After a quarter century of participating in athletic/team awards banquets as a coach, parent and athletic director, I will share my experiences with you; the good , the bad and the ugly.
The Good
As a Coach: The best experiences I have ever had at the banquet were because of the parents. I have had the pleasure of coaching teams where the parents took control of the banquet. The parents literally told us "just show up, we have it all taken care of." They planned the date, room, catering invitations, decorations and clean up. All I had to do was MC and hand out the awards.
As a Parent: The best experiences were when my kid was recognized, the parents were thanked, the food was great and the night was organized and on time.
As an Athletic Director: When it was over!
The Bad
As a Coach: I remember one banquet when the food was planned by a parent. Her famous Italian lasagna. As it turned out she made enough for all fifty plus in attendance the day before and froze it for the day of the banquet. I drew up the invitations and agenda. We were to eat first then have the awards which included a slide show of game pictures.
When I got to the school, the lasagna parent was upset because the ovens were not pre-heated and the lasagna needed at least an hour to cook. Hence a change in the agenda and a two hour banquet turned into a three hour agony for very hungry participants that finally ate late that night.
As a Parent: Attending one banquet for my daughter. The coaches could not talk enough about himself and his coaching ability (it was also a mediocre season). The awards for all the athletes were an after thought.
As an Athletic Director: When it was over!
The Ugly
As a Coach: My first year as a head coach was not a great season! Have you ever been in a situation where you're sure you are disliked, disrespected and constantly scanning the audience for weapons? I was in that type of situation and as the MC, standing at the podium with a target on my bald forehead.
As a Parent: The banquet was planned well in advance. As it turned out, the coach had one of her players in an all star game the same time as the banquet. The parents in attendance were told to be patient, and that we would start the banquet as soon as the coach showed up! Four hours later the two hour banquet began. The food was cold and stale. We all got the pleasure of listening to this coach talk about herself and her star player. I still think she stopped off on the way to the banquet for a shot of whiskey and a sandwich.
As an Athletic Director: When it was over!
In a sex abuse scandal that some victims compare to what happened in the Catholic Church, at least 36 swimming coaches have been banned for life by the USA Swimming organization over the last 10 years because of sexual misconduct with teenagers they coached. 
