Issue 50

FUNCTION VENUES
INDUSTRY COMMENT
Business Events
Curating
Creativity
Andrew White on how changing workplace culture is evolving the traditional event model
THE WHO, what and whys of business
events has changed and there’s little point
in holding on to the tried and tested event
formulas of ‘day delegate’ or ‘24-hour
rates’. Corporates are still struggling to
get their people back to the workplace as
hybrid working continues and the notion
that employees are TWaTs (Tuesdays,
Wednesdays and Thursdays) has a whole
new connotation.
We are dealing with new workplace
cultures and there are significant
ramifications on the traditional event model:
• The workplace is no longer recognised as
the place where tasks and actions have
to take place, instead the workplace is
the hub for interaction and creativity and
brings company cultures to life
• Digitisation of the workplace has proved
that some parts of the job, and some
types of events, are just as adequately
accomplished in a digital format
• The pressure of working from home also
brought employee wellbeing to the fore
and has led to a new set of considerations
for event planners.
The tradition of a full day conference
packed with speakers and content is
diminishing as corporates look for ways to
bring their teams together, to re-engage, to
communicate and to prove their worth as an
employer. As Kate Morgan’s piece points out
‘every minute of our time is precious. If our
bosses want it, they’ve got to use it wisely’.
Events are being curated in an entirely
new format away from the traditional
confines of four walls. We are quite literally
stepping outside, drawing air, and using
the outdoors for inspiration because it is
good for our mental health. Steven Bartlett,
super nova of social media and the youngest
Dragon on Dragons’ Den, is one of the
headliners at Ideas Fest, a celebration of
business disruptors, creatives and change
makers in a field in rural Hampshire. It
is two days of conversations, ideas and
engagement with likeminded people which
“THE PANDEMIC PUT AN END TO REQUIRED BIRTHDAY
CUPCAKES, TEAM HAPPY HOURS AND FORCED ‘FUN’
ACTIVITIES. MANY WORKERS ARE DEEPLY RELIEVED”.
KATE MORGAN, BBC WORKLIFE.
could easily have been activated in a drab
purpose-built event venue with the only
draw being a trip on the new Elizabeth Line.
Hotel and venue group Exclusive
Collection is again leading the charge
and have acknowledged changing event
formats along with the need to consider
their guests’ and delegates’ wellbeing. They
understand that it’s all about the experience
and bringing about an atmosphere that
encourages engagement (and using time
preciously). They have just launched a
series of experiences to heighten delegates’
learning and bolster personal wellbeing.
We all remember scenarios and situations
for positive reasons, we rarely choose to
remember dull walls and being talked at for
hours! Time is precious – use it wisely. And
in doing so see how engaged and enthused
your delegates become; you never know you
may even encourage them away from being
TWaTs.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew White is
MD of Triggerfish
Communications, a
specialist in helping heritage
venues and leisure attractions
build awareness and market share
in the business of events.
www.triggerfish.co.uk
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 21