Irish Dentistry Awards entry deadline extended!

The entry deadline for the Irish Dentistry Awards has been extended to 13 January 2020, so if you haven’t submitted your entry yet, what are you waiting for? Head over to www.irishdentistryawards.com to register, and get your entries in!

The dedicated awards website provides a step-by-step guide on how to enter the awards, as well as hints, tips and interviews in the run-up to the ceremony. It also features all the category guidelines you need to help write a top-notch, award-winning entry, so if you have any further questions, head there as your first port of call, or contact our friendly awards team on +44 (0) 1923 851 779 or awards@fmc.co.uk.

And, as the deadline for entries to Ireland’s longest running dental awards scheme is just around the corner, Chris Baker from dental practice marketing company Corona Design & Communication provides a troubleshooting guide to the Irish Dentistry Awards – from entry submission to the big night.

If you’re new to awards schemes and are not sure how to compile an entry, or you’re undecided on which category or categories are best for you and your team to enter, read on, and have all of your questions answered! 

Which category should I enter?

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that the number of categories you and/or your practice can enter is unlimited. Do you have a dental nurse or practice manager who regularly and consistently goes beyond the call of duty? Enter him or her into the Most invaluable Team Member category. Is your practice known locally for offering exemplary care to children? Then Best Child Friendly Practice is also for you.

Can your team compete with some of the biggest and best out there? Does your practice invest in high-tech with the capacity to train its employees? If so, Best High Technology Practice or Best Team are categories you should be thinking about, but don’t be afraid to look at your practice and say, ‘No, we won’t be in the running for that this year, but if we make changes, we can enter it next year.’ In this way, awards are useful for business development, too.

 I have never written an awards entry. How do I go about it?

You could get an external agency to do this for you. But if you would like to keep this in-house, then remember:

• Answer the questions – make sure that you provide all the material that the category asks for
• Pictures – they may not be worth a thousand words, but they can convey more about a practice or team member than text can. They also help break up overly wordy entries
• Evidence – this is where so many well written entries come unstuck. You can never have too much supporting evidence. For example, if you were entering Best Patient Care, the judges would expect to see a number of patient video testimonials and five to 10 written patient testimonials, if not more
• Go beyond the call of duty – this is broad advice, but winning entries will sum up how their practice goes the ‘extra mile’ to offer exceptional patient care
• Community – a dental practice is not just a business in isolation. It is part of a wider community. Show the part you play in your local community.

We’ve been shortlisted! What should we do now?

Tell as many people as possible! Let patients know when they visit the practice. Feature it in your practice newsletter if you have one, and let all your followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter know.

Online, do not be afraid to tell people several times – it is by its very nature somewhat transitory, so tell people more than once. Email your patient database and tell them how delighted and honoured you are. Write to your patients by post, and let them know when they come into the practice. Frame the letter congratulating you as a finalist in your reception area. Make people pay attention.

We won! What should we do now?

Repeat the above! The beauty of awards is that by their definition they have a shortlist and a winners’ list. This means that if you win, you get two bites of the cherry. Not only can you tell everyone that you were shortlisted, now you can tell them all again that you won.

How do I spread the news?

Contact your local press – newspaper, magazines, radio and television – make it easy for them and provide them with your bespoke winners’ press release that you will receive as part of your winners’ pack, which contains the important ‘who, what, where, when, how and why’. There’s no harm in sharing your success and offering advice to future entrants. You’ve worked hard, so now it’s time to spread the word.

Don’ t forget to submit your entries to us at www.irishdentistryawards.com by 13 January 2020. The awards ceremony takes place at the Round Room at The Mansion House in Dublin on 29 February 2020. Best of luck!