Athenian Riviera / Athens Incentive Trip

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Athens may not seem an obvious choice for an incentive trip with partners, but just half an hour from the bustling city lies a stunning stretch of coastline known as the Athenian Riviera …

Which is exactly where we took a group of high-level executives and their partners for a long weekend of local activities combined with just the right level of relaxation.

Taking an afternoon flight and arriving in perfect time for a leisurely poolside dinner at boutique hotel The Margi, gave the group time to settle in (and adjust to the beautiful weather!) before the following days activities.

We hired speedboats out to Moni Island to a private area for a bit of beach-time and swimming before whisking everyone to a nearby fishing port for a delectable local style lunch.

Day three’s activity took the group along the South Attica Peninsula on a team jeep safari, before the final night’s dinner back in the city with hilltop views of Athens by night.

All in all a very rewarding trip which had helped inspire the team to achieve company targets & objectives throughout the year.

Sheffield Doc/Fest with Disaronno

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Disaronno proudly sponsored “Smash & Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers” which premiered at Doc/Fest with an exclusive pre-screening bar run by the Effective Event Solutions team.

VIPs were invited to sample classic Disaronno Sour cocktails in advance of the premiere which also featured a Q&A with the films director Havana Marking. Our team of experienced mixologists kept the party going all evening for lucky Disaronno fans & film-goers.

Doc/Fest: brings the international documentary family together to celebrate the art and business of documentary making for five intense days in June. Now in it’s 20th year, Sheffield Doc/Fest is one of the top three documentary festivals and markets in the world.

Film synopsis: In their own words and with unprecedented access, the most successful jewel thieves of all time take you into their world: the post-Milosovic Balkans, the modern diamond trade and a 21st Century crime gang. But as the thieves brazenly commit their crimes across the world – Europe, Asia and UEA – Interpol and global police forces are tightening their grip. As many of the criminals responsible for are caught and extradited, this film asks: Is this the end of the Pink Panthers?

YrStore – a product we know and love!

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As mentioned in last month’s Skype event post, we are big fans of the YrWall and YrSurface customisable, interactive equipment which is a great focal point at events.

So we were delighted to hear they’ve opened a pop-up shop near London’s Carnaby Street, so now members of the public can pop along to YrStore and design their own t-shirts, which are then printed on the spot.

Highly recommend you pop down (we will be) or get in touch with us to see how this amazing technology could enhance your next event!

William Grant & Sons Stand Fast Awards

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This annual celebration brings together William Grant & Sons colleagues, from a broad range of roles & locations across the globe, to reward their outstanding achievements.

For 2013, we took the winners to One Mayfair and transformed the old church venue into a stunning banquet hall with upper tears holding three bespoke bars: Hendrick’s Gin on the roof terrace, Sailor Jerry’s tiki bar and a sultry whisky lounge with Glenfiddich, Balvenie & Grant’s.

Guests arrived on ‘special service’ Stand Fast routemaster buses after a whistlestop tour of the capital. Greeted with cocktails and champagne the guests had a chance to catch-up with old friends and network with new ones before taking their seats for the ceremony.

Radio 2’s Nigel Barden was our host for the evening, presenting awards with his usual wit and flair, whilst everyone enjoyed a sumptuous 4-course dinner.

It was a truly special occasion for all the hard-working winners and proud day for our team who made sure it was memorable one!

The Apprentice: Away Day episode

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Last night this year’s motley crew of Apprentice candidates were called to Guildhall in the City of London (which on a separate note is a stunning event venue!), where they were tasked with creating an ‘Away Day’ for prestigious corporate clients.

They had a healthy budget of £5,000.00 so we were avidly watching out for what new and innovative ideas the teams might come up with …

‘Back to School’ and ‘Army Boot Camp’ (after much discussion about how Majestic Medieval could be tweaked into a business concept) were settled on as themes.

… so far, so uninspiring …

As event planners ourselves this was serious cringe-worthy television, with key business objectives thrown out the window in favour of wine tasting – on a ‘school’ day?!

Thwarted by the Great British weather, one team hadn’t even got an indoor back-up plan to rescue themselves (and don’t get me started on the sumo suits).

Personally we’d say their biggest fault was focusing on profit over customer satisfaction, resulting in both corporate clients requesting a hefty refund.

I won’t spoil the ending (watch it here) but needless to say the boardroom squabbling is back at it’s best.

For an Away Day that’s less like a hastily put together childrens party, get in touch with our team on sales@effectiveeventsolutions.com and we’ll tailor a corporate team building session that really caters to your objectives and motivates your staff.