Leeds-based brand engagement agency XSEM is an expert in helping clients engage their teams through live events and communications. So, when the agency’s senior management was planning their own company away day, they needed to design an experience that would engage and motivate their teams while meeting clear objectives…

Brief

XSEM holds two annual company off-sites, a January kick-off to set budgets, sales targets and expectations for the year ahead, and a July away day, which has traditionally been a bit more light-hearted in content, according to Dan Bardgett, managing director and co-founder.

Following the appointment of Nick Burrows as head of experiential at the end of last year, the agency has repositioned slightly from being a pure events agency to being a brand engagement agency.

“Our event in January was all about setting the tone and getting that message across to the team. So, we wanted to do something a bit different in July, to make sure that those messages were landing, and everyone was on board,” says Burrows.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Samme Allen at The Attendee Experience Company (atex) before on some of our client events and know that she is passionate about understanding “The Why” when designing events. So, it made sense to bring her on board to support our event,” adds Bardgett.

“We were trying to address a common problem that we experience with clients, which is that once somebody has decided they’re going to have an event, and word gets out, lots of people have ideas about what they’d like to cram into that event, because you don’t often get the opportunity to get an entire business together and speak to them face to face. I think we as an agency and certainly our clients, are guilty of trying to grab that opportunity and address a million things in one day.”

Solution

Burrows worked closely with Allen to define the objectives, shape the content and design an experience that would deliver on those objectives. “We live and breathe our business every day and sometimes it takes someone external to help you see the wood for the trees. Samme was great at helping us define what we wanted to achieve, clarify our main objectives, and holding us accountable so we didn’t stray from them,” says Burrows.

“We always start with the why. When Nick and I first spoke, the idea was there on paper, but it was just vast, and it’s much easier for someone outside of a business to be able to see that. We worked hard at the beginning to really hone that in and asked those difficult, potentially challenging questions around that why and really defining what we wanted people to feel, say and do,” adds Allen.

These were defined as:

Feel
Proud to work for XSEM.
An evolution in approach means clarity and opportunity.

Say
I want to be part of the journey of growth.
I’m excited about the future.

Do
Talk to clients and colleagues in the “XSEM” way.
Be curious when it comes to ‘why’ we are creating and delivering a brand engagement’.

The event, which was held at The Royal Armouries in Leeds, was all about the why, and being inquisitive and asking questions. The day began with a music quiz, followed by a morning session which delved into the why, with representatives within the business giving updates around the five strategic pillars of the business. All the presenters were dressed to represent a different form of transportation, to represent the growth journey, for example one was dressed as The Stig, and there was also a pilot, astronaut and sailor.

“The quiz was fun, but it also brought people together to create a bit diversity of thought within the business in a really nice way. We mixed up the format of the sessions to make sure that it wasn’t just leadership talking at everyone. We had the thread of leading with the strategy and that why. But every single touch point through the content part of the day was solidified by general agreement, consensus and discussion, which is how you, how you drive change in an organisation because everyone has contributed and bought into the journey,” says Allen.

Following the morning session, Allen facilitated a fireside chat/TV interview-style session with several members of the leadership team focusing on the journey of growth, which aimed to paint a picture of how far the agency has come and how bright the future is for the team.

This was followed by workshop-based sessions, where people were put into groups and given a series of tasks to work through including an imaginary client challenge, followed by wider discussions.

In the afternoon, there was a team-building challenge – building go-karts to tie into the journey and transportation theme – followed by a barbeque and drinks to allow the team time to bond in a relaxed environment.

Results

“It was clear from the feedback that the team not only understood the messaging, but also understood why it was important and how they could apply it. They shared examples of how they were going to apply within their day-to-day activity, moving forward. So, the work we did with Samme on the messaging worked well. And we’re now in the process of following that up with meetings with the team to ensure that it’s getting embedded and isn’t just a one off,” says Burrows.

“We’ve also reflected on the way we built this event and are trying to ensure we work with our customers in the same way. If we have the right conversations up front, ask the right questions and take the time at the start of the project to really understand their objectives and the why, we can hold them accountable throughout the event design process and help keep our clients on track.”