15Hatfields helped South East London Mind (SEL Mind) staff and volunteers come together for the first time following their recent expansion to serve the five boroughs. Serving in total: Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. Creating a SEL mind staff event.
Aptly entitled ‘Connect’, the event on 17 October 2024 saw 170 incredibly hardworking staff. This was from over 30 vital on-the-ground mental health and dementia services unite for a day of shared learning and networking while having fun.
Objective of the search
Following a recent merger that saw Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich Mind join forces with Lambeth and Southwark Mind. Therefore, it was important to bring all SEL Mind staff together to build connections. Meanwhile recognising and celebrating their incredible work supporting local people experiencing mental health problems and dementia.
The biennial event required a plenary space for the morning for various presentations including an address from SEL Mind’s CEO, Ben Taylor. Then, additional break out rooms/spaces to give staff the opportunity to meet people from other boroughs and services in the afternoon. The event was made even more special thanks to the presence of actor and writer Cush Jumbo OBE. Chris is the official celebrity ambassador of SEL Mind.
Ben Taylor, Chief Executive of SEL Mind, said: “It’s crucial to recognise and celebrate the incredible work that our staff members do in supporting local people experiencing mental health problems and dementia. By providing a supportive and encouraging environment, we can empower our staff to continue making a positive impact on the lives of those in need.”
Execution
The busy programme of the SEL mind staff event, saw many of the venue’s 14 flexible and contemporary spaces being used to great effect.
The ground floor Elements Suite (created by combining Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sustain) was utilised with cabaret style seating for the morning plenary. The afternoon’s series of concurrent workshops covering sign language, seated yoga, meditation, Mexican Mariachi, Latin music and a performance poet were hosted. In the handily partitionable Fire, Sustain, Earth spaces as well as Renew, and the lower ground Hydro and Thermal and Bio and Eco rooms.
Penny Grosett, Communications Manager, said: “We designed the workshop offer specifically to fit/work with the breakout spaces at 15Hatfields. It was excellent to be able to partition the main room to make more spaces possible.”
Two additional spaces – the Hydro and Thermal – were dedicated to a prayer and quiet room to give attendees the chance to utilise them as and when they required.
To keep everyone fuelled the SEL Mind staff enjoyed a hot bowl food lunch that included Jerk Chicken, Veggie Thai Curry and Chicken Korma.
Further execution
Penny added: “The catering offer was excellent. We were kindly given a free upgrade to hot bowl food and were allowed to choose more options than usual for our attendees. In order to support the successful delivery of our event. The team’s attentive inclusive approach including the ratio of vegan/vegetarian dishes as well as halal food is very refreshing. It was excellent to have large screens displaying the menus.”
The venue helped bring the event alive with its state-of-the-art AV provision including a dedicated technician to ensure all requirements were delivered seamlessly.
“It exceeded our expectations”, said Penny. “We had multiple screens on different walls in the main Elements Suite – meaning attendees didn’t need to turn their chairs to have a clear view while screens in the lower ground Ozone were an additional bonus so we could play a creative slideshow during breaks. The technician was also a great help, allowing us to not have to worry about any potential AV glitches.”
While its Southbank location – easily accessible from mainline stations including London Waterloo, London Blackfriars and Southwark Underground Station – was used to maximum effect. “To be a few minutes’ walk away from the River Thames was a real bonus as we knew it could offer an additional option for our afternoon activities”, she added.
“The venue’s sustainable credentials also influenced our choice of venue as it is very much in line with our organisational values and our commitment to sustainability goals. We promoted this aspect in our staff communications about the venue.”
Results of the search
Penny believes SEL Mind will “absolutely” use the venue again. She said: “15Hatfields ticked many of the boxes for us: we needed a venue in a central location, in our boroughs, large enough to host all attendees (up to 220-230) in one main room, then with additional break out rooms/spaces as well as the bonus two small rooms which we could dedicate to a prayer room and a quiet room. Pricing is one of the main factors for us being a local charity, 15Hatfields provided fair value for the offer.”
The highly experienced and attentive team prides itself on going above and beyond and it didn’t disappoint.
Penny concluded: “The team were consistently excellent throughout our booking – answering all queries quickly. Accommodating multiple visits to the venue and then on the night before, and day of event – they were just excellent. Any requests we made were fulfilled and the staff on the day were on top of all of our requirements. They supported us in making our day run smoothly, which was very reassuring given the scale and importance of our event. Thanks again to everyone involved.”
See the PA Life website for regular updates and research articles.
