The Corporate Event Season 2012

The 2012 corporate event season has been ticking along but it will really get busy after Easter. There's always a lull over the Bank Holiday and then for a few days as people get up to speed and then the events start to flow through. If there's some good weather around that time it always helps it to pick up, along with good or at least not bad economic conditions. That's had a huge effect over the last few years.

So, how will 2012 look for corporate events and team building? The big event during the year will be the Olympics. Luckily it runs from late July through August, which is generally a fairly quiet time for corporate events because it's the holiday season. However, there will be a lof of resources being used in the build up, not least staff and iot may have a knock on effect to the main September month. We just don't know, it's a new set of circumstances.

So, the 2012 season is almost underway. It's going to be an interesting year.

Corporate Events in 2011

The corporate event year 2011 is well underway and, as each year has its own character, we can start to assess how this one is looking. We came into 2011 with concerns that The Royal Wedding and the layout of the Bank Holidays in April would put a real dampner on the early season. There was also the ongoing financial outlook - how would that effect the year? First of all March has been very strong and April is looking good too, inspite of those unusual events. The UK's consumers are certainly suffering but corporates seem to have recovered and generally they seem willing to look at entertainment rather than just events with measurable business outcomes. Consumers tend to lag behind corporates in their reactions to financial events. For most corporates the times of trouble and cutbacks are behind then and they are looking at a more positive future. This is backed up by recent surveys which have found that corporate risk appetite is on the rise again. So, it's early days but the outlook for 2011 certainly looks positive at this stage.

Professional corporate event presentation

Progressive Resources has made a huge investment in its corporate events and one of the most visible outcomes is what seems to be hundreds of flight cases.

Every piece of equipment now has a home, with shapes cut into the foam inserts so that everything fits into its own space.

It does look really good and very professional. Flight cases are tactile, people like using them. Things have certainly moved on from the days of string, tape and oil barrels.

The state of the event business

The event business is definately showing signs of improvement. Last year it was Pharmaceutical clients and The Government that kept us all going. This year Government business has started to contract, although there is still a fair amount of it around. It's surprising that there's anything, but I suppose it takes time for cuts to come through.

The really good news has been the return of the banks and financials. This was always the main source of business and it literally froze in 2009. Not only were there not the budgets but organisations in that sector were very concerned not to be seen to be doing anything that would lead to accusations of frivolity. That unfair accusation deserves a blog of its own, but it was the way that people felt. Now times are improving and their business is starting to come back. Great news!

Is the fun coming back into corporate events?

In 2009 we noticed that events with business linked outcomes were more popular than the more frivolous activities. Corporate executives were in a sombre mood, but the thing we heard more than anything was 'it's not what we do, it's what we are seen to do.'

It would be easy to by cynical about that, but the reality is that you would have to be pretty thick skinned not to feel that way. Already in 2010 we're hearing more of that good old word 'fun'. That will mean the return of events like the good old It's A Knockout coming back.

And so it should be. Fun is one of the key ingredients of a good event. It builds relationships and it reduces stress in the workplace. Fun is not a four letter word.

The corporate event experience

The best corporate events provide a stage on which clients can build on their history together through shared experiences. It's important not to lead participants too much and control their every action. Really the event manager needs to take a step back, because it's not about them. Clients will be laughing at 'in jokes' that the instructor won't understand, and it ruins the flow if they feel the need to be part of the team they're working with.

You may be the best instructor in the world and the event may be the most exciting and novel on offer, but the real value for the client will be the hundred of little moments between the participants.

Coming last

Corporate events are naturally competitive. Many clients try to tone down the competition element because they want the outcome to be team building and not demoralising. However, humans are naturally competitive and they want to know how they've done and how that compares to the other participants.

Often there is a debrief at the event of the event, perhaps with presentation of prizes. Most of the time people don't take this too seriously but it remains that if there are, say, ten teams it's going to be disappointing to be the team who comes last.

So, what's the best way to deal with coming last?

Hotels preying on corporate budgets

Compare that last experience with the hotel I work at yesterday and stayed overnight at. It's situated on a huge run down industrial estate and that would make it either a 'hidden gem' if they got it right or add to the general disappointment.

As the corporate event manager I was given a room at the 'special rate' of £50 without breakfast so you can image my disappointment when I discovered that the room didn't even have a coffee tray with biscuits. There was a minibar, in which a small Toblerone was on offer ... for £4.50!

I turned on the television to find the option set at 'special offer' which I clicked to find a warning that the films that I was about to be offered were extremely grown up in nature - classy. I'm choosing my words carefully because I don't want to ruin my blog. This special offer included internet access for 24 hours and cost £24.99, or I could just have the internet for £4.99 for 60 minutes. Aaaargh!

I wandered down to the bar where I saw a sign at around 4 foot from the floor which told me that the bar only served doubles unless you asked for a single.

It's clear that this organisation sees its clients as a production line to extract cash from at every turn. The staff I interacted with were efficient enough, if a little cold. Why would you be any different when you work somewhere with such a cold and calculating culture?

I did at least get one laugh out of the whole experience. The complimentary body wash claimed to contain something called Oligoeelements. I'm of an age where we studied something called The Periodic Table at school and I don't remember every seeing an Oligoe amongst the elements. That's the thing about education; the less we do it properly the more guff and nonsense we're going to see out there masquerading as science.

So, lots to reflect on there for any hoteliers reading. The £4.50 Toblerone is bad, but my real beef remains charging such ridiculous rates for internet access when you're marketing your services to businesspeople. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity. Would you charge £4.99 for 60 inutes of hot water? Hang on, these people don't need ideas.

Sundial Group

I was on an event at Highgate House, part of The Sundial Group, yesterday and I'm a big fan of their venues.

The venue is great and has most of the facilities you would expect, as well as plenty of land for corporate events. Highgate has a really nice Baronial Hall and a lot of meeting rooms. So far, so much like a lot of other venues. So, why am I writing about them?

Firstly they have free broadband (5 megs of it). Venues really haven't cottoned on to this and some of them charge £20 to get connected. They're using it as a money maker, whereas these days broadband is a necessity and not a luxury. Okay, you make your £20 but your client isn't stupid and senses a rip off. So, good for them for realising how important this is.

The second reason I've decided to champion them is that they look after instructors. We were offered breakfast. That may seem unimportant, but at the beginning of a long day it's a welcome offer. Many venues treat instructors like unwanted tradespeople. However, and this is particularly the case in these tough times, teams of instructors are often made up of sales people and even directors of event companies. Please them and they might influence the next booking. Looking after event companies when they're on site costs very little and it may be a pretty good tactic.