Top 10 tips to avoid ‘Apprentice’ teambuilding day

On the face of it anyone watching the mess that the BBC apprentice teams made of organising a team-building day could be forgiven for buying into the prejudices around Team-building that were re-enforced.

The reality however for the observant viewer was quite the reverse.  The task was introduced by the show’s host Alan Sugar as “an away-day for corporate clients – not a jolly, you understand, but an exercise in team-building, and communication and listening skills”. 

I can only assume that the apprentice candidates had already switched off at this point because the solutions they provided came straight from the David Brent School of management development.

The briefing meetings with their blue chip clients so clearly re-enforced Lord Sugar’s message about outcomes that when it became clear the 2 teams, Evolve and Endeavour had totally missed the point I began to wonder how much of the program I could endure.

It certainly made good TV but most of all, once I had managed to get over my discomfort, it shows just how dysfunctional teams can become without good communication and listening skills.

Filling a day with activities without understanding how to turn that experience into learning is, without doubt, a complete waste of time and money.  No shock then when both clients on the show asked for significant cash back for a complete failure to satisfy the clearly expressed desired outcomes.

In spite of the show I hope, dear reader, you will still want to explore the opportunity to develop your team through experiential teambuilding so let me provide some thoughts to help you get the most out your investment.

1. Decide how you need your team to improve, what do those improvements look like?
2. Chose a team-building provider with a proven track record.
3. Talk to a senior representative of the provider.  If they haven’t listened to you and cannot give you total confidence in their understanding of your agenda – move on to another.
4. Ask to speak to at least one other client of theirs who is willing to recommend them.
5. Make sure the event includes the services of an experienced facilitator.
6. Meet the facilitator to ensure the chemistry will be right for your team.
7. Only use a provider that can demonstrate results, ideally they should assess and record your team’s performance before, on the day and at agreed intervals after the event.
8. Ensure that ALL of the team attend the event.
9. Create expectations for them in advance; full participation is key – even for the cynics.  A good facilitator will help you achieve this.
10. If it’s worth doing don’t skimp, your team will feel valued if it’s clear you have invested in them.

If you are still sceptical about the value of teambuilding contact me, I will do my best to persuade you and answer your concerns. Good luck. 

For more on Teambuilding check out www.sundialteamscapes.com

A changing landscape for hotels and venues?

A quick dip into recently published news and opinion from the meetings sector seems to indicate that things are changing.  The very good Grass Roots Meetings Industry Report 2013 by Alan Newton hints at a swing in the balance of power away from the meetings buyers and towards suppliers although Alan emphasises that at the moment this is a US led trend.

So what might be behind this trend and can we see any evidence that it might be seen in the UK? 

Looking first at the demand side of the trend, Alan reports that “our clients in the UK, USA and Asia are all showing a modest increase in meetings activity and slightly higher budgets than a year ago.  The mood is quietly positive,’

But what is happening on the supply side?

It will not have escaped followers of the hotel transactions news that a couple of deals have recently been done by UK banks that had found themselves holding hotel assets as a result of their lending binge and the subsequent repossessions following the recession and crash in hotel values.  Big losses have been sucked up and canny private equity and venture capital investors have bought at what might prove to be the bottom of the market. Principal Hayley and Malmaison have both been ‘moved on’ and rumours surround other brands such as DeVere Venues.  As the market commentator Hotel Analyst puts it on page 117 of Sleeper Magazine; “Are we finally at the point where deals start in earnest? The short answer is no. But it seems highly likely that there will be more movement than we have seen for some time.”

This then begs the question what will this smart money do with hotel and venue assets picked up cheap from the banks? Some are now under-invested following their stint under bank ownership but it seems likely their new owners will be far more careful about pouring more new money in without some very careful analysis.  It’s possible that one or two of the worst performing hotels and venues may be moved on or re-developed for other uses.

So what about new supply?  Melvin Gold's UK Hotel Construction Data report says that although there has been a gradual uptick in new hotel openings since the low point of 2010 this has been dominated by the budget sector so it seems fair to assume that the overall supply of meetings hotels and venues is adapting to a lower level of demand.

Availability and rate are very strongly influenced by supply/demand in the meetings sector so maybe there are signs that the landscape is changing.

It will be up to hotel and venue operators to ensure that any hardening of the market doesn’t lead to greed and profiteering and bring our industry into disrepute.  As Alan Newton puts it ‘interesting patterns have started to develop.......(these) may be considered more alarming if they are not managed professionally.’

Although at Sundial Group we have only experienced slight season changes in demand so far I am proud that our high number of long standing and loyal clients can trust us to take the long view and protect our reputation for fair pricing and value for money should these trends indeed tip the balance of power away from the buyer.

The Chudbus on Tour

What has a retired London bus got to do with a conference centre group?

Sundial Group own and run 3 award winning specialist country house conference hotels and operate in the meeting venue market. Whilst many of our clients book direct we know that we need to establish our presence and reputation with the Hotel Booking Agents (HBA’s) responsible for venue selection and meetings management for many companies.

The bulk of agency business ends up with the major hotel brands but good intermediaries also need niche suppliers to demonstrate their in-depth knowledge of the market and offer variety from the repetitive chain hotel environment.

At Sundial we have worked with agency bookers for many years but we still appreciate that we must stand out from the crowd and establish our credentials to earn their trust. Our reputation for quality is backed up by multiple awards but we also need to be unique and memorable to ensure conscious recall and front of mind awareness when bookers are sifting multiple options, often on a tight timetable.

When designing an agency promotion we needed to be innovative, relevant and memorable. We made it quirky and fun by invoking a special story from the family history of the owners of the group (me and my family).

Telling people about the big Chudley Family, their adventure to America and the national newsreel that inspired the 1963 Cliff Richard film, Summer Holiday created massive enegagement and allowed a picture to be built of a business with history and a real identity and story. Having the present day Chudbus driven by a member of the family who was 2 years old in the newsreel (me!) enabled the development of the story into the present day Sundial Group characteristic of stewardship as a values driven brand. I expanded this background with the spirit of empathy, quality and attention to detail, all pivotal to a business with industry benchmark low staff turnover and high customer loyalty. Visitors gained a real insight into Sundial Group.

Following a screening of the 1959 newsreel that inspired the Summer Holiday film the bus’s on-board plasma screen ran a slide show of today’s superb meeting venue facilities, accommodation, technology, leisure facilities and the fabulous settings of our historic properties.

Members of the Sundial sales teams engaged with our on-board guests to find out about the needs of their own clients, building a rapport which was further cemented through a fun caption competition with – you’ve guest it – prize of a summer holiday!

Whilst all this was going on Jerry Toth, Sundial Executive Chef was outside the bus cooking up authentic Paella, the smells from which ensured every agency team member wanted to come out and find out what was going on. All a bit different from the average hotel sales rep visit to give a PowerPoint talk and hand out brochures.

Each visit was trailed on Twitter (#chudbus), a Facebook page provided photo, news and a channel to continue the engagement; whilst blogs ensured maximum coverage. The announcement of the winner of the summer holiday at the end of the campaign will provide long-term ROI. The story of the Chudbus Summer Holiday has already picked up media coverage from M&IT, Conference News and Venue Directory and more agents are asking to be included on the tour.