EXCLUSIVE: The famous TRIC Awards will return in September to celebrate the nation’s favourite television and radio stars! ERT caught up with TRIC Chair, Jane Ostler, to chat about the plans for this year’s glittering ceremony.
Q&A
Q: So how are plans coming along for the TRIC Awards in September?
Jane Ostler: After months of planning various scenarios, we are delighted that the TRIC Awards will take place on Wednesday 15 September, at the prestigious 8 Northumberland Avenue in London, right next to Trafalgar Square. This will be a sit down, theatre-style show, with drinks on arrival, canapes and bowl food served, and for the first time we’re hosting an afterparty – which offers our guests and our stars the opportunity to celebrate altogether.
This year’s show will be an exclusive in-person event with just 350 guests, including stars, nominees, the TRIC committee, our sponsors, media partners OK! and ERT, and VIP ticket holders. In light of COVID, we wanted to create an event that ensured the wellbeing of our guests was at the heart of the decisions we made – so we’ve reduced the numbers significantly, and we are not using the full capacity of the venue in order to have plenty of space.
Q: What are you most excited about for this year’s Awards?
JO: The event will be live streamed to an online audience, which is a first for the TRIC Awards, so fans can tune in and watch the show on the day! This also gives our sponsors and partners an opportunity to reach mass audiences through our integrated digital marketing campaign in the run up to the Awards and on the day.
We’ve also changed the format of the day, starting later than usual at 2.30pm, it will be an exciting and entertaining afternoon, and at the afterparty Absolute Radio’s Sarah Champion will perform a live set.
Tickets are still available if you wish to entertain important clients or contacts and have some fun! If you want to expose your brand to untapped audiences then we have a couple of partner opportunities also available.
Q: How will TRIC continue to grow in the coming years do you think?
JO: Although broadcast media is still hugely popular, the entertainment industry is changing, with video and audio streaming services becoming more popular and consumer behaviour shifting to on-demand entertainment. That’s why we’ve evolved our mission to “TRIC Awards, celebrating broadcasting on TV, radio and online”.
We’ve also been making some changes to the TRIC committee, welcoming Daniel Todaro, Group MD of Gekko, which specialises in marketing and customer experiences in the CE, IT and leisure sectors; Paul Powell, a television writer, script editor and producer in comedy and entertainment, his work includes ‘Miranda’, ‘Have I Got News For You’ and ‘Would I Lie To You?’; Gordon Dutch, CEO of newly-formed agency, ReSauce, and a very loyal supporter of TRIC over the years; and Rose Hulse, CEO of ScreenHits TV, which is a super intuitive content aggregator for streaming platforms such as Netflix, BritBox, Amazon Prime, Disney +, ITV Hub and many others.
Q: How has COVID affected TRIC and the work it does?
JO: COVID affected TRIC massively, as it did many organisations. It meant that we had to introduce new ways of thinking and look at how we communicate to our audience. Along with most businesses we held virtual events – the TRIC Summer Drinks with Lorraine Kelly, John Barrowman and Ainsley Harriott, and the TRIC Christmas Greetings with our celebrity friends.
We also held an online charity auction to raise funds for our chosen charities and minimised our costs. We have extended our support with both Combat Stress and akt.
Q: Why is it important for these TRIC events to continue in our industry?
JO: TRIC was formed in 1931 with the key purpose of bringing together the industry to network and create goodwill by giving donations to worthy causes. The TRIC Awards has bridged the gap between the television and audio tech industries and the glittering world of celebrities.
Our events are very special, not only celebrating exceptional talent and shows that keep the UK entertained, but supporting worthy causes too. As TV, radio and online content continues to evolve, we think there’s definitely a place for TRIC on the centre stage as long as we evolve with it.
