Team Building for Students

We've just delivered an event for the year six students of an Academy school that we've done for the last six years. The aim is to get them all together at the beginning of the new year and give them a positive shared experience to set them off in the best possible way.

I'm always impressed by these youngsters. They get involved in the activities and are engaging and engaged. They enjoy the day and you can see them and their relationships grow over the course of the event.

Perhaps it's because they're in a good school where they have to put effort in if they want it to work out. Perhaps it's because it's the sort of school and the type of teachers who will hold a team building at the beginning of the year - it's a pretty enlightened idea.

Whatever it is it's a pity that, after six years, this year is likely to be the last one. They won't be getting the funding for it next year. I understand that we don't have the money any more and I'm not surprised. There will be lots of situations like this where it's a shame and there's not much that can be done about it.

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.

More phone answering problems

I blogged a while ago about hotels not answering their telephones. Yesterday I was trying to place a £10,000 booking and half of the hotels I tried to contact did not answer their phone, or didn't have anyone available who could help me. It just doesn't make sense.

I Tweeted about the problem and was immediately telephoned by a venue finding agency and a hotel group. Pretty impressive. There's the thing, really. You can divide the market into two types of business. The first type just doesn't seem to care, or isn't very switched on. The second type is right there on the pulse, reacting immediately to the changing world not only by answering the phone but scanning proactively for opportunities.

I don't have any data to prove the theory, but I can be fairly confident that the latter will be more successful.

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!

Doing business with hotels

I can see that this is going to become one of my pet subjects. Why do hotels make it so difficult to do business with them?

Take my interaction with Crowne Plaza hotels today. I used Google to find a contact telephone number and I think we can probably assume that most people would do the same thing. So, we're talking about the main communication avanue between them and new business. I'm given an 0871 number and told that it will cost me 10p per minute. I haven't studied call charges for a while so I don't know if this is better or worse than normal rates, but I have the feeling something cynical is going on.

I telephoned them with one simple question: 'what is your day delegate rate?' After a fairly long message (at 10p per minute) going on about a customer satisfaction service that I'm not interested in I spoke to someone who told me I'd have to speak to the hotel and who gave me another 0871 number. I get this a lot, the sheer frustration of dealing with central reservations.

I then called the new number and was put through to an extension number that didn't answer. I was returned to the switchboard who put me through to someone else. Don't forget I'm feeling edgy because I know this is all costing me 10p per minute.

Finally I'm speaking to a person but they're reluctant to give me the rate I need to finish my proposal until they've taken my address, telephone number and email address. Even then I have to go through a whole discussion about how and why rates might change.

So, the event part of my proposal took me five minutes and the one piece of information from the hotel took me about 10 minutes to get and a whole load of frustration and stress.

I don't know how much these venues spend on marketing, exhibitions and whatever but why on earth do they make clients jump through hoops to get a fairly basic bit of key information?

Embedding company values

Film making is a very effective way of embedding company values. Many employees are unfamiliar with the company values that are published in annual reports and on the corporate website. The words and concepts seem remote and unfamiliar.

Using a film making team building event to make people more familiar with their corporate values is effective and makes a fun experience out of an important business objective.

On a recent event teams were given two out of their company's four stated values and they had to create a film from which the other teams could guess which values they were representing. They couldn't say the word or write it down, it had to be clear from the film.

There were four teams in total and all eight values were covered. The result was interesting and fun and working with the company values for a day helped everyone in the group to become familiar with not just the words but the behaviour behind them. The result was much more powerful and authentic that learning by rote.

Why don't hotels answer their phones?

It's very strange. Hotels are multi-million pound businesses and, if what you read in the press is true, the market is pretty tough at the moment. And yet here I am with a bluechip client wanting to book 40 rooms for an event in March and the first two venues I have called haven't answered their phones.

Are receptionists much more expensive than one would think?

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.

Chocolate Making Event

Chocolate making events are undoubtedly the big success of 2009. We do find that there are events that just hit the moment and you see a lot of them at various times. Currently it seems to be the time for chocolate making.

The event is easy to put on in any suitable location and it appeals to people of all ages and abilities. Real teamwork is needed to achieve the aims of the activity and it suits small or large groups.

Chocolate making can be themed as well, so it's an ideal Christmas event idea.

We have a La Gavroche trained chef who oversees the group and makes sure that some wonderful chocolates are created.

It's a good fun team building event.

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.