Brief:
Early in the year, a corporate client reached out to Story Events with an exciting project for their company retreat for 80 – 100 guests. With a few initial ideas in mind, such as a festival and camping, they wanted something completely different. Nothing too structured and formal and vibes of a relaxing oasis where guests could socialise and enjoy themselves, but still have the opportunity to work if needed.
Delivery:
We put together a proposal featuring a few different venue options that covered a variety of price ranges. This included an Island off the coast of Essex and some quirky hotels throughout the UK. The chosen venue was Preston Court and the Wilderness. It was the perfect venue which ticked all of the client’s boxes. There were 2 campsites which accommodated single tents, tents for pairs and tents for three. Guests were coming from the Netherlands as well as the UK and most of them hadn’t even met each other in person, so this was a great time to break the ice and get to know their fellow colleagues. The team on site were brilliant and the weather played its part too.
During the day, guests had the chance to play carnival games, socialise, take part in yoga, sound baths, drumming circles, lake swimming, garden games, and a scavenger hunt, with time to spare to catch up on important work emails. Over the course of the event, we worked with two lovely local caterers who kept everyone warm and full of some delicious food for breakfast, lunch and a feast for dinner! We utilised as much of the space at the venue as possible, taking over the Old Kentish Barn on the first night and then moving the group to The Wilderness Tipi, nestled in the trees by the lake for another evening of food and fun. A different DJ performed each night which got guests moving and dancing the nights away.
Result:
The overall event was a huge success for the venue, client and Story team. We received some lovely feedback from the client, and we look forward to hosting another event soon.
“It was absolutely glowing feedback from our side from everything from how organised and smooth the event was, the venue itself & allowing everyone to build relationships across the business with new people so thank you so much for all of your hard work.”
“The venue were a pleasure to work with too, and were an amazing extension of the Story Team to make everyone’s stay as special as it could be, with lovely added touches such as hot water bottles and campsite kitchens full of goodies.” Corporate Client
“Firstly I wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone. The team as a whole were amazing to work with, personable yet professional throughout an absolute dream team if I am honest. Seeing them all in action was impressive to watch and Cassie’s middle of the night thinking appears to match well with my own. If I could pick a team to work with again it would be each and everyone of the team that came to join us. I hope we will all get the opportunity to work together again.” Preston Court and The Wilderness
If you are planning to host your next corporate conference then please reach out to the team at Story here.
