Inspire. Lead.
Succeed.
Highlights
An outstanding two-day event with a one day set up .
Background
Deliberately excluding setting any objectives, Jon Lewis led his first leadership conference as the new Chief Executive
Officer of Capita Group.
By bringing together all the leaders within the Capita community, the Capita Project Manager and our events team cohesively worked together across Capita Group to ensure the delivery of a truly inspiring, and unforgettable conference.
Location:
London
​
Category:
Leadership Conference
Objectives
Without any definitive objectives set for the event itself, the Capita Project Manager and our events team aimed to create an engaging conference, providing Jon Lewis with the perfect setting to deliver his vision of how he envisages the company moving forward, from the momentum and energy of the leaders across the Group.
The events team were also tasked with helping source the guest speakers for the evening, including the likes of; Baroness Manningham-Buller, who was Director General of MI5, the British internal Security Service, Magnus Lindkvist a trendspotting futurologist and author, and Tim Harford, recently appointed as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), an economist and award-winning journalist, most famously known for The Undercover Economist.
The events team worked closely with the Capita Project Manager to choose these guest speakers due to the relevance of how Capita Group functions as a business at this moment in time, to help bring ideas and concepts to life and to help inject inspiration.
As well as organising guest speakers, the events team also needed to find a venue that was suitable and central for everyone, as many of the delegates were arriving from all over the world. The team also organised bag drop-offs to the delegate’s rooms with a book, and a welcome note from Jon.
In order to deliver a conference of this scale and importance, the following also needed to be sourced and organised:
• Airport transfers (supplied by TBR Global Chauffeuring)
• Guest speakers (supplied by JLA Speakers Bureau)
• Entertainment
• ExCo (Executive Committee)
• Dinner
• Marketing collateral/ merchandise (where needed)
• AV
• Bespoke website
• Bespoke app
• On-site support
• Pre-dinner drinks (Jazz band performance)
The team were a rock-solid support for my event. From managing pre-registration and
event logistics, through to fantastic on-site help, they were instrumental in helping me
create a memorable event for my delegates.
Ian McCormick, Project Manager, Capita
Solution
After visiting multiple venues and completing site visits, Sofitel London Heathrow, connected to Heathrow Terminal 5, was the perfect space to host this conference. With a high staff ratio, and a centrally located venue, getting to and from the venue was made easy for overseas delegates flying into London. It also boosted the right impression for the nature of the event and worked
perfectly in terms of what the events team aimed to get out of the conference – a smooth and inspiring operation. A full risk assessment was also completed at the venue.
The events team ensured that there was support throughout the event covering all areas where a helping hand may be needed. There were eight people on site, who were all dedicated to looking after different elements of the event, including:
• The guest speakers (internal and external)
• ExCo
• Jazz Band
• School children for the evening entertainment (Making
the Leap Charity)
• Manning the different floors
• Website and app support
• AV (Insight)
• Venue
Results
Giving back - Making the leap
With previous events, there has often been a large cost associated with creating bespoke marketing merchandise. The events team pitched the idea of using this money that would typically be spent on creating marketing merchandise and donating this money to a charity. This idea was taken up by the Capita Project Manager and a charity called ‘Making the Leap’ was selected. This is a charity that supports children from under privileged backgrounds, that helps young adults further themselves and build essential skills, for example, singing and learning
how to play musical instruments. As part of the evening’s entertainment, the children put on a musical performance – which was also a fantastic way to raise awareness about the charity.
Creative support
It’s our supplier relationships that give us the knowledge to help manage events of this scale. Working alongside the Capita Group Marketing team, who created the artwork in-house, the events team helped sourced suppliers for the below:
• Vinyl’s for the event space
• T-shirt design
• Badge printing
• Banner creation
• Branded tables
• Menu printing
• Table art for the table centre