By Marcia Taylor

Last month, the SIIA CODiE awards were the culmination of work by a lot of people behind the scenes as well as at the forefront of the competing companies and brands.

This year I served as a judge for the CODiE awards.  I screened potential companies and helping to narrow the field to competitors vying for the top prize in manycategories. Judging the competitors involved hearing and watching a variety of presentations from self-guidedtours to live moderated demonstrations.Different presentations and products require individualized treatment for the intended audience. There really is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Recently, I was asked to write an article about my CODiE judging experience that appeared in FreePint's VIP May issue. The overview of different presentation styles and methods can help provide tips and guidelines for setting your product apart from the crowd and may just win you an award. This year's CODiE award winner's can be found at http://www.siia.net/codies/2008/winners.asp.