In the 10 years of experience in organizing corporate events, I often received the question “How can we make the Gala Awards more catchy?”. This is where the creative and innovative approach of the organizer comes in.

The objectives are the celebration, recognition and motivation of the participants, all wrapped in a super atmosphere.

AGENDA
This is based on the “Short & Simple”. When you organize a Gala for a large number of participants, a very precise agenda without too many delays is a step towards the success of the event.

Most of the time, the Gala Awards include dinner, so it must be included in the agenda. For the dinner, a MC is needed to maintain the atmosphere.

It is recommended that the festive toast be done in an out-of-the-box manner, taking the whole festivity into an exciting area for the participants: music, visual elements, videos. Changes like this will surprise even those who participate in this gala every year.

WINNERS
Without extending the agenda too much, it is important to have as many awardees as possible. For example, you can add new award categories or have a list of nominees.

The gratitude brought by colleagues is a trend adopted more and more. The award can take the form of a title such as “People’s Choice Award”. Also, if there was a “Most Valuable Player” award in the past years, it is recommended that it be presented and handed out by the winners of the past years. Imagine the impact on the punisher when he is presented by his colleagues in a personal way.

AWARDS
Give winners prizes that can be reused. From various gadgets to handicrafts customized in the colors of the brand can be a few examples. You can also consider prizes that are thematic with the event or the location.

When the participants feel good, have fun and are involved in the event, they are definitely prepared for success. Are you planning an Awards Gala? Write to us if you want a memorable event for your team.

“The first step out of the gate has to be knowing where you want to end up. What do you really want from your company?”
– Stan Slap

The answer to the question reflects the company’s culture.
As we mentioned in a previous article, Company Day is a perfect way to create a unique experience for your colleagues, the possibility of creating a bond between them. It helps the team to relax, to be charged with positive energy and offers the possibility of offering some rewards for the success of their involvement.

Seen as part of a team development process, Company Day can help to improve teamwork and communication between its members.

There are many options of activities suitable for Company Day, depending on the desired result.

Organizing the Company Day outdoors is a good choice, especially if it happens in a summer garden, at the swimming pool or on the edge of a lake. Below are different organization options:

COMPANY FESTIVAL
What does a Company Festival day look like to you? It can take the form of a Winter, Summer or why not, Beer Festival.

FAMILY DAY
What is more beautiful than a sunny day spent with colleagues and their families? 🙂 Activities to suit everyone, from cooking to activities with sports or inflatables for children.

WORLD RECORD
Do you like the idea of your company’s team breaking a world record? If so, you can create the perfect setting for it on Company Day. You can gather supporters – family, friends – and even the press to put everything under the spotlight.

VALUES DAY
To improve the organizational culture, we suggest you organize Company Day through the values filter: activities specific to values, location branding, contests or Gala Awards.

FUND RAISING CAMPAIGN
Another unique way to celebrate Company Day is to give it a CSR twist. A fundraiser for a noble cause is a method that has an immediate impact, both on society and on your colleagues.

OPEN DAY
On the Day of your Company you can open your doors! 🙂 It is a suitable method especially if you are preparing to start an internship program, thus offering the possibility that the future team of interns can observe your organizational culture.

If you plan to organize the Company Day, our team is at your disposal with a variety of activities suitable for your company!

Annually, companies allocate substantial budgets to teambuilding activities. The team development process is critical for companies, and in this industry there are many companies that offer a wide range of experiences – some positive, others less positive due to discrepancies in understanding the goals and expectations of the teams.

All this has led to confusion among companies and their employees regarding what a teambuilding is, its results and how it should be .

What are the most unfortunate teambuilding scenarios that come to your mind? Here is a selection:
• The participants have no input regarding the activity of the event;
• Participation is mandatory;
• The environment in which the event takes place is not friendly;
• The tone of the entire event is too serious and authoritative, without social and fun elements;
• Activities focus only on what is wrong with the team (company);
• The event is not personalized;
• The activities are extremely demanding and not at all suitable for the age and physical condition of the group of participants;
• The activities are not collaborative;
• Water, food and breaks between activities are insufficient;
• The person responsible for the group in the decision-making structure is not present;
• The expectations of the participants are not met, on the contrary, they leave more disconnected and demoralized regarding teamwork.

Of course, these are some extreme examples of SO NOT. On this occasion, you can realize what you want to avoid when planning or implementing a teambuilding activity and make sure that your team gets the best teambuilding experience.

Recently, HSBC dismissed a group of employees who published a video in which they claimed to be Islamic militants and performed a beheading. This video was part of a teambuilding exercise.

Therefore, the choice of activities suitable to the team’s profile, as well as of the teambuilding supplier, are two of the most important elements for the success of a corporate event. After establishing them, the briefing and waiting of the participants play a primary role until the completion of the entire activity.

O oportunitate care creste engagementul si imbunatateste lucrul in echipa

de Andrew Fieldhous, BIZ Events

BIZ Events este reprezentatul celei mai mari licente de teambuilding din lume, in Emiratele Arabe. Catalyst Teambuilding este reprezentata in Romania de catre UNIVERSUM Events.

Platon spunea ca “Poti afla mai multe despre o persoana intr-o ora de joc decat intr-un an de conversatii”. Motivul pentru care am ales sa incep cu acest citat este pentru ca Platon subliniaza importanta jocurilor, in mod special a celor “serioase”, si cat de importante si utile sunt atunci cand vorbim de engagementul angajatilor si dezvoltarea lucrului in echipa intr-o organizatie.

Ce vrem sa spunem prin “jocuri serioase”? Cred ca este important sa stabilim o limita intre jocurile sportive, jocurile pur distractive si cele despre care vorbim noi. Cu siguranta exista un scop si in spatele jocurilor sportive, dar la cele la care ne referim noi sunt cele care, desi au si elemente fun, au obiective de dezvoltare a abilitatilor si oportunitati de invatare. Atributul de “serios” nu inseamna neaparat ca intregul continut al activitatii este serios, doar ca abordarea  se bazeaza pe engagementul oamenilor si cresterea lucrului in echipa.

Este clar ca lucrul in echipa este ceea ce isi doreste fiecare organizatie; inainte de toate omul are nevoie de socializare, sa lucreze alaturi de alti oameni si sa interactioneze cu ceilalti. Echipele ca si compozitie pot fi diverse si ca orice alta abilitate, lucrul in echipa se poate invata si dezvolta intocmai pentru ca echipele sa devina din ce in ce mai bune in ceea ce fac si pentru a aduce rezultate.

Una dintre cele mai mari pasiuni ale mele este aceasta abilitate, de a lucra in echipa; intotdeauna am fost un “team player”, inca de cand eram copil si jucam in echipele sportive ale scolii pana cand am devenit Director Comercial al diviziei de teambuilding din Biz-Group. Pe parcusul anilor, am observat cum activitatile bazate pe lucrul in echipa au crescut, evoluat si au devenit un instrument valoros in lumea moderna.

Inca de cand am inceput sa rulam activitati de teambuilding si programe de simulari de business in Emiratele Arabe Unite, am observat o crestere masiva a numarului de clienti care aleg aceste programe. In 2010, am organizat aproximativ 175 de activitati de teambuilding unde au participat 14000 de oameni. In 2014, aceste numere au atins 360 de activitati cu 32000 de participanti. Ca parte componenta din Catalyst Global Network, pot spune ca o crestere asemanatoare au obtinut si celelalte 32 de companii partenere.

De ce au devenit aceste activitati populare? Iata cateva motive:

Evolutia – vremurile in care un teambuilding insemna cateva scanduri, sfori si butoaie si o echipa care trebuia sa traverseze un rau imaginar sunt vremuri apuse. Cresterea nevoilor a dus la cereri mult mai softisitcate, mai “wow”. Din acest lucru au rezultat experiente mult mai inovative, creative si antrenante care aduc un impact memorabil. Replici precum “Am facut asta, altceva?” din partea clientilor au inspirat companiile sa creeze activitati creative si imbunatatite. Acest factor impreuna cu o industrie in care competitia este crescuta au ridicat gradul asteptarilor. Oamenii au devenit mai atenti la detalii, mai experimentati si au asteptari mai ridicate, de aceea activitatile create trebuie sa se ridice si sa depaseasca aceste asteptari.

(De exemplu, activitatea de teambuilding Orchestrate – transforma o Echipa intr-o Orchestra in doua ore. Nu ma crezi? Priveste aici.)

Comunicarea – MIT’s Human Dynamics Laboratory au realizat un studiu care arata ca, printr-o mare consecventa, comunicarea  in cadrul echipelor este cel mai important indicator al succesului unei echipe. Atat de mult incat este la fel de semnificativa precum ceilalti factori – inteligenta, personalitatea, talentul. Petrecand timp dezvoltandu-ti abilitatile de comunicare alaturi de colegii tai intr-o activitate de teambuilding este de departe mai de valoare decat lucrul de unul singur. Companiile au inceput sa puna si mai multa valoare pe imbunatatirea comunicarii.

Practica, mama perfectiunii – cele mai multe companii folosesc exemple de persoane cu experiente unice din domeniul sportului sau militar pentru inspiratie. In ambele domenii, echipele petrec 90% din timpul lor pentru antrenamente, si doar 10% facand activitatea respectiva, in business lucrurile se intampla invers. Tot mai des, oamenii realizeaza ca activitatile de teambuilding de tipul simularilor de business sunt o oportunitate de practica, chiar daca sunt pe o perioada scurta de timp.

Greseste intr-un mediu sigur – cu totii suntem de acord ca invatam din experiente – “ce nu te omoara, te face mai puternic”. Acelasi lucru se aplica si in cazul angajatilor care au posibilitatea sa lucreze intr-un mediu sigur, in care implicatiile actiunilor si rezultatele lor nu sunt atat de severe. O activitate de teambuilding iti ofera posibilitatea sa experimentezi, sa incerci idei noi si sa testezi. Chiar daca ajung sa se intample erori, acestea pot aduce invataminte valoroase in sesiunea de debriefing.

Tehnologia – evolutia tehnologiei a adus impact si in industria evenimentelor corporate, adaugand multe elemente de oferit. Accesul la Internet, smartphone-urile, aplicatii usor de folosit, chiar si tehnologia dronelor; toate acestea au creat un mediu creativ ce ofera multe experiente valoroase pentru engagementul oamenilor, lucruri ce nu erau posibile cu cativa ani in urma.

Gamification – merge mana in mana cu tehnologia. Acesta presupune folosirea mecanicii si gandirii din jocuri pentru a invata, implica si distra participantii pentru a rezolva anumite provocari. In business, are implicari dincolo de granitele jocului, ajungand sa fie un instrument din ce in ce mai popular in activitatile de echipa pe care le propunem.

Fara indoiala, exista o crestere a cererii pentru activitatile bazate pe invatare datorita motivelor mai sus subliniate. Stiinta valideaza aceste activitati si impactul pe care il au in imbunatatirea lucrului in echipa. Nu doar facand ceva ca si echipa conteaza; se pierde mult timp in experiente ineficiente, plictisitoare sau chiar cu impact nefavorabil. Echipele ar trebui sa caute oportunitatile potrivite, care se potrivesc obiectivelor dorite. Aceste oportunitati sunt chiar aici; sunt extrem de valoroase si merita investit resursele potrivite pentru a avea rezultatele dorite.

Articol tradus din Capital Business.

We all have more and more ambitious business goals to work towards. But how do we make sure that we reach these ever higher goals? Most of the time, the answer lies in the mindset, in a mind open to new perspectives and in having access to applied knowledge.

But how do you make sure that your people are mentally prepared and in terms of know-how?
One way is to participate in conferences that will give you new perspectives to see things.

That’s why today we want to present you some take-aways that we extracted from the last 2 conferences organized by us this spring, the Innovation Summit and the Brand Managers Summit.
One of the preferred definitions of innovation in the view of Domenico Ventura, Ex – Global Head Consumer Sensory Innovation – Tobacco Vaporisers BAT and speaker at Innovation Summit 2015 is “Innovation = from idea to profit”. It seems natural in this case that one of the hottest questions in the current business environment is how to become more innovative as an organization, especially in this VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment. The answer seems to lie primarily in a strong culture in this direction, and hence the very important role played by HR professionals in this equation.

Therefore, a healthy culture that encourages divergent opinions, diversity of experience and knowledge within teams is an important ingredient in the fusion of productive innovation processes.

Markus Nordberg, Head of Resources Development CERN, told us how stimulating collaboration and competition in a sustainable way and absorbing risks by working in mixed parallel teams are recipes preferred by CERN scientists, given the high degree of uncertainty and investments allocated to research.
All this, together with a great diversity among the researchers involved, allows them to deliver radically innovative technologies and scientific theories.

A culture of innovation is also supported by stimulating creativity.

I learned at the event how many different perspectives you can visualize if you use a thinking method, such as the “6 thinking hats” or “lateral thinking”, methods presented by Nigel Newman, Global Lifetime Master Trainer at the Edward de Bono foundation. Creative thinking doesn’t have to be hard, on the contrary, it just needs to be directed correctly, Nigel told us.

To these is added an agile implementation of the resulting ideas to capitalize and obtain quick feedback, as Rogier van der Heide, Senior Vice President & Chief Design and Marketing Officer Zumtobel Group.

We can also see an increased interest in innovation in Romania, through the ever-increasing investments that companies make in a culture of innovation and dedicated people.

Regarding a culture of innovation, some key questions are:

• What is the degree of heterogenization of the teams in terms of knowledge, ideas, background, etc.?
• How do you encourage collaboration and healthy competition at the team level?
• How do you encourage creative thinking and the generation of new ideas?
• Is there a system to encourage employees to agilely implement new ideas?
• Are there people responsible for innovation within the company?
• Is innovation a priority for the company? What kind of innovation are you pursuing: incremental or “disruptive”?

Another very important aspect discussed at the Brand Managers Summit is the importance of the human side in building a successful brand and business.

Peter Knapp, Global Creative Officer at Landor and speaker of the event declares:

“Very often business decisions are taken in a rational way based on economic and operational factors, but often those small details that influence consumer decisions are impacted. Exactly these decisions can have a very high cost.
A brand is a decision of loyalty and preference.”

How we reach the next level depends on each individual business, but it is our duty to constantly reinvent ourselves in order to deliver even more value to even more customers.