Potting Shed Team Events

13/02/2024

A happy client post for a grey day...

09/02/2024

It might have been very wet weather last night but we were snug inside having provided the perfect enhancement to our client's double celebration evening. Who can resist retro arcade games and pin ball machines...?

The joy on people's faces as they challenged each other to the old classics of Street Fighter, Super Mario, Tetris, Pac Man, Donkey Kong and even the Indy 500... you name it, they played it!

The good time had by all was infectious and we could even find beauty in the rain on the way home...

01/02/2024

Luxury venues and international travel...could it get any better?

We've had an amazing week and it's not even done yet! The team have had the pleasure of running events this week across The Grove and Beaverbrook, with activities ranging from networking games to scooter building for charity and from 101 challenges to team apprentice. We feel like we've done it all and had a great time in the process.

Our week finishes off with Ellie heading off to Morocco! Don't worry, we've asked her to bring some warm sunshine back.

And... it's not all just fun activities you know! We have lovely large events happening in the background, but looking at pictures of us concentrating at our desks aren't as popular for some reason!

So here are some from this week of us being out and about...

25/01/2024

A Thursday thumbs up...

A lovely thank you from our client following the watercolour painting class on Tuesday. It's nice to see the activity was so well received and enjoyed by all.

23/01/2024

We played with water today but it wasn't the rain...

One of our fantastic clients enjoyed our watercolour painting activity at the gorgeous Four Seasons Hampshire.

They were such an enthusiastic group, who showed real improvement throughout the session, and all had work to be proud of at the end.

We always enjoy working at the Four Seasons Hampshire. It's wonderful to be able to support a local venue and the fact that it is so beautiful with a great team just adds to the experience.

Here's a little sample of the pictures from our day.

22/12/2023

What an incredible year it has been!

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our world, we are very much looking forward to seeing what 2024 brings.

That's us done for this year. We are turning off the computers, turning out the office lights and are going home to spend quality time with our families.

We wish you all a wonderful festive season, filled with laughter and all your favourite treats!

See you on the other side...

13/12/2023

Thanks, as always, for your help and fantastic service.

We like to keep you busy!

08/12/2023

2 events, 2 different cities, same day...done!

We had quite the busy day yesterday, part of the team were in London and part of the team were in Birmingham. Two different clients with two very different events.

We can't give too much away as part two of one of the events happens on Tuesday and we don't want to give anything away...but we can share some very glamorous pictures of the damp team in Birmingham!

30/11/2023

Having fun out and about yesterday and today, preparing for lots of events next week.

28/11/2023

The carpet and paint elves have been into our office over the weekend and done us a little make over in the office!!

Previously our office was only partially carpeted and we had white walls everywhere, causing it to be a little chilly in winter, but we now have a gorgeous feature wall and lovely soft carpet under our desks.

Once we have finished putting our desks back in place and things back up on the walls, we will share a picture with you!

24/11/2023

This week has passed in a blur and suddenly it is Friday already!

It's been an exciting week, for very varied reasons, some of which we can share with you next week and much busier than we expected, with some truly wonderful briefs coming in. We are very excited for next year already...!

We did promise a final post about our charity challenge and as people did sponsor good money to see pictures of us struggling up and down hills, we thought it only fair to share. Thank you so much everyone, we raised a mighty £2,459 for Magic Breakfast.

We must say a big thank you to Gill Pooley who became crew mum for us after not being able to join us because of her injured foot (not due to the previous walks she had undertaken!). She met us along the way with smiles and drinks and cake at the end, we love her!

We have also drawn our raffle and the lucky winners will be notified by email by the end of today.

Thank you again and enjoy us looking at our worst!

20/11/2023

We did it! We did it! We did it!

We walked all 100 miles of the South Downs Way, from Wi******er to Eastbourne. Thrilled, happy, relieved... just some of the words going through our heads.

Tomorrow we will post a full account of our final chapter but for now, just thank you for all your support!

17/11/2023

🏃‍♀️Tomorrow we undertake the last section of the South Downs Way! 🏃‍♀️

It's going to be an early start and the weather is due to be very wet (and probably windy as usually quite exposed on the top of the hills...) but we are ready and raring to go.

Once again thank you to all of you who have sponsored us, donated raffle prizes or just sent messages of good luck. We are appreciative of them all.

In case you have been holding back, waiting to sponsor us, here is a final list of the wonderful prizes to be won...

🎁 An overnight stay at The Grand Hotel Brighton

🎁 A free hour of coaching over Zoom with Dr Gary Crotaz, PhD

🎁 Bottle of Graham Beck Brut Rose donated by Davenport Drinks Consulting

🎁 Potting Shed Events famous hoodie

🎁 A one hour Chinese Astrology Metaphysics reading with Janine Lowe

🎁 A delicious box of Chocolate Craft homemade chocolates

🎁 An overnight stay at Down Hall Hotel & Spa with breakfast

🎁 Mindful activity clay kit

🎁 Free entry to the park and a truck safari for up to 4 people at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve

🎁 An overnight stay at De Vere Horsley Estate

🎁 Nintendo Switch Lite donated by Insight Presentation Systems

🎁 A years membership of the Batch Cooking Co, thank you to The Balance Coach

🎁 A bottle of Bollinger Rose Brut, thank you DMC Advantage
🎁 A bottle of Goodwood Gin, thank you Goodwood Estate

🎁 An impressive and beautifully put together coffee table book of Italian destinations, thank you to Belmond

🎁 A BeBoxed gift box

🎁 Gift box of wonderfully scented candles

Wow, we really are grateful for such a fantastic selection of prizes.

This is your last chance to buy a ticket, as we will be drawing the raffle early next week. For each £5 you sponsor us, you are allocated a ticket into the draw.

If you would still like a chance to win one of these superb prizes and help feed hungry children across the UK, please head to this link to support us!

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

14/11/2023

A heart warming event...

We love organising all kinds of events and the ones that feel like they make a real difference are some of the best.

The event in Dorset on Friday was for a caregiving organisation. We can all appreciate the struggles of loneliness and separation those in need can feel. Our wonderful client is finding ways to improve this situation for many and hopes to create a template that can be used for future events.

Friday was about getting people together, sharing company, educating, having fun, singing and eating cake! What is there not to love about that?

13/11/2023

Made from the heart to inspire and make us smile...

When we had our little helper in during half term, she took the time to brighten up our desks with these name cards. We all got an inspiration message on the back too.

A little bit of fun on our desks to make us pause and remember our commitment to a work life balance.

10/11/2023

We are onsite again, this time in the gorgeous Dorset.

This care provider client came to us as they wanted to host an event that:

* Increased brand awareness locally
* Deepened existing relationships with local complementary organisations
* Developed relationships with new local complementary organisations
* Delivered important information around wellness in winter

They wanted a social event for existing and potential clients that focused on care and support.

Keep an eye out for our follow up post next week to see how it went...

09/11/2023

We thought we were done...

but we were wrong!

The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Hampshire have seen our posts about our charity challenge of undertaking the South Downs Way and have offered us a lovely prize for our raffle. It's very kind and we are very grateful, especially this close to the end of our walk.

We are thrilled to be able to add an Afternoon Tea experience at the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire to our collection of wonderful raffle prizes.

07/11/2023

We are very excited to share with you a glimpse from our soft launch of our BeBoxed product.

BeBoxed came out of a need from our clients for adaptable and suitable corporate gifts that either fit the feel of their event or were tailored to those receiving them.

After much thought and care we have created BeBoxed to fill that need and we are thrilled with the response we have had so far from those who received them.

Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about BeBoxed and what we can offer.

06/11/2023

Next week is our last walk in completing the 100 miles of the South Downs Way!

There have been a few ups and downs (and we are not just talking about the hills...!). Overall though we have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we look forward to the sense of achievement we will get when we arrive in Eastbourne.

We have one more cheeky raffle prize to share with you and this is great. As a team, we know we need this in our lives, we might just sponsor ourselves for a chance to win it!

A big thank you to Helen Hopkins aka The Balance Coach

Helen has very kindly donated...

A year’s membership of the Batch Cooking Co. (worth £270)! Discover the magic of modern batch cooking, spend just 90 minutes in the kitchen making enough food for your family for five days. It’s so easy! Download your weekly plan, with full shopping list, recipes and step by step instructions. Follow the on-demand cook-along to the week’s dishes and before you know it, you’ll be ready for the week ahead. All the mix and match dishes are vegetarian which means you can add your favourite protein. Plans include dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Cook once, enjoy all week.

Keep your eyes peeled for a final recap of all the prizes and how you can sponsor us before the final walk. Thank you again to everyone who has already sponsored us and donated raffle prizes.

03/11/2023

Picture the scenario...

Halloween is coming up and you happen to have mannequins that you use for events... you have to use them, right?

Too right we did!! We couldn't resist a little spooky seance...

30/10/2023

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun...

We can't believe that it was 4 weeks ago today that we flew home from our event in Norway.

Of course being onsite for a week is hard work, but it makes all the difference when you are working with a great team of people who always ensure there is time for a bit of fun along the way...

27/10/2023

Happy post! We are certainly ending the week with a smile on our faces.

We had the pleasure of working with Stephanie and Nicky Taylor, founders of Rent 2 Rent Success , on their first ever live client event in London recently.

Here's what Rent 2 Rent have to say about working with Potting Shed Events...

"Working with Julia and the team at Potting Shed Events for our Rent 2 Rent Revolution event has been an incredible experience. They helped us develop an event concept which delivered a first class experience for our attendees.

Their onsite team on the day were friendly and professional and we didn't have to think about anything to do with the event logistics.

Potting Shed Events ensured the right audio, visuals and people were in place at the right time at every moment, which made it a seamless experience that made the event hugely enjoyable for us and for everyone who attended.

The teams' attention to detail in everything from concept, to customer journey to goodie bags and catering was exceptional. When we arrived, early on the morning of the event, Julia and her team were already there finishing set up!

I was initially resistant to organising in person events because I understand it's a huge time investment. However, working with Potting Shed Events meant that we could invest time in sharing our message, knowing that everything else was taken care of.

Feedback from the event has been so positive, we're already selling tickets for next year's event."

26/10/2023

Always a pleasure visiting the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire with our corporate groups. Thank you again and see you soon.

25/10/2023

We have never kept it a secret that we are all parents in this company, it's not a shameful fact.

The team feel incredibly lucky that we work in a culture that protects the need for a work life balance. There are many years worth of experience, in the events industry, within our team that would be lost if, as mothers, we could not work flexibly.

A lot of companies like to talk about how flexible they are and supportive of parents, but we get to prove it. It is half term and we have kids that aren't at school, but that doesn't mean our working lives get put on hold. Every parent knows that the school holidays are a juggling act of who to put where, when and for how long.

For one of our team, the easiest answer today was 'bring your daughter to work day'. The child in question is of an age where she is too old for holiday clubs but too young to be left for a whole day by herself. Up until lunchtime she took over one of the team desks and did her homework. Lunch was a picnic at a desk with a movie (not company policy unfortunately but might suggest it at the next team meeting...). After lunch, the work experience begin.

Often we go home to our kids and if we are lucky we get asked "how was your day?". "Yes, good, thanks. How was yours?" comes our reply. We sound just like them after we've asked them how school was. Just like theirs, our days are busy and full of tasks but not easily broken down into elements to talk about. Today, one member of our team gets to go home sharing stories with their daughter to those waiting for them. The daughter, when back at school, gets to tell her friends about working in an office for a day and what tasks she was given. All of this is valuable life experience for when she ventures into her first job. It's building confidence, providing organisational skills and shining a light into that mysterious world her parent disappears into during the day. Maybe we are inspiring a future event manager... we can but hope! It certainly feels like investing in the future.

Today has been a win/win for everybody, but it is only possible because of the understanding and flexibility this company has towards its team.

23/10/2023

We are nearly there!

We only have another 17 and a half miles to go until we reach the end of the South Downs Way!! We completed our penultimate walk on Monday last week and we have to admit, it was the hardest one yet. We had calculated it to be around 17 miles so when it turned out to be 19, we ended up finishing in the dark (hence no end of walk selfies this time!!).

The hills for this section, between Poynings and Southease, were relentless and it certainly felt like we only went up. The downs did not seem to match the ups!

We are thrilled to have received another donation for the raffle, thank you very much DMC Advantage . A wonderful bottle of bubbles has been added to the prizes.

If you would like to help us over the last set of hills all the way to Eastbourne, please do sponsor us! See our past posts for a review of what raffle prizes are on offer and the link to sponsor us.

20/10/2023

We recently had the pleasure of meeting Company of Pikemen & Musketeers HAC

The Pikeman and Musketeers are a ceremonial unit of the Honourable Artillery Company and are one of only six royally warranted bodies in the UK.

You can find out more about them at www.pikemen.org.uk

They are fascinating to talk to and they can be hired, here are some of the ways that they can enhance your event:

• An impressive and colourful ‘carpet guard’ at your reception or dinner.

• Guards of Honour or escorts for important members of your organisation or visitors arriving at your function.

• Where the venue is appropriate, provide a demonstration of authentic 17th century pike and musket drills, including:
- trooping or lodging the Colour
- repelling a cavalry charge
- framing a battelle (the forerunner of the infantry square). These can be staged with or without musket fire.

• We can also arrange for you to dine or hold your reception at Armoury House, the HAC’s 18th century headquarters, with a demonstration and carpet guard by the Pikemen and Musketeers. This is a truly memorable experience for your members, staff or clients.

• At some events, after a demonstration or guard, it can be appropriate for members of the guard to mix and chat informally with those at your reception.

• Depending on the event and the size of the venue groups of half a dozen up to 63 (the full strength of the Company) can be booked.

• The Company also offers an illustrated talk on the Company of Pikemen & Musketeers and a tour of the armoury and Armoury House.

We will certainly be bearing them in mind, and The HAC, for our clients in the future.

17/10/2023

It may only be Tuesday but we have been on the go non stop since Friday (well we might have had Sunday off, shh!)

The end of last week saw two fantastic events for two fantastic clients in London on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday saw the team complete another 19 mile section of the South Downs Way (we might be a little achy...) and today we have another event at the Four Seasons. It's all go and we couldn't be happier, especially when we get lovely feedback like this this morning from Friday's tech client...

"Thank you so so much for joining us on Friday afternoon, and for encouraging us to get outside in the sunshine whilst it lasted! It really put everyone in a great mood for the evening.

I think everyone really appreciated how well tailored the activity was for where we were, and it was particularly great for our US colleagues to see London."

15/10/2023

The ultimate multi tasking...

Thursday saw us complete another 15 mile section of the South Downs Way, but with an event taking place the next day and yesterday, time out of the office wasn't ideal.

Whilst scaling hills and descending escarpments, we had one client email about the bad weather that was due in London on Friday and asking if their outdoor activity could be changed to an indoor one. Our response, whilst walking, was "of course, bear with us whilst we consider suitable alternatives". As we were all together as a team we then discussed what options we could provide with a 24 hour turnaround and were able to go back to the client almost instantly with another option.

Time out of the office to complete this challenge appears on the surface to be scary, especially when you have back to back events happening, but in this instance it worked in our favour as we were all together and were able to tackle the problem quickly and logically.

Our client was appreciative that we were out of the office for good reason, and worked with us to be as concise in their communication as possible.

We are happy to say that both the walk (which has now taken us over the halfway mark) and both events went very well (pictures to follow next week).

13/10/2023

If you are able to donate to support us walking a long way, whilst juggling work and families, for Magic Breakfast please use the link below.

www.justgiving.com/page/pottingshedevents

Here's what your sponsorship could provide:

£10 - 2 months' worth of breakfast for one child

£25 - feed a whole classroom for 3 school days

£55 - provide one child with one year's worth of nutritious school breakfasts

£100 - gives 357 children the fuel they need to learn

£250 - feed a child for more than 4 school years

13/10/2023

We are packed for our day in London! Come rain or shine our team events go ahead and looking at the weather today, that's just as well!