Ford Sinclair award system modernization
Nominations processed per event
1,000+Multi-category event setup
10-11 awards per programmePartnerships sustained
5 flagship eventsTHE CHALLENGE
How to replace several outdated systems with one modern, digital-first platform that unifies nominations, voting, and event engagement?
Ford Sinclair is a family-owned company based in Essex, UK, established in 1984. For over four decades, it has built a reputation for delivering some of the most prestigious award ceremonies in the country.
By 2024, the company faced a critical challenge: event operations were spread across several disconnected systems — GBS for management, RSVPify for guest booking, and AwardForce for nominations and voting, along with several manual processes. Administrators struggled to track nominations and categories, judges lacked a transparent voting mechanism, and teams had to maintain brochures and guest lists in separate tools.
Ford Sinclair sought to replace these outdated systems with a modern, scalable solution fully integrated into their event websites. The goal was to standardise nominations and judge voting with a clear audit trail, simplify guest operations with seating, ticketing, and check-in. They also needed to unify content in a single CMS with event rollover and role-based access.
Relevant was engaged for our talent, experience, and proven record in delivering complex digital platforms.
Jo Thomas Managing DirectorThis new system changes the way we run awards. It’s faster, more transparent, and easier to manage.
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Book a free consultationTHE SOLUTION
Modern award and event management platform tailored to Ford Sinclair’s needs
Unified CMS for events, brochures, and websites
We created a custom CMS that controls pages, sections, text, media, and menus. It powers multiple websites and portals from a single backend, keeping every channel consistent and data-driven.
Sponsors management
Our developers built sponsor profiles with logos, links, tiers, and copy. Sponsors have their own role in the admin panel to follow nominations and research progress — a foundation for future sponsor-focused features and revenue opportunities.
Event rollover
We added event rollover that carries dates, categories, sponsor links, and permissions into the next cycle while preserving history. This greatly simplifies launching new events, as admins only update yearly details.
Website builder
Our engineers delivered nomination portals and landing pages managed through one system. Ready-made sections for sponsors, shortlists, programmes, and media are complemented by flexible editing tools for custom content.
Brochure
We replaced static PDFs with a dynamic web brochure that updates instantly and pulls information directly from the platform’s central database. This ensures every detail, from nominees and sponsors to seating and schedules, stays consistent across all channels.
Nomination and vote module
We built a module that guided nominators, nominees, judges, and admins through every stage of the process. Judges cast their votes in a dedicated panel, while admins tracked progress, supported participants, and managed the workflow seamlessly through to final results.
Guest and access module
We delivered a unified tool for managing table reservations, seating plans, and guest roles. Integrated QR ticketing and quick check-in make entry efficient and accurate, even for events with over a thousand attendees.
THE RESULT
Full visibility across nominations and statuses
The platform we built supports the full nominations lifecycle. It covers submission and evidence attachment, screening and voting, and preparation of shortlist information for announcement, with clear status at each step.
Easy and fast rollover and a convenient CMS
The solution provides simple event rollover together with a user-friendly CMS for managing content across websites, brochures, and nomination portals.
Seamless access for 800–1,300+ attendees
The software ensures smooth entry for all guests through table booking, digital tickets, and quick check-in.
THE CLIENT’S REQUEST
- Replace the outdated award system
- Enable digital nominations and voting
- Simplify event guest management
- Reduce manual work across brochures, websites, and sponsor pages
- Ensure scalability and long-term flexibility
WHAT WE DID
✓ Designed a scalable frontend and backend architecture with React.js, Node.js, GraphQL, PostgreSQL, and AWS
✓ Built structured nomination flows and secure voting with full transparency and an audit trail
✓ Developed modules for reservations, seat maps, digital tickets, and fast check-in
✓ Delivered a custom CMS with third-party integrations, unifying content into one source of truth
✓ Applied Infrastructure as Code, microservices, AWS Lambdas, and ran delivery iteratively under SCRUM
Jo ThomasManaging DirectorThe platform improves the experience for judges, sponsors, and guests, and it saves our team weeks of work each season.
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