A Corporate Event ‘Full House’ – Venue Finding, Conference Production & Management Services, and Team Building Activities
As a corporate events company, we typically run specific, individual events for our clients: it’s either a conference or an exhibition, a team building activity or a themed event. However, increasingly, our events are becoming multi-discipline events, as this case study shows, where our skills as a conference production company, venue finder and creative team building activity provider were all called upon. We call it the ‘full house’ approach to corporate events, and it’s an approach that requires experience, expertise and, above all, planning and attention to detail.
Our Work Started With Finding the Right Venue for the Client’s Conference
We have worked with this client on a number of events over the years. On this occasion, they asked us to assist with the production and management of a conference for them that was due to take place over 4 days in January 2018.
They also briefed us to help them find a number of venues in London, near to Tower Bridge and the Shard for the conference, which was to have a number of strands, including overnight stays, dinner and a team building activity for the delegates. The conference was to be split into two parts: 50 delegates for the first two days and 70 delegates for the last two days.
Our team quickly got down to work, researching the area’s venues for suitability and availability, and we came up with the following:
- 4 Hotel options for the overnight stays. The preferred venue from these was the Hilton Doubletree, Tower Bridge. We then arranged a venue visit to ensure it fulfilled all requirement
- We then looked at several options for the dinner venue, for 50 people on night one. The Walkways, Tower Bridge was selected, and again we arranged a site visit to look at the catering options and confirm it could deliver the client’s requirements.
- A venue offsite to the main conference for dinner for 70 people on night three was also needed. The client preferred the Shard for this, and we were able to book the superb Viewing Gallery for a private use occasion.
- We were also briefed to incorporate a team building activity for day 4, which influenced the choice of hotel for that segment of the conference.
Detailed Planning was Key to Success
Our team of conference production and management specialists worked closely with the client once the venues had been decided to discuss and agree the finer details. These included:
- the timings,
- the set-up,
- the meeting times, and
- the menus for the hotel and the off-site menus.
We then moved on to the planning for the conference production itself and the team building activity. Ben Hull, our technical director, planned and organised the bespoke conference set, the stage, lighting and technical support. Above all perhaps, this area is the key. Any conference production stands or falls on the quality of the audio visual package and we always ensure that this area of detail is first amongst equals.
Finally the creative team building activity for day 4. We proposed a number of options, with the client choosing our Outside the Box option. In a nutshell, this activity gets teams to work out how to open a combination locked box. Once open, the box contains a number of challenges that teams must complete to make as much money as possible. The challenges are in 4 categories: creative, physical, performance related and mental agility.
The real twist comes when teams work out that to succeed they not only need teamwork, but also the ability to work and negotiate with the other teams to get the best possible outcome.
Once Underway, Our Conference Production Company Team was On Site for all 4 days
Once all the planning is done, it’s then about managing the conference itself and related activities to ensure everything runs smoothly. In this case we were on site for all 4 days, making sure that all the planning was put into practice , including:
- Liaising with the restaurants,
- Finalising menus, including special dietary requirements,
- Organising table centres,
- Organising a tour of the engine rooms at Tower Bridge,
- Guiding the delegates to Tower Bridge,
- Organising coaches to transport the delegates to the Shard.
The conference finished with the Outside the Box team building events. This was thoroughly enjoyed by all delegates; a great ending to what proved to be a fantastic week.
With a Conference it’s All About The Production and Planning
We’re delighted to say that this multi-faceted event was a huge success. The client was delighted with our conference production and management skills. It all started just a few months before the event, and the detailed planning and attention to detail we invested into the project paid dividends.
If you are searching for the perfect solution to your event, our group of highly motivated, imaginative and technically experienced staff will take care of everything. Contact us or call us on 01295 770933. We guarantee to make your event an exceptional one.