Who: Be Challenged partnered with the Hyatt Regency Sydney and Encore Event Technologies to deliver participants with a three-hour face-to-face event celebrating the relaunch of the MICE industry.
What: The Bring Back the Buzz Showcase provided a safe in-person environment in which to reconnect team members who have been working in isolation over the past few months.
Hosted by industry experts Be Challenged, the event was a three-hour energetic in-person networking experience at the five-star Hyatt Regency Sydney – smack bang in the middle of Sydney’s CBD.
The Sydney showcase provided a perfect example of how face-to-face events can be adapted to include Covid Safe Guidelines. As remote working becomes the new norm, these in-person events will play an increasing role in improving teamwork, communication, morale, trust and respect between colleagues.
Bringing Back the Buzz of Meetings…Be Challenged style
The focus of the event was to create an environment that would allow industry colleagues to network and participate in some fun and engaging activities. The hotel’s Grand Ballroom provided the perfect location. As well as floor-to-ceiling windows, the room allowed plenty of space to adhere to the strict social distancing guidelines.
The safety of participants was of paramount importance. All attendees were temperature checked with state-of-the-art infrared scanners upon arrival, physical distancing guidelines were adhered to throughout and hand sanitizer was distributed liberally.
After some initial networking and some caffeine, the group were greeted with plenty of colour and excitement and “the buzz” started to rise. Attendees were seated in tables of four as they entered the Grand Ballroom.
The Big Picture
The Be Challenged Big Picture program was chosen for the day itself. During this activity, each team is required to produce a painted canvas that forms part of a bigger picture. At the end of the session, the pictures of all the teams are combined to create a single masterpiece.
After the individual paintings had been completed, attendees enjoyed some more networking, a delicious lunch and a few glasses of champagne. Again, Covid Safe Guidelines were adhered to with individual bread stations, tiered plating and physical distancing throughout.
Lunch also allowed attendees to explore some other interactive activities including the Virtual Meeting Wall set up by Encore Event Technologies and Be Challenged latest and greatest face-to-face program, Red Alert.
As lunch drew to a close, the final Big Picture was revealed. Guests were shocked and delighted at the final quality of the image – designed to depict the beauty of events transitioning from day to night.
Next stop Queensland
The cost of entry was a nominal donation to Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors. 45 attendees confirmed their plan to attend and each and every one turned up to support the event. A 100% attendance is very rarely seen in this world of corporate events, so this was a fantastic outcome.
The day was all about celebrating the re-opening of cultural, sporting and corporate events in New South Wales. Queensland…you’re up next!
Participant quotes:
“It was such a great day and so nice to get back into meeting face-to-face. We’re looking forward to sharing our experiences with our clients and gaining their confidence to start booking!” (Amanda Williamson, ETM).
“It was such a ‘simple’ but engaging activity and it was great to see the room in full BUZZ. You all certainly do a great job at keeping events different & fun. Here’s getting back into it full steam from here on in” (Kylie Perrin, Fujifilm).