friendly relationship with your post-person (many compers do!) If not – it might be time to start. It would be such a shame for your prize to be returned to the promoter as uncollected, and for you to have to rearrange delivery.
Check your winnings!
Use a platform such as social searcher or an equivalent to check if you have won. It is counterproductive to spend your time looking at lists of winners for every competition. Each platform will have a search facility – routinely looking for your name, against the words ‘winner’ or ‘congratulations’ might prevent prizes being lost.
What preparations do you make? Do you even prepare or throw caution to the wind? Let us know in the comments below