As businesses rethink how they bring people together, Caroline Dyos, Director of Sales at Storyboard at Shepperton, shares why adaptable venues, outdoor spaces and a collaborative approach are becoming essential for successful corporate events.
The days of one-size-fits-all corporate events are firmly behind us
Whether it’s a leadership conference, company away day, product launch or team celebration, we are finding that businesses are looking for venues that can adapt to their objectives rather than asking them to fit into a predetermined package. For event planners, flexibility has now become one of the biggest deciding factors when choosing where to host an event.
Flexibility means so much more than movable walls or different room layouts, however. It means a venue that’s prepared to embrace creative ideas, respond to changing delegate numbers and create experiences that feel completely bespoke.
Being based next to Shepperton Studios definitely influences the way we think as a venue. Creativity is part of the DNA here, and we’ve always believed our role isn’t to tell clients what they can’t do; it’s to help them find ways to make their ideas happen. We’ve hosted everything from intimate leadership meetings and residential conferences to weddings, sports teams and festival-style corporate events, and if a client comes to us with an idea, our first response is always, ‘How can we make this work?’
Creating memorable outdoor events increasingly in demand
And with 11 acres of grounds to make the most of, we’re finding that taking events outdoors is what creates the biggest impact.
Organisations are placing greater emphasis on employee engagement, wellbeing and company culture, and as a result, we’re seeing outdoor spaces become a genuine extension of the event rather than somewhere people simply take a coffee break. Our lawns are being transformed into festival-style experiences with street food, entertainment and networking spaces, while more clients are asking us to create outdoor team-building activities, wellness sessions and informal breakout discussions that encourage people to connect in a more natural way.
We’ve found that the events people remember are rarely the ones that follow a standard format. They’re the ones that reflect the organisation’s culture and give delegates an experience they weren’t expecting.
A memorable experience made possible with the venue event team’s flexibility to accommodate a unique request
One example perfectly captures this. An international sports team staying with us asked whether they could dig a traditional cooking pit in the grounds and roast a whole pig as part of a cultural team celebration. It’s not the sort of request you receive every day, but rather than seeing it as a problem, we worked together to find a safe way to make it happen. The result wasn’t just a successful event; it was an experience that meant something to the team because it reflected their traditions.
For us, that’s exactly what flexibility looks like
Corporate events are no longer judged solely on the presentations delivered or the catering provided. Increasingly, success is measured by how people feel when they leave. Did they connect? Did they collaborate? Did they have conversations they wouldn’t have had in a traditional meeting room?
We are also seeing growing demand for venues that can offer everything in one place. Having event spaces, accommodation and leisure facilities together gives organisers much greater freedom to design experiences that work around their delegates rather than around logistics, and adding outdoor space to that is becoming even more crucial. Many guests are also extending business trips into leisure stays, or ‘bleisure’, as it has become known – which is another reminder that people increasingly value experiences that offer flexibility beyond the event itself.
The changing role of an event venue requires increasing flexibility
Ultimately, we have found that the role of an event venue has changed. We’re no longer simply providing a space, we’re becoming partners in helping organisations create events that are memorable, meaningful and completely tailored to their objectives.
As businesses continue to invest in employee engagement and company culture, the venues that stand out will be those prepared to adapt, collaborate and say ‘yes’ more often. Because the best events aren’t built around a room. They’re built around the people in it.
PA Life paid a visit to Storyboard in Shepperton to see how these tranquil settings provide flexibility for EAs, PAs and other event organisers
PA Life visited Storyboard in Shepperton this summer and was impressed by the quiet location and the surrounding nature. The venue itself has undergone a fantastic renovation recently and provides attractive, contemporary spaces for meetings and events.
Storyboard at Shepperton is the perfect option for residential events. EAs and PAs can book their teams to stay utilising the 184 comfortable, plus further suites, 4-star bedrooms in the adjoining Holiday Inn.
There are five fully-equipped meeting rooms of different sizes, we are able to accommodate meetings and conferences for up to 250 seated guests. What’s more, when you book a meeting room their Meetings Host will be able to help with all the way.
Guest can also enjoy a fully equipped gym, a sauna, swimming pool.
Plenty of free parking available too, and travel connections to M25 & M3 are quick and easy, as is a train form London Waterloo to Shepperton or Walton on Thames stations.
You can read more from Caroline Dyos in our Female Leaders series of interviews we run to mark International Women’s Day in March this year.
