Interesting TED talk. Teambuilding can b

Interesting TED talk. Teambuilding can benefit your company’s productivity: http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower#t-301463

Small (team building) can be beautiful too!

Our larger, eye-catching, team build activities can be really memorable and will always have an important place in helping our clients communicate key messages and to build and reward their colleagues.  But being able to offer smaller, cost-effective, team build solutions is also vital to enable businesses to get the most from their meetings.

In the workplace we are used to multi-tasking, so it’s easy for people to switch off or to lose focus at a team meeting if they are simply sitting and listening passively to a series of presentations.

So when a tight meeting budget won’t allow for a longer team build activity, it’s still important to inject some energy and social interaction during the day, and that can be achieved with the use of one or more of the wide variety of ice-breakers, energisers and 15-minute team challenges that we offer.

Posted by Alan Southgate – Account Director

Dealing with the unexpected

An eager audience waits for an inspired speech on behalf of your brand, business or company.  Usually, with adequate pre-planning and vigorous preparation, things go swimmingly well. Yet power cuts, technical failures or noisy air conditioning units can scupper even the most meticulous of planned speeches.

Michael Bay’s unfortunate autocue problem saw him walk off stage during the unveiling of Samsung’s new curved HDTV screen

As we’ve seen recently, this sort of thing can happen to anyone, including one of Hollywood’s finest directors, Michael Bay.  Knowing how to grab an audience’s attention comes second nature to him; he’s responsible for Armageddon, Bad Boys, Transformers and Pearl Harbour, to name a few.  So in an almost Hollywood style plot twist such as this where he ended up walking off stage, how can a presenter save the speech and possibly save the brand image in the face of speech adversity?

Here’s a quick guide on getting to the end of your presentation unscathed;

Humour

When all methods of preparation fail and a speech is potentially on the brink of collapse, the reaction may be to either laugh or cry. The solution is to simply laugh at yourself, and by doing so you allow those around you to join you.  Take a moment to pause and laugh at the situation, even poke fun at it, thus getting the audience back on side with you.  Regain your composure, keep calm and carry on!

Personal Passion

Most speakers are successful in they’re own lines of work with plenty of stories to tell. Selecting the most appropriate speaker for the event and target audience should also point to the fact that your speaker should have plenty of personal stories to tell.  By getting personal in a positive way with an audience you allow for a deeper connection between the speaker, your brand and the delegates. Of course any personal tales shouldn’t be too controversial.

Humility

By accepting the fact that your presentation or speech clearly hasn’t gone strictly according plan will allow for the ideal ending…once again laughter. Thanking the audience ‘for an interesting gig’ should be a saving grace.

The Aftermath

If all of this fails then the very least you can hope for from a high-profile corporate fallout is excellent press coverage in the aftermath. Especially if the speaker is a celebrity!

Use this as a golden opportunity to respond positively via all platforms of communication now available to us.  Humorously set Twitter alight whilst engaging the followers of the organisation and celebrity, offer reflective articles on LinkedIn, industry magazines may be interested in interviews. Consider this a tool to optimize the aftermath.

Just watch Samsung, it didn’t hurt them…

Let us know your thoughts and join us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Don’t get caught in a scrum! Let a rugby pro entertain you at dinner

With the Autumn Internationals in full swing and a month or two until the Six Nations begins, rugby speakers are a popular choice among our clients at this time of year. Here are five of the best from specialist agency JLA:

No. 1 Austin Healey

A big favourite in the industry, Austin is as versatile as an after dinner speaker, presenter and businessman now, as he was a utility back playing for England. Winner of 53 England and British Lions caps, “The Leicester Lip” talks about the importance of confidence in sport, reveals the bitter competition of Strictly Come Dancing and takes every opportunity to dish the dirt on some of his closest friends in the game.

No. 2 Brian Moore

One of the most combative and passionate players to have played for England, Brian is best known as the grumpier half of the Butler-Moore commentating team on BBC Rugby. Having diversified after rugby as a qualified RFU Referee and qualified manicurist (!), Brian has allowed himself to mellow (slightly) and can talk motivation, teamwork, or argue eloquently to the death about the laws of the game.

No. 3 Martin Bayfield

At 6’10” it won’t just be Martin’s speech that gets you talking! He has gone from policeman and England lock to established TV presenter of Crimewatch and World’s Strongest Man. After dinner, he makes telling comparisons between rugby and football and might reveal a surprising involvement in the Harry Potter film franchise.

No. 4 David Campese

The archetypal Australian sportsman, David is a legend of the game.
After a 15 year international career, by the time he retired he was the country’s leading try scorer with 64, as well as 101 caps. David has since walked down Oxford Street dressed in a sandwich board reading ‘The best team won’ after a lost bet made during the 2003 World Cup and landed himself in hot water as an often controversial contributor to the media. An old-fashioned winger, after dinner Campo confesses to making only two tackles in his entire career – he gave up after taking on Kiwi prodigy Jonah Lomu – and gives a direct answer to a direct question.

No. 5 Francois Pienaar

In South Africa Francois Pienaar is a God, immortalised the moment he accepted the William Webb Ellis trophy from Nelson Mandela in 1995. His success symbolised his country’s return to the sporting world after Apartheid and made Francois a worthy spokesperson for the power of sport to liberate and transform lives. After dinner he draws on some of the greatest stories in modern sport and talks about his special relationship with ‘Madiba.’

Our sustainable journey continues…

Since 2006 MotivAction has built some really good habits in reducing consumption and minimising our carbon footprint.  In fact we are 67% better than our baseline year!

We’ve now bedded into our new offices just outside of Ware in Hertfordshire and our sustainable journey continues.  We work in a recycled building – a fabulous converted barn on the outskirts of the Town.

With the onset of winter we can’t wait to try out the biomass boiler which uses pellets harvested from woods on our Landlord’s estate.  This helps with the regeneration of the woodlands and cuts down on fuel transport costs and emissions and we will all benefit from the heat generated.  The Barns are warmer than our previous offices which should save even more money.  The construction of the barns involved 2.500 tonnes of crushed concrete, 500 tonnes of which was recycled.

Our ‘recycled’ building – The Creative Enterprise Hub

We are close to public transport so our journey into London to see clients is really easy and we are delighted to welcome clients out to our offices.  Several of our staff are leaner and fitter as they now cycle into work and car sharing has also been more popular.

Sustainability is always on the agenda and we are constantly looking for ways to improve how we work.

The rise of the rooftop rush

This summer we’ve been intrigued by those rooftops of London that have been turned into hotbeds of revelry.

It seems there’s been something of a trend upwards.  Whether it be the superior views or just the headiness of being elevated above the more regular goings on down below, there are examples across the City of events edging slowly skywards.

The long-established Kensington Roof Gardens, a secretive member’s only glamour spot that reeks of exclusivity, remains a popular destination.  Then there’s London’s newest beach – Camden Beach – a temporary pop up, postcard perfect, makeshift dreamy beach all on the terrace of The Roundhouse. No North Devon about it, strictly North London!

Our favourite though, and not just for its evocative name, is the roof top Hot Tub Cinema Club.

Now allowing the year round opportunity to take in the sights of the city and your favourite flick – all in the comfort of your own hot tub.  Blissful behaviour!

Next project – a helicopter tour taking in the best of London’s rooftop party scene.  Ok, more likely a Google Earth tour.  Either way, we’ll be keeping our eyes on the latest developments whether they be 2 ft or 2,000 ft above the ground.

Have you attended a sky-high event this summer?  Or is it something on your wish list?  Let us know your thoughts on Twitter or like us on Facebook to join in the fun!

Catch all of our latest blogs here…

So what does a typical day look like?

I was asked the question this week at a recruitment day for potential new events staff.

Of course, there is no typical day when it comes to organising an event – it comes with the territory. But it got me thinking about what I did the previous day, which I offer as a glimpse as to what goes on during a typical day at an Event Agency.

7.30am                 Arrive at the Creative Enterprise Hub – our new, purpose built site where we’ve recently relocated. The place is already buzzing as our Event Operations Team is already in full swing preparing for that day’s event teams’ departures.

Review CV’s for Trainee Project Executive role we’re currently recruiting for.

8.00am                       Review and rewrite some copy for our exciting new website, due for launch very soon.

9.00am                       Produce an outline specification for our planned Opening Event for clients, associates and members of the local community groups to celebrate our move to the new premises and promote the Work Space for rent and Event Space for hire.

9.30am                       bwin Project Team meeting – an event roadshow visiting Hyderabad in India, Gibraltar, Vienna, Budapest and London. Currently tackling some issues with our cargo in India – the joy of Indian authorities!

10.30am                     Time with the Client Services Team reviewing new opportunities and existing projects for the likes of EE, Merlin Entertainments, WRP, Gap, Emailvision, Lebara, Vertu. Projects including a 300 person conference in Manchester, an online Ideas Scheme for 13,000 global staff, an incentive in Barbados or Mexico, a brand new tech concept to entertain 10,000+ at a meeting in Cologne and a selection of team building ideas for 30 people near Reading!

12.30pm                     A sandwich in the ‘Hay Loft’ – our onsite staff area – and an opportunity to catch up with a selection of people from across the business, hearing about the latest event news, TV show updates and how did Kim Kardashian become so famous?…

1.00pm                       Catch up with the Sales Director to brainstorm new business development ideas and strategy.

2.00pm                       Pause to celebrate a couple of staff anniversaries – we acknowledge each member of staff’s MotivAction ‘birthdays’; and treat them on the big ones (5, 10, 15, 20 years).

2.15pm                       Review CV’s for Marketing Manager maternity cover.

2.45pm                       Write blog post picking up on the Team Building challenge the Apprentice candidates took on in last week’s TV show.

3.30pm                       Catch up call with charity client, discussing ideas for their fundraising event.

4.00pm                       Write up ideas for 180 person team event at Whittlebury Hall in December.

5.00pm                       Wrap up the day with a short social gathering at one of the bars in town – having the facilities of a small town on our doorstep is a novelty for us and we intend to build the spirit within the company by making use of them when we can!

Madeira – there’s more to it than you think!

Do you, like me, have a view of Madeira as a destination which attracts older people?  Perhaps not the ideal location for incentives!  How wrong could we be?  I was delighted to accept an invitation to visit Madeira – the Pearl of the Atlantic.  We are often asked to organise incentive trips to a warm climate in autumn or winter, but when it comes down to it the flight times are too long and cut in to the excitement of the trip.  Well here is an Island which is just 3.5 hours away with direct flights and a mild climate all year round.

If you can persuade your guests to get up early you can leave Gatwick at 6.20am and then have the whole of the first day to get the party started!

We stayed at the 5* Melia Madeira Mare Resort and Spa Hotel in Funchal which has a spectacular seafront location and panoramic Atlantic Ocean views.  The first evening we were treated to cocktails on the terrace at the top of The Vine Hotel and then onto the stunning Reid’s Palace – a Deluxe Orient Express Hotel.  Set on cliff tops overlooking the bay of Funchal it combines history with luxurious comfort and a fine dining experience.

Day 2 began with a tour of the local market where ladies dressed in traditional costumes selling exotic flowers.  We passed through the Cathedral and finished with a visit to the famous Madeira Wine Company and a chance to taste this unique wine.  I gathered ideas for a fun treasure trail that would include our next trip by cable car to the Village of Monte and lunch at the fabulous Quinta do Monte, one of the Charming Hotels properties.  The adrenalin pumped as we began our trip downhill with a unique toboggan ride.  You hurtle down the hillside in baskets – it really is a ride not to be missed.

Hurtling down a hillside in a basket!

That evening cocktails were served at the Hotel Vidamar Resorts and then on to dinner at Quinta da Bela Vista, a small luxury 5* hotel and winner of Portugal’s Leading Boutique Hotels Awards with botanical gardens and stunning views overlooking Funchal Bay.

Day 3 and a fantastic trip on a rib for whale and dolphin watching.  The ride is not for the faint hearted, prepare to get very wet!  We disembarked at the brand new harbour attached to Quinta do Lorde Marina Resort where lunch was served.  The recently opened Resort recreates a small seaside village.  After lunch we were collected by off-road vehicles for an exhilarating trip which is ideal for those who like exploring the mountains.  Cocktails that evening were served at the Oscar Niemeyer’s design Hotel Pestana Casino Park and Congress Centre and then it was on to our farewell dinner at the superb Sao Tiago Fortress which dates back to the 15^th Century and is strategically located at the entrance of the Harbour where it used to defend Funchal from pirate attacks.  From here we were able to watch the fireworks which lit up the Town.

All too soon it was time to leave Madeira and the trip back to Gatwick was only 3 hours – definitely an added bonus.

Have I changed my perception of Madeira?  You bet I have!  You only have to stroll through the centre of Funchal at night to see it come alive.  The Island provides some great activities, from game fishing and all forms of water sports to off-road safaris and for the more adventurous paragliding, canyoning and kite surfing.  This truly is an Island for all seasons and for all ages.

Team Build Challenge – how to get it right

Seemed only right to post something on Team Building given the recent
Apprentice challenge on the Beeb.

Here are our 6 steps for creating an effective team event:

1. Establish background and context: audience profile, business
environment, team history
2. Set objectives: involve, listen and agree with key stakeholders SMART
objectives for the event
3. Outline event requirements: dates, numbers, location, time available,
budget, restrictions (business and individual), style and tone of event,
indoor/outdoor, additional items (e.g. AV)
4. Desired event outcomes: define the desired impact of the team build activity, what should participants learn, do, feel as a result of the event
5. Ideas: consider whether explicit/implicit team building, facilitation
requirements, weather, bespoke solutions; involve members of the
team in assessing ideas
6. Feedback & evaluation: determine how and what level of feedback is
required, how this should be delivered and how it may be used;
consider a plan to follow up the event

And here are a few days in action as a taster:

1. Pit Stop – at Silverstone Circuit of course:

2. Wild West activities, including learning how to ‘bar room brawl’:

3. Step back in time and take part in an historic Celtic battle:

Our New Home – The Creative Enterprise Hub

The MotivAction Group are on the move.

Having been camped out in the idyllic village of Ardeley in North Hertfordshire for the last 25 years, we’re shortly due to take up residency at the brand new Creative Enterprise Hub in Ware, East Herts.

We’ve been involved in the project since 2011, which has seen a derelict and dilapidated Barn and Piggery be rejuvenated and totally transformed into a beautiful, contemporary working environment.

The result of the development has seen the birth of The Creative Enterprise Hub – a unique and inspiring work and event space.

Flexible Work Space is available for creative enterprises who value the influence of fresh air on fresh ideas and being connected to like-minded businesses and transport networks.

The Event Space is available to hire, but will also feature a programme of free events designed to inspire, inform and educate. All kicking off with an opening event in June. Maybe see you there!

Local press release

For enquiries head to www.creativeenterprisehub.co.uk