How off-site events can create business magic

I am convinced that people are the key ingredient to an organisation’s success. Twice this year I’ve attended off-site events with my teams that reinforced in me this belief. Having the opportunity to be somewhere different can truly help those working in comms and marketing to formulate and share ideas, create a vision and celebrate achievements.

In early summer, our European Marketing Team decamped to Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast (pictured above) and in September we attended the biggest ever Oliver Wyman off-site event at Disneyland Paris. 

Over the course of two heady days in June, we shared pizza and pasta and kicked back over copious cups of firebrand espresso (and the local limoncello too, of course) while gazing out at majestic Mount Vesuvius. (We also got some important work and KPIs done too: more on that later).

From the moment we arrived, it was clear this would be no ordinary corporate get-together. There were hugs and smiles everywhere – even between people who’d only ever met on Zoom. The affection to be with one another in real life was infectious; we were showered by a volcano of good vibes. These details might sound trivial, but at Oliver Wyman this camaraderie is just as important as planning and delivery. After all, no consulting firm can ever hope to be successful without being human first.

Having the chance to connect was one of our three objectives for this trip. We also wanted to celebrate. Our teams, whether they’re based in Milan, London, Munich or Paris (too many locations to mention them all!), have done an extraordinary job during the challenging times of the pandemic as well as during the unexpected turbulence of 2022, responding to ever-evolving challenges with energy, determination and adaptation skills that would shame the average chameleon.

Through talking to many of our people in Sorrento, I also realised the ripple effect that being recognised by your workplace can bring. It permeates every part of an employee’s life: family relations, home life, social activities. That’s why acknowledging such achievements is important and we celebrated our accomplishments over the past years, both big and small.

Our third objective was to share our marketing vision. There were a bounty of ideas and diverse thoughts around ways of working and solutions.

Sometimes it is easy to fall into the trap of shuttering external ideas or being resistant to innovation and change. That is why we made time to exchange with industry experts who share our values and remembered why it’s important to be attune to new influences, wherever they may come from.

And so on to early autumn and Disneyland Paris. It is a magical place but for me, the true magic came from so many of my colleagues being willing to show up, together, and share their stories.

The event’s motto was The Power of Together and that saw us encourage each other to dig deeper into issues and to have the freedom to share ideas on how we do things instead of just focusing on what we do. This is what I learned:

1. Showing up is good

Physically showing up can be scary at first, as can walking onto the main stage and standing in front of almost 2000 people – trust me! However, once you embrace the feeling and you start seeing that your messages resonate, it feels great. You can share your vision, your trajectory and your dreams. Ideas will reach a much bigger audience, you will be listened to and you can encourage others to do the same.

2. Community creates change

People coming together as a community are a catalyst to create change like no other. When we have a community around us and we amplify it, we are able to find better solutions, come up with new ideas and get the best results. This is what I call creative purpose and it means you are doing what is right for your organisation as well as your clients.

3. People are the key to success

At events like these, it’s important to make time to celebrate your organisation’s successes. It can become a source of pride and empowering to others to show how you are building teams where everyone has something unique to bring to the table. Focusing the attention on how we work, instead of solely focusing on what we do is an ambitious message as it implies that each person has something important to contribute to the future of the company. I think it’s one that can take every organisation far.

Above all, Sorrento and Disneyland Paris made me realise a world-class marketing strategy doesn’t come from deep-dive data analysis or a generous budget. Those can certainly help – but the real power comes from the people on its team. Start there and the rest will come organically.

Paola Stefania Garbini is European Head of Marketing at Oliver Wyman.