Corporate Events Blog

With the weather forecast predicting 80% – 90% sunshine all week, I think it’s fair to say spring has arrived in Chamonix.  I had my first real taste of it on Sunday with a day in Flegere, learning to jump, ollie and 180 my way around the mountain (learning being the operative word).  I was not the only one out and having some fun falling about on the soft spring snow.  I wouldn’t recommend it first thing in the morning but once the suns out the snow is very forgiving.

The red wine has been swapped for rose, bbq’s are being dusted off and après has  moved outdoors in the sun soaked afternoons.  Last year we had great skiing all the way through the spring, even with a late season powder day on April 30^th.  With guaranteed sunny skiing in April its well worth booking a ski trip just for the comedy goggle tan you’ll get.

Whoever says that Sunday is the day of rest obviously wasn’t in Cham this weekend.  Yes the heavens aligned over Chamonix to give us one of the best days skiing of the season so far.  The skies were clear; the snow was ridiculously fluffy and untracked and the mountains were quiet.  We decided to head to Flegere nice and early to bag front row seats and it was well worth setting the alarm at an ungodly hour.

We started off around the Index and then moved to Floria ending the day in Brevent, where people had obviously been having as much fun as we had.  As we snowboarded and cartwheeled our way around the mountains, the Freeriders Competition participants put us all to shame on the Hotel Face in Brevent (check out the best of the action here http://www.freerideworldtour.com/en/)

Poor February had a lot to live up to with January going an ending with such a bang, but if the start of the month is anything to go by it’s doing very well with great snow and sunny skies, this season just keeps getting better and better.

Company conferences are traditionally places where too many people sit in a darkened room where the temperature is too high and the effects of the ‘night before’ quickly result in nodding heads and inattentive delegates. How then to rectify this situation?

Anyone who has attended a conference knows that there are so many things that are done (maybe deliberately?) to try and keep the delegates attention e.g.

• setting the thermostat down low
• using uncomfortable chairs
• setting the microphone volume too high

but why go to all this effort when using a little bit of creativity (and a little bit of the budget to run the conference) can result in a combination of effective information distribution together with energetic delegates who are ready and eager to listen.

Getting warmed up

To get your delegates in the mood for learning, the use of some quick games can be a real help. A paper construction game is a good ice breaker in which teams of 2 or 3 people are given a maximum of 3 sheets of paper and they have to construct a shape that can support an orange for example. Keep the game short as this keeps the pressure on and ensures that everyone’s full attention is given. This in turn helps when you then need to bring on a speaker who has information to impart.

Using activities to promote team building

People are best motivated if you can involve them in designing and deciding activities which form a part of any conference. Games can be contrived or patronising – people want activities that will help them learn and develop in areas that interest them beyond just work.

Planning a whole day of team-building activities however can be a waste of having everyone together for a whole day. Try to find ways to provide a selection of activities that have a broad appeal and are able to help the delegates to learn new skills and even achieve new approaches to how they work together.

Using adrenalin activities

Forward thinking companies are now using conferences as a way to integrate both team building and standard conference information.

Alistair Slinn of Ten80 Events says:-
“Our customers are increasingly making use of the fact that they have the mountains on their doorstep and almost every environment available for them to use”
If you want to:-

• Get away from your usual corporate environment
• Create something memorable
• Gain your employee’s utmost attention
• Create an event on budget

then using a service like that offered by Ten80 Events might be the answer. The activities they promote include skiing, rafting, ice climbing, glacier walking or wine tasting to name a few.

Using the right location

Picking the right place to use for your conference can have knock on effects on all of the activities that you are able to offer. Ensuring that your conference is both fun, informative and also intelligent can be solved by choosing a creative location. Whether it’s in a hotel in the Lake District or a conference centre in the Alps, make sure that you have thought through the possibilities open to you on your doorstep once there.

Ten80 Events solved this age old problem by hosting company conferences in Chamonix. With travel to Geneva taking as little as 90 minutes and transfer from there to the town only another hour, this is often less than travelling within the UK!

Visit Ten80 Events to find out more about French corporate events and organising a company conference. Ten80 Events is one of the fastest growing corporate event and team building companies in the Alps.

Ten80 are bringing you news hot off the press, Chamonix will be home to a new après ski bar ‘The Vallee Blanche’. It will be apart of the Vallee Blanche hotel in a great central location just off Chamonix town square, but this will be no ordinary hotel bar.  With the focus on après ski this place will open in time for some fun after a hard day on the mountains.  A great variety of beers will be served up and you can take advantage of the happy hour form 5-6pm every day.  There will be a host of bands playing throughout the season so each night will have a real party atmosphere.  There will be some tasty grub too served until 9, the menu will consist of simple yummy home cooked food to warm you up and help soak up some of the beer.

The launch party on November 20^th is well anticipated in resort, before the season starts to kick off, it gives the locals an excuse for a celebration. If you’re planning on a trip to Chamonix this winter The Vbar/The VBbar (we’re not sure which nickname will stick yet)  sounds well worth a visit.  If you’re not planning a trip then a new bar in Cham is a good excuse to organise a trip to the valley to check out the new nightlife and the mountains for some skiing.

Visit Chamonix's new apres bar

We have worked across the Alps creating corporate events.  Being based in Chamonix doesn’t mean we are tied here we fit your event to the brief; if you boss wants to go to St Anton we’ll give you options in St Anton.  On saying this Chamonix often offers the perfect solutions for many of our events.  As a popular skiing destination the beautiful town can offer all the facilities of a city being only an hour away from the airport makes it the perfect location to make the most of the mountains.  The hotel options are vast covering all budgets and all tastes.  With conference facilities for small meeting up to 500 people events it’s a great place to inspire staff.

The main thing our clients want is value for money, successful, unique events.  We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver bespoke events to your brief.  As event organisers we have our favourite place’s which means good rates and guaranteed quality but we also love trying new places.  A perk of the job is to view new chalets and hotels as we won’t send a client somewhere we wouldn’t go ourselves.  The event activities available with Ten80 are infinite we organise anything from the more usual like skiing and glacier walks to ski race events, ice racing, heli-paret ( an event unique to Ten80), team building treasure hunts.  We will create an event which is perfect for your group and you event objectives.

As some of our corporate ski guests have never been on a ski holiday; it can be a bit of a minefield guessing what you’ll need.  So we thought we’d create top tips for being away in the mountains:

Before you go:

• Do a bit of exercise pre trip

To make the most of your trip work on your fitness level a little so you can stay on the mountains for a while without exhausting yourself.  Once you’re away your legs will thank you for stretches after a day on the piste.

What to pack:

• Ski Jacket
• Ski Trousers
• Thermals (vests and long johns)
• Layers for underneath your ski jacket
• Ski Socks
• Hat
• Ski gloves
• Goggles/sunglasses with UV protection
• Suncream and lipbalm
• Grippy shoes whilst in resort.  (Walking shoes are good)

Ski Equipment:

• Buying new ski wear

If you’re buying new clothes for the trip you don’t have to spend a fortune, places like decathlon and TKMaxx do good priced ski wear.  The best thing to look for is the waterproof and breath ability of the clothing, if you aim for 10,000 k for both you should be in for a comfortable dry ride.  Avoid washing your ski wear too as you’ll loose some of the waterproofing.

• Don’t buy ski boots in the UK

For a perfect fitting boot in resort shops do a great job at fitting the ideal boot for you, they then heat mould the boots and during your trip the shops will tweak the boot during your stay usually for free, meaning you can fix any niggles as they occur and have the perfect fitting boots.

• Snowboarders pad up

If you’re learning to snowboard protection is key, as you fall over lots.  Bum protection, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards (look for gloves with built in guards) and a helmet (recommended for skiers too) will keep you from bashing yourself up too much and give you confidence whilst learning.

Whilst away:

• Have a good breakfast

You may be hung-over but having a good breakfast is a must when skiing, you’ll appreciate it when you’re on the mountain.  If you really cant face it take a croissant up the mountain as you soon work up an appetite.

• Drink lot’s of water

Exercise, alcohol, central heating are all apart of corporate ski trips and dehydrate you.  Make sure you drink lots of water whilst away so you feel at your best and keep up energy levels.

• Essentials for the mountain

Tissue’s, lip balm, sun cream, mobile phone and a snack (usually chocolate) are a must up the mountain.  If you’re a smoker a fold up ash tray helps to keep the mountains tidy.