Olympic Team Building can mean a Gold Medal for Your Business

No matter whether you love or loathe the fact that Great Britain is hosting the Olympic Games, there is one fact that you cannot deny – Olympic fever is taking the country by storm!  Every television channel, radio station and newspaper is full of the successes and failures of Team GB, and to a man we are watching with swelling pride as Great Britain steadily climbs up the medal board, surpassing all previous achievements.

But there is an interesting fact  which has emerged over the last two weeks. Without exception every single Olympiad has said that the support and encouragement that they have received from their fellow team members across every sporting speciality, and the audiences, have spurred them on to achieve personal bests, world records and medal winning performances.

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How to unlock the hidden talents of your workforce

For a business to succeed and grow the bottom line must show continual growth in efficiency, productivity and profitability, and this is even more important in difficult economic climates.  We all know that the greatest asset of our business is our staff so we must maximise this precious resource, not just to improve productivity and efficiency for the company, but to ensure job satisfaction and enjoyment for the staff.  But how many times have you invested time and money in training a person only for them to leave you and move to another company who will reap the rewards of your training?

But this doesn’t have to be the case. Have a look at your own business; many of your staff may have untapped skills which go unrecognised, or they aren’t given the opportunity to develop their full potential so they get frustrated and leave.  But there is a way to unlock and nurture these hidden skills and that is through team building events.

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There’s no excuse for poor service

You don’t have to be an international economist to know we’re still facing difficult economic times but I wonder just how many businesses in the ‘service’ industry are using this as a convenient excuse for lower standards.

We know that our customers have different requirements, and it’s not difficult to provide any specific requirements they may have, but we overlook the basics at our peril. We’re in the hospitality industry so surely our core offering is hospitality – a friendly welcome, a personal service and good food.

At all the Chartridge venues, we make a point in talking to our customers to find out what they want, what they expect. Their biggest gripe is venues that promise the latest high tech facilities with all the bells and whistles, yet fail to deliver those things they expected as standard – functional rooms, a peaceful environment, staff who make them feel valued and a menu that makes up for being away from home.

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Why is sitting such a pain in the neck?

When you’re planning a meeting, how much thought have you given to the seating plan? There are loads of options, including theatre style, horseshoe, boardroom, cabaret, but which is the right one for you? Do you need to get as many people in as possible; is the comfort of the delegates paramount, or is it more important that the layout looks aesthetically pleasing?

Most people believe that rows of seats in theatre style is best for getting the most people seated, but it’s not actually the case. Rows across the room actually creates dead space, especially in the optimum location for the audience, according to Dr Paul Radde of the Thrival Institute.


Think about it. There is usually an aisle down the centre so people can access their seat easily, yet this is the best place to sit and see the presenter. The people on the end of each row have to turn their head up to 80 degrees to see centre stage, and after about 15 minutes this causes discomfort and neck ache. If the seats are laid out in a curved arc, everybody is looking directly at the presenter without having to strain.  Slightly wider gaps between each row rather than central aisles provides easier access but it also means you can actually seat far more people in comfort.

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A few tips to make your Christmas Party a Success

Even in ‘difficult times’, the firm’s Christmas party can be one of the highlights in the annual calendar.  It’s an excellent way for the company to say “Thank You” to the staff for all the hard work they put in over the year, and a great way for the staff to develop team spirit and bond with colleagues.

But the Christmas ‘do’ can be a daunting task for the person who has the task of arranging it, What format should it take and where should they hold it? Everyone looks forward to the Christmas party and it should be a night to remember, but is it drinks and a buffet in the office, a visit to somewhere different like the theatre or a traditional party?  Is there such a thing as the ideal Christmas party?

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