Corporate Events Blog

You have no doubt read or heard about the fantastic snow in the Alps.  Well I returned to Chamonix last week and managed to grab an afternoon on the slopes of Brevent this last weekend and it was fantastic.  Being a fair weather skier, it helped that there was not a cloud in the sky, and considering it was mid December, unseasonally warm, but on top of all that the snow was great.

I was with my Ten80 Events business partner, Tim, and we have not had snow as good as this, so early on in a season since we moved to Chamonix 5 years ago.  This bodes well for the season and its always helpful to have a decent base.  We did a combination of piste skiing, which was excellent, but also ventured off-piste onto the Hotel face, and found some nice powder.

I also find skiing an effective method of clearing one’s mind and gaining clarity of thought.  Put another way, we often do some of our best work out skiing, discussing our corporate events and our future whilst on chairlifts or over a demi at a mountain restaurant.  With the news, all the media and most of the people we know discussing recessions and credit crunch, its good to remember why we moved to Chamonix in the first place, and a session on skis is a highly effective method to achieve this.

Often in Chamonix, and no doubt for other ex-pats in ski resorts and villages around the world, it is all too easy to forget there is a world out there, but sometimes forgetting, even if it is merely for a couple of hours, is no bad thing at all.
From all of us at Ten80 Events, we wish you a merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and for those lucky to be visiting the mountains, Bon Ski !

Often during an economic downturn of minimal proportions, not even close to the financial meltdown we are currently experiencing, corporate entertainment is the first thing to be cut back.  There are still massive benefits for entertaining clients even when things are tough.  Now we would say that because we are a corporate events company so we decided to ask our clients who have rebooked in 2009 for their opinions and rationale…

1) Need to generate sales more than ever – actual sales results rise on return from the trip, which we believe are as a result of excellent relations formed on the event.  “It only takes one decent booking and the whole trip is more than paid for”. (Outdoor Sales Director)

2) We alays experience a significant increase in enquiries from potential clients who had not previously shown an interest in our products.

Even the most mercenary of procurers are reluctant to buy simply as a “thank you” for being invited on a top jolly.  However, we find our trips buy you an audience, an opportunity to sell, whereas the door was previously shut.  Success then lies with the quality of our sales pitch as to whether we win the business but at least then it is in our hands.

A direct quote to support this from one client was….

“I can absolutely say that the number of briefs we have got from people we took away more than doubled. In fact we specifically took xxxx from xxxx agency away because we’d had so little from them in the past and within a week of getting back we received a brief from them.”

3. A significant increase in “face time” with clients is another tangible benefit.  Again, potential or lapsed customer, who were previously difficult to see become more accommodating when they have been on a top end trip.  Importantly, this is mainly due to the fact the host and customer become friends on the trip.

We recommend where possible for our groups to stay in private chalets & villas as this allows for fantastic bonding amongst the group and contributes massively to the group dynamic.  On all our ski trips, we make sure the chalet has a hot tub, because these soon become the focal point for a group and where a lot of fun is had !
4. Less tangible benefits, but benefits all the same, are brand awareness, all the more vital when times are extremely hard.  Some of our clients have been doing the same trip only 2 or 3 times with us, but they are becoming recognised in their particular industry and sought after.  Often buyers strive to get on a trip because of its reputation.  We refer to these as ‘signature trips’, and quite frankly, from our business point of view, they are always our ultimate goal, as it means repeat business.

5. Employee morale – we are continuing with our company ski trip to keep morale at a high, something that is vitally important at the moment.