160 Person Offsite

A superb 22 boat Poker Run in September for the employees of a large restaurant brand.

Event Background

A successful restaurant brand came to EMG with an enquiry for their annual event, to be held at the end of September 2011 for approximately 160 employees. The client was interested in an event on the South Coast of England that would be fun, memorable and suitable for attendees of all ages, fitness levels and interests.

Each year before their annual event, the client donates an amount of money to a local charity, so this element also had to be considered.

Event Objectives

The attendees were all chefs and kitchen-based employees from branches of the restaurant all over the country. As such the main objective for the day was that of team bonding. It was hoped that employees from different branches would get to know each other on a more personal level, allowing employees to build a network of contacts throughout the country. As the employees all work in an incredibly busy environment it was very important that the day was also rewarding and ultimately great fun.

Event Proposal

As the event was to be held on the South Coast, EMG proposed a relaxed barbeque lunch at the Mayflower in Lymington followed by a RIB Poker Run. This is a water based treasure hunt that sees teams completing five missions, with a playing card awarded for each successful mission. At the end of the day all teams come together to play their hand to decide the overall winning team.

The RIB Poker Run would make the most of the coastal location, get teams working together but have an overall sense of fun and adrenaline. Poker Run packs would be adapted to incorporate questions about the client and would be formatted using the client’s house style. The sight of 22 boats on the water would be incredibly impactful, making the day a memorable one for the participants.

For individuals who were unable to or not keen on getting out on the water, EMG would create a land based treasure hunt around the New Forest. Both land and water based teams would meet up at a certain secret location along the way to ensure that there was an inclusive feel to the day.

Through discussion with the client, the charity sponsored was to be the RNLI – a perfect choice considering the proposed event. EMG proposed that the RNLI be present at the Mayflower during lunch to perform a ‘kit change challenge’ which would get the participants geared up for their day.

Event Outline

12.30, lunch, briefing & kit change challenge
As the clients sat down to their BBQ lunch in the sunshine, they were briefed on their afternoon activities. The RNLI were then introduced and the kit challenge began with participants racing to suit up in record time. EMG was informed over lunch that another team would be taking part in the land-based challenge, so we arranged for an additional vehicle on the Isle of Wight, transfers and an additional land based challenge pack.

14.00, donation and short walk to the RIBs
The group was then split into their teams and the water based teams were led to their RIBs, each flying the client’s flag. The donation was handed over to the RNLI as the group walked past the lifeboat station. Land based guests departed to make their way to the Isle of Wight for their challenge. Once at their RIBs, the teams were given a safety briefing from their skipper.

14.30 – water/land based poker run begins
The RIBs departed Lymington and went into formation as they exited the channel. A dedicated photography/videography RIB went ahead to capture the spectacle and followed the teams as they worked their way around the challenge. The challenge took teams around the Solent, to Hamble and Cowes, Isle of Wight before finishing in Southampton.

17.45, teams arrive in Southampton Town Quay
The teams arrived in Southampton, handed in their challenge packs and took the short walk back to the hotel to prepare for the evening’s entertainment. The photographer and videographer took this opportunity to prepare a slide show/video for the evening.

18.45, drinks and the final show of hands
Guests regrouped for the evening element of the event. Each team nominated someone to represent them in the final show of hands. Once the poker game was finished the overall winning team was determined and awarded their prize.

20.00, dinner
Guests sat down to dinner and enjoyed a slide show and video of the day while they ate.

“The Italian job team was a hilarious, fun packed team building exercise full of problems to solve and challenges to complete. This was the first time a number of our remote team had met face to face and it was the perfect activity to break the ice and get people working together.”

“The team at EMG is passionate about enhancing our ‘guest journey’ and constantly take the time to understand our guests’ objectives in order to seamlessly deliver the most creative and engaging events.”

“Just a quick thank you for all your help in making this event such a success…the feedback has been excellent. It was a real pleasure (but unfortunately something of a rarity) to deal with people who actually know what they are doing!”

“EMG is an excellent company to partner with in order to support team growth and development. We have used them on several occasions…the results have always been excellent.”

“We’ve worked with EMG for more than five years, not only do they provide engaging and exciting events but the service supplied mirrors that offered by ourselves to our guests… making EMG an ideal partner.”