Qualities of event instructors

Event instructors need to be smart of appearance and intelligent enough to communicate ideas and concepts to the client. They also need experience of the activities they are instructing; people can tell if someone has never actually tried the event and you can't get an all round view without experiencing it first hand.

The one quality which separates an average instructor from a good one is the ability to connect with people. You have to be 'present' on the day, which may seem an odd thing to say but in reality people are often not present when they seem to be in front of you. They're thinking about the weekend or something that is more important to them.

A connected instructor is present, cares about the client and wants them to get the maximum return from their investment.

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.

Archery and Parkinsons Disease

I was at an event instructing archery and met someone who was suffering from Parkinsons Disease. He'd seen archery on holiday in Spain and approached the instructor only to be told that he would be unable to pull the bow.

I gave him a lower powered bow and a bit of time one on one and he did well, walking off with a great smile. I wonder why that other instructor turned him away; did he genuinely believe that he couldn't do it or could he not be bothered to give him time?

I doubt many instructors do what they do for the money. My motivation has always been giving people positive experiences and sending them away with a smile. I can't imagine why anyone would choose this career if they felt differently.

Indoor Team Building

The summer comes to an end and the weather starts to take a turn for the worse and thoughts naturally turn towards indoor team building.

There are plenty of indoor solutions, ranging from taking outdoor activities indoors where space permits through to events which are designed for indoor use. MTA kit, as shown in the picture to the left, is very useful for this.

Larger events include Stock Market Simulations, Game Shows and, of course, Murder Mysteries.

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.

Corporate sailing events

Solent Events in Lymington deliver excellent corporate sailing events. These days are challenging some times and relaxing at others and give teams the chance to really get away from the office and bond while partaking in a fantastic experience.

They usually work in The Solent, which is a fantastic stretch of water between the south coast and The Isle of Wight. Although day trips are possible teams usually stay at one of the many luxury hotels close to Southampton or Lymington.

Summer update

It's not easy keeping up a blog. Actually I haven't posted since last Summer and there is no excuse really.

The corporate event year has started again and it has been a busier start than last year. The warm winter meant that there were more outdoor events than usual. It's been the usual; treasure hunts, outdoor activities, spy themed events and the odd murder mystery.

Let's see what the rest of the year has in store.

Corporate event update

I've had to change the settings of this blog because there have been comments for people selling dodgy pills and worse. Spam is a real menace.

The 2006 season is underway after a bit of a late start, I think because Easter was later. I seem to have been doing a lot of water based events such as sailing and speedboat treasure hunts. This is probably because it's a very social activity and once you get to know one of the organisers you soon meet them all.

I have been learning about team building theory, for example Belbin, and want to learn more of this sort of thing. This is when events really get fascinating; when you start to see why they are needed.

I'm off to Paris next week to work on a big treasure hunt and that's quite exciting. The success of the DaVinci Code seems to have rubbed off on the corporate event industry and there's all sorts of themed events. Hopefully we won't upset any Catholics; I'm surprised that events would be based on such a controversial subject. Usually it's inflatable games, murder mysteries ... more trivial stuff.

Corporate Events in 2006

It's going to be a big year. The market for corporate events is very positive and there are plenty of external influences coming into play. Firstly the UK wining the Olympics has been a huge boost and naturally there are going to be many Olympic themed events over the next 7 years. One of the things that also influences the market is a new film release. This year we have a James Bond film coming out and that always influences themes, however this year we have a new James Bond and the film is being released in November, so it will have a huge influence on the Christmas party season. The most exciting point about this film though is that it is a remake of Casino Royale and this will be a boon for fun casino events. Casinos were in the news last year with plenty of television coverage and big growth in the popularity of poker, fuelled by the online casino operators. Casino Royale is just going to make it even more popular. Watch this space.

Corporate Events through the Summer

Well, the weather hasn't got much better. I did an event today and it hailed - in August! Some of the activities cannot be run in wet weather, for example the inflatables. This is because they're dangerous when they get slippery. One of the funny things about the summer is that you get to the stage when you just can't face eating another barbecue. It seems to be the staple diet of corporates when they have an event. It's a shame because it always used to be one of my favourite things about summer. Now if I go to a friend's barbecue I tend to take a trout!

What's with this weather?

What a strange year weather wise. I think it's been the driest winter in the last 100 years and then we seemed to have an early Summer. Now it's June and it's grey and raining. Bad weather always puts a bit of a spoiler of fun days and I feel sorry for the people it affects. I remember one event last year when it rained solidly all morning complete with distant thunder. The guests literally stood in the marquee watching it our down and because it was summer and still quite warm the atmosphere was horrid. Then at lunchtime it cleared up and there was brilliant sunshine for the rest of the day. At least they had some fun. I also remember a team building event when it rained all day but everyone just got on with it and it created an air of resolve. In the end it worked really well and everyone said it was the best event they'd had. Generally though bad weather is a spoiler. Apparently the late Summer is going to be a scorcher.

I've been busy

The year is off to a great start and I think this is going to be the busiest one yet. I had worried that the election would be a distraction and I know that corporates don't like change. Most people seem fairly sure that there isn't going to be any change anyway. I've been doing a lot of work at Coltsford Mill, which is a great venue for corporate events close to London.

As ever Treasure Hunts are extremely busy and Progressive Resources have one called The Parmesan Job which is based on The Italian Job and uses Mini Coopers. I was on an event recently with 12 of them it we all travelled to the event in convoy. That was great fun.

I've got a pretty full diary and I'm looking forward to the season.

New Year, new events

Well Happy New Year. I've been a bit negligent in posting, but the second half of last year was extremely busy with some amazing events. It's A Knockout tournaments seemed to be very popular; big events with a range of inflatable games of which Human Table Football seemed to be one of the most popular. Then as Winter approached the party season began and I found myself being everything from a Murder Mystery actor to a paparazzi press photographer at an Oscars Ceremony themed night. I had a good Christmas break and now I'm back to see what the events industry will throw at me for 2005.

September Corporate Event work

August was a bit more relaxed; I even managed to have a short holiday. September is looking extremely busy though, I could have filled two diaries. I am running a Laser Shoot on Monday but apart from that there's not much on this weekend. Bank holidays tend to be quiet. I have decided to get qualified in archery. This is done through the Grand National Archery Society.

James Bond Theme

I worked on a large James Bond theme event for 500 people in a marquee at Beaulieu last night. There was an excellent tarot card reader - spookily relevant. There were also lookalikes of James Bond, Dr Evil and Odd Job. The James Bond lookalike is called Donald and he's a big chap, very larger than life and charismatic. The ladies certainly enjoyed him. There were casino tables, as there usually are at these events. It was quite hot, which is a problem in marquees in the Summer. The worst bit for me was having to pack down all the kit and load it in a van afterwards. I was knackered by the time it was all over. The event was organised by Progressive Resources who have a website for their evening events at this link. They are always looking for good instructors and event staff.

Greetings!

Well, this is the first posting on my blog. I am interested in corporate event management - team building, corporate entertainment, treasure hunts, murder mysteries etc. I work as a freelance event manager for such companies as Progressive Resources and Wild Events.