European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards: Recognising success and shining a spotlight on the European cleaning and hygiene industry

Establish and raise awareness of the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards

Brief

The European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards are the only pan-European awards scheme to formally recognise the professional cleaning and hygiene sector and the vital role it plays in society, keeping people and places safe.

Established in 2016 by the European Cleaning Journal, the awards give service providers, manufacturers, and distributors the opportunity to share their achievements and gain invaluable recognition for their vital work.

From sustainability and diversity commitments to technological innovations and training initiatives, the awards shine a spotlight on those going above and beyond in the professional cleaning and hygiene industry.

The awards are now in their seventh year and Ceris Burns International has been supporting the campaign since its inception, helping to launch the awards and providing PR, marketing and social media support.

Initially, the objectives were to establish the awards within the professional cleaning and hygiene sector across Europe, raising awareness amongst businesses, stakeholders and media. As the scheme has grown, both in reputation and entry / attendance numbers, the aims of our campaign have also grown.

Today, we have very clear objectives, including:

♦ To encourage entries to the awards scheme.
♦ To encourage people to buy tickets for the awards evening.
♦ To continue to raise the profile of the awards scheme as the only Pan-European awards for the cleaning and hygiene sector.
♦ To position the awards as the leading event in the cleaning and hygiene calendar.

Activity

To achieve the above goals, we have devised an integrated communications strategy, which is tailored to each European market. Activity includes:

♦ An active press office, including press releases and thought leadership articles, shared with a carefully curated European media list.
♦ Engaging digital content, including videos and graphics, to increase awareness of the brand and its values.
♦ Social media content calendar, including community management and engagement with stakeholders.
♦ Working in partnership with media partners across Europe to heighten activity and reach a highly engaged audience.
♦ Development of sponsor pack content to help sponsors share news about their involvement and help raise profile.

As the campaign has developed over the years, our activity has evolved in line with communication shifts and trends. For example, our 2024 campaign is highly weighted towards digital and visual activity, utilising ‘video shorts’ and digestible graphics to tell the story.

We are also increasingly leveraging the support of sponsors and previous winners to become advocates for the awards, enabling authentic content and increased audience reach.

Results

Our campaign success is evidenced in the significant growth the awards have enjoyed over the past seven years. Key outcomes include:

Increased awareness and reputation of the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards, including:

♦ Uplift in award entries – the 2023 campaign secured the most award entries to date, with over 230 nominations.
♦ Uplift in event ticket sales – the first event in 2016 took place in Barcelona and saw 180 guests attend. The 2023 event in Dublin attracted over 350 individuals from the professional cleaning and hygiene sector.
♦ Increase in sponsorship revenue – Since the first event in 2016, sponsorship revenues have increased by 48%, with a number of companies having sponsored year on year since the very first event.

Awareness raised in key European sectors, with press highlights (2016 to 2023) such as:

♦ Total campaign reach of 6.8 million.
♦ Over £168K AVE (advertising value equivalent) of press coverage.
♦ Seven European markets penetrated.

Thriving social media platforms:

♦ X (formerly Twitter) followers have grown to 1,138 from a standing start in 2016.
♦ Linkedin activity launched in 2022 to maximise the growing popularity of the platform.
♦ Engagement levels are continuing to rise, following a more content led approach (videos, graphics, etc).

The 2023 campaign secured the highest social media results to date, with:

♦ Over 21K impressions
♦ 134 new followers
♦ 3,256 profile visits

Each year, the popularity of the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards grows. Today, it is considered the leading awards scheme for the professional cleaning and hygiene industry.

Michelle Marshall, Founder of the awards and editor of European Cleaning Journal, says:

“From the very first year of the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards in 2016, Ceris Burns International has played a crucial role in raising awareness of the programme and helping us to achieve our very clear objectives. Their expertise has, in fact, been instrumental in the awards flourishing year after year.

“As the programme has gained credibility and recognition, so the PR approach continues to evolve to maximise our reach on digital platforms – with imaginative graphic and video content. That, of course, goes hand in hand with trade press relationships, where the strategy to develop a more content-led approach has been highly effective.

“Each year we are impressed by the enthusiasm to innovate and think creatively – keeping the image of the awards fresh, current and relevant.”  

For more information about the awards visit: www.echawards.com