2014 witnessed our first entry into the foray of awards. Industry publication, C&IT Magazine, was selected as an ideal platform for us to showcase our skills of helping our clients improve their employee engagement through team building activities. We thought we’d share the details of our entry with you.

Planning a team-building event is always a challenge to any business. With so many ages, personalities and interests to combine into one event, engagement and entertainment is key whilst still remaining knowledgeable and informative. At Vivid Event Group, we strive to take the hassle out of this task and ensure our clients receive a tailored plan of action and that meets all their needs and objectives.

The client discussed below is an international media company, who operate in an industry that is competitive, fast-paced and challenging.

They were looking for a team building event that would be a game changer and consequently, the following objectives were set:

1. To get whole company together, over 450 staff members
2. General update – media is a fast-paced industry, constantly changing
3. Update on the Bigger Picture – introduce new Senior members of staff, new areas/developments within the business
4. Thank everyone for their hard work
5. Highlight individual/groups and teams for any significant achievements
6. Post update – have a light-hearted and engaging activity that appeals to all, regardless of age or interests
7. Ensure that the event makes all employees understand that they are part of a company that cares and values the individual as well as the collective inputs
8. That the style of the event is reflective of the company’s brand values.

Every brief will come across challenges, the key is to overcome them and work through them to deliver a seamless event for our client. The primary challenges in this instance were as follows:

• Sourcing a location no further than 1 hour from central London
• Creating an event that appeals to 450 people of a broad range of ages and levels
• Sourcing accommodation in one location for 450 on an exclusive basis
• Flexibility from the venue:a. for meeting space to accommodate the large number of delegates for a different space for the evening for a party atmosphere
• Logistical challenge of transporting 450 people to/from London to the venue.

The concept and solution was developed as a result of a meeting with the client on a sunny day over lunch early in the year at the proposed hotel. During the discussion, many guests of the hotel could be seen coming in and out of the reception with their luggage.

Charlie, Vivid Event Group’s Managing Director commented ‘this is just like being on a summer holiday'. After that meeting, ideas around a holiday were discussed – what you pack, sight-seeing ‘musts’, who you could meet and planned activities. The result was a bespoke ‘Summer Holiday’ theme with treasure hunt as the activity utilising the sights, sounds and existing infrastructure of Brighton Lanes, beach, Palace Pier and beach front activities.

The event itself was held in a large meeting room with 450 people seated within four sections and three aisles perpendicular to the front stage. Two large screens at the front were used to support the presentation.Once the morning business briefing was complete, the lights turned down and the front screens flipped over.When the lights were put back on, the scene was transformed to the feel of an airport/aircraft. The front screens were now airport departure boards and a pilot and several cabin crew, aka the movie ‘Catch me if you can’ entered from behind and walked up the aisles to the front stage. A tannoy announcement along the lines of “This is your captain speaking. We shall shortly be departing for your flight to Brighton International…” and the team on stage delivered the instructions for the afternoon’s treasure hunt.

The briefing was carried out in the style of an on-board cabin safety briefing with hand signals for nearest exits, safety leaflets and bathroom locations! The cabin crew delivered suitcases within the aisles for the teams to collect which contained instructions for the afternoon activity, iPads and clues. The suitcases contained no other holiday belongings as the theme was ‘lost luggage’. Each team of 8 people were sent off into the city to locate various items for their holiday. They were challenged to find various locations, pass challenges, then to beg, scavenge and borrow items needed to fill their suitcase for an enjoyable holiday.Social media was also incorporated into the day with an admin team remaining in the hotel as a support base.

• Each team were given a secure Twitter group (a lot more flexible and easier to use on iPad App as well as network management) to:
• Post photos and messages of their findings
• Receive further clues
• Receive last minute activities during the afternoon, i.e. first team to send a photo of a seagull wins
• Message other teams to gather vital information in order to complete their tasks
• Deliberately mislead other teams to add a competitive edge

The teams eventually returned to base with their suitcases filled with their finds and submitted for scoring.They were then sent to the beach for a welcome drink and enjoy a game of beach volleyball.

The evening was a beach party night with BBQ menu and dancing with the main set being played by a Radio1 DJ. The party continued until 4am. Prizes were awarded the following morning at breakfast to all those who had managed to make it to breakfast at the specified time.The results proved that all our hard work was worth it – the client was delighted with the outcome,engagement was at an all-time high and the staff left the event on a high with it still being talked about weeks later! The next challenge, how do we top this next year!

Executive Assistant, International Media Company, comments: “Our away-day is an annual event that everyone talks about and looks forward too. It is highlighted during recruitment interviews as a huge part of who we are, our culture and why we’re hugely proud of it. The purpose of the day is to say “thank you” to our staff for their hard work throughout the year and it’s an opportunity for everyone to make new friends and meet other colleagues they may not necessarily come across on a day-to-day basis. On the run up to our away-day, staff are incredibly excited and it’s the talk of the office!

Post the event, it is talked about for weeks – most people have made new friends and everyone is left feeling incredibly motivated and happy to be part of such a positive, enthusiastic company that cares about its people. It’s clear to see the rise in morale, it’s infectious! It’s one of few opportunities we have to bring everyone together over the course of the year (alongside the Christmas party). Our away-day really is such a huge part of our company culture, most staff even plan their holidays around it so they don’t miss all the fun!”