6 Tips in Choosing the Right Words & Materials for your Ceremonial Plaque

A successful official opening is a fantastic event to introduce your retail business, shop and/or event to the public. An opening ceremony plaque is a big part of a successful official opening. As such, grand opening ceremonies are mandatory and special – so special that you definitely need to allow more time to make special preparations for items such as goodie bags, guest list, food and drinks and publicity materials. 

One of the most important items in your list of to-dos is getting a custom-made official opening ceremony plaque to commemorate the opening event for years to come. This is an excellent way to keep the excitement and memories alive. Often, companies would display such plaques in their office lobbies or conference rooms. 

The significance of such commemorative plaques, which will be a permanent fixture of a new shop, place of interest or building, means that you need to choose the right words to inscribe on one, and also select an appropriate material for it. This plaque should not be viewed as a mere signage. It will form part of the shop, place or the event’s history. 

How to Choose the Right Words for Your Opening Plaque

It is important to get the message right. You need to choose your words carefully to best represent the person and/or occasion, and the reason behind creating the opening ceremony plaque in the first place. To make a meaningful opening ceremony plaque, you should be able to answer 6 questions:

(1) Who is being recognised? This should be the name of the shop, building or person that is being recognised.

(2) What is the name of the award and the event and/or business/organisation? This should be the name of the event or company, such as ‘Grand Opening of <Shop or event name>’

(3) Where is the event or organisation? This is the place where the event will be held. 

(4) When is the timeframe for the award? This is the date of the award. Building dedication plaques should always include dates that are significant to the building itself. 

(5) Why are you giving the award? This is the reason for giving out the opening ceremony plaque, to simply show those who will see the plaque the impact someone or something has made, such as a heroic deed, or any building highlights.

(6) How is the award connected to an event or occasion? Add a QR link (of a video recording or photo that best captures the event or occasion.)

An example of an opening ceremony plaque wordings can be something like this:

Grand Opening
Of
<Company Name>
<Division Name/Facility Name>
<Location>
<Date>
Boldly Reaching Into the Future Together

Other reasons for giving out the plaque can be:

(a) ‘expanding into the European region to better serve our customers’,

(b) ‘expanding to meet client needs’,

(c) ‘reaching new levels of service for our Asia Pacific customer base’ or

(d) ‘first to serve the Asian market with a specific service’.

Do not be afraid to be a little different or even playful with your words, such as ‘Kenneth Wong officially unveiled this building to celebrate <an event>’! 

A simpler template you can use is this:

(1) Introduction – State your opening introduction here. Example, ‘This building was opened’, ‘This plaque was unveiled by/on’, ‘This plaque recognising … was unveiled by… ‘.

(2) Who – Who is the person who unveiled the building or event?

(3) When – When will this event take place? State the full date including day, month and year. 

(4) Why – What is the reason for commemorating this opening? 

How to Choose the Right Materials for Your Opening Plaque

After deciding on what you will inscribe on the opening ceremony plaque, you need to choose the material. The most common materials used for opening ceremony plaques are stone, wood, brass, acrylic, glass, bronze, stainless steel, granite, marble, metal and aluminium. The choice of material used is due to their strength, weather-resistance, durability and look. 

Indoor plaque requirements are not so stringent, and almost all materials can be used. However, materials such as steel and stone are good for plaques that need to be placed outdoor. A steel plaque or granite or marble plaque does not tarnish or lose the legibility of its inscription. It can last a long time under any harsh weather conditions. Although brass and aluminium are also good for outdoor plaques, they are more susceptible to vandalism and wear and tear over time.  

Often designed to blend in aesthetically with the building’s design, an opening ceremony plaque can also be made of acrylic instead. You can also custom-made an acrylic plaque or acrylic wall plaque. All of the above materials are meanwhile constantly still being improved daily to make the plaques more durable and attractive. 

As for the base colour of the plaque in Singapore, the most popular colour is the natural finishing of the materials as these are attractive and still not too eye-catching to be too outstanding. It is also easier for you to read the inscriptions on it. However, you can also have different colours, although it is not common. Silver and gold are premium options for those who are looking to make their plaques more premium, elegant and outstanding. You can inscribe the words by either sandblasting or chemical etching or simply print the words by UV (ultraviolet) printing. 

Another factor to consider is the shape of the opening ceremony plaque, which is often rectangular, round, oval or shaped like a shield. 

Where Can You Get a Custom-Made Opening Ceremony Commemorative Plaque? 

If you need to custom-create an opening ceremony plaque, it is important to choose the correct wordings and material. You should also consider where you plan to display it, and how long you need it to last. Whichever material you finally choose, make sure it is a high-quality one that will look good and last for many years to come.

At Million, we manufacture all kinds of official opening plaques and/or opening ceremony plaques, and you can choose from a wide range of plaque designs, materials, sizes, shapes and colours too. Connect with us today for a free, no-obligation quote now. 

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