Awards Dinner and Installation

The awards and installation event takes place in January. The incoming president plans the event together with the AE. In some years they’ve chosen a theme (2023 was “Roaring 20s.”) In the past it has been held at wineries or at the Walla Walla Country Club. (But since the event is in January, wineries are not much fun.) The Country Club has been easy to work with. Contact Angie Crimins at the Walla Walla Country Club. In some years there has been entertainment – but when there is a band or program after dinner and the program, folks tend to leave early; so in 2024 we didn’t hire any entertainment.  

In January 2024 we ordered this dinner menu at the Country Club with a commitment of 60 guests. By a few days before the event there were about 40 registrations, but by the day of the event we had nearly 60. There was food left over, so this was a good quantity. So keep an eye on registration numbers in the days leading up to the dinner and keep Angie updated.

The program has two parts: The presentation of awards, and the installation of new officers and directors. The incoming president will choose the emcee, presenters, and Installing Officer. Washington Realtors sent a suggested script to use for installation. Other than ordering awards and dinner, the AE does not have much active role during the evening.

Budget for this event is $4500. In 2024 we spent $4200 and received $2160 in registration revenue, so well under budget.

Awards are ordered from Crown Awards in early December. They typically deliver within two weeks. In addition to awards, there is a Rookie of the Year trophy; get it from the previous awardee and have the name of the new Rookie of the Year engraved on it. In 2024 Etchings Walla Walla did this for $35.  The budget for awards is $600. The current president has a gavel, which he’ll pass on to the incoming president, reading the text engraved on the lid.

Lesson learned in 2024: The event begins with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Realtor® pledge. So have the Country Club set up a US flag at the front of the room. Nobody has the Realtor® pledge memorized, so there should be a poster up front, and/or copies on the tables.