After being in the team-building industry for 10 years, and tirelessly liaising with hundreds of corporate organizers who are working hard for their team engagements, we at Team Music have found the top 4 broad traits of an organizer who is truly successful in organizing their event and whom we love to work with. Today, we would like to share these traits with you and describe our ideal organizer.
For this blog, let’s have some fun and call our ideal organizer Isabella. She works for the company Phutures, which is a Multi-National Corporation (MNC) in the digital asset space that has a growing presence in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. She has been tasked to plan the next APAC meeting along with a team engagement activity for 200pax in Singapore at a hotel ballroom at Marina Bay Sands (MBS). The team activity has to be relaxing, with no pressure, yet able to bring to life the corporate values of Phutures, which are:
- Keep learning
- Be quick to communicate
- Create positive moments each day
Let’s track her journey with us!
1) Clear
Isabella does a Google search on “teambuilding Singapore” and very soon discovers us, Team Music, here. She checks out our Google reviews and is convinced that we are going to be one of the companies that she is going to work with.
She immediately contacts us via the contact form, giving us full details and expectations as per request. These include budget, date, location, purpose, etc.
Isabella represents her company aptly by stating clearly the corporate values of Phutures. To give us a better understanding of her company and team-building objectives, she gives clear references to official website links and past experiences of how these values ‘played out’ in previous team-building activities, such as perfume making, painting, etc
Within 24 hours, Isabella receives an official proposal quotation from Team Music. Given the weight of this 200pax event, she needs to iron out all the doubts and questions she has on her mind. She jots them down and proceeds to schedule an online meeting to sort the details out with us, with questions such as:
- Is this program suited for beginners?
- I have a few pregnant ladies on my team. Do we have something for them so they don’t feel left out? etc.
Not only is she decisive about what she and her company’s goals for this event are, but she is now also CLEAR on what to expect for her team-building session with us and what we need of her to make the event a success. Thus, along with the proposals from other vendors, she now presents these options to her boss.
2) Collaborative
Isabella has a huge mission of uniting and engaging 200pax in the same room; not just physically, but spiritually, emotionally, and mentally as well. Firstly, has to make this year’s event even better than the one last year because that is what the boss wants. Moreover, the whole APAC team has not met for 3 years, no thanks to the pandemic. Lastly, countless changes to staffing have occurred during the pandemic period. People need a powerful reason to engage.
Isabella needs a task force, an advanced party of sorts, to tackle all the details of this big event. She forms a team and allocates the venue booking, event day announcement, F&B, program flow, attendance-taking, etc to various team members to get things going.
Despite the immense pressure to keep everything in check, Isabella knows very well that the one thing she cannot fully allocate or control is Team Music’s or any other vendors’ program. She is also not a subject matter expert in music, much less for big groups. She has to have a certain level of trust in Team Music to seriously commit to us as a vendor.
Eventually, her Boss decides on Team Music’s signature program BANDINC. (He used to be a guitarist in his high school band ^_^) Isabella sends a confirmation email and logistical information such as floorplan and band requirements, ready to collaborate with us to get this gig going.
Unfortunately, Team Music’s setup process (3 hours) will cut into her planned lunch segment, requiring us to shorten our setup duration. There will also be another segment following Team Music’s program (3 hours, 2 songs) that requires more time. This caused some friction in the planning process as there was a need to readjust the timings, yet still complete the objective of completing 2 songs. Both parties want their requirements met, and at the same time accommodate the other party. After much discussion, Isabella and Team Music compromised on a 2.5-hour setup time and 2.5-hour program time to accommodate subsequent activities.
Knowing that Team Music has 10 years of team-building experience, she is assured that the success of her team’s event is not only plausible but also in good hands. This also allows us to proceed with the essence of our program intact, providing us with the confidence to execute it well. There was a sense of partnership, working together to build the event. She is constantly thinking and facilitating a win-win-win outcome for her team, Team Music, and finally her position as an organizer. Moving forward, she relies much on us for advice on the best song choices, band instrument setup, etc.
3) Commitment
As the date of the event approaches, the deal needs to be sealed. Isabella deals respectfully with Team Music according to the terms and conditions of the quotation. Confirmation of the event was done with a 50% deposit payment to book instruments, mover, and facilitators.
Even though the event has been confirmed, there seems to be a drop in the expected headcount for the event over time, a typical symptom of large-scale events. While worrying about the numbers being reduced further, Isabella contemplates calling Team Music’s program off. However, the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes that this move will not only affect her and her team but Team Music as well. There will be a need to re-coordinate efforts and make adjustments to schedules on both ends. She understands that she should only call the event off as a last resort, therefore she pushes on with the plan.
The day arrives, and Isabella executes her event. She is mentally aware of the rough outline of Team Music’s 2.5-hour program, and even though there are some lingering doubts, she gives Team Music full autonomy to work the magic. She does remind Team Music that her corporate values have to be brought to life in the band program, which we wholeheartedly comply with.
As an event-planning company, we face unforeseen circumstances, similar to any other organizer who plans events for their teams. For Isabella, some variables were not under her control. Despite this, she kept to what was agreed to provide a wonderful experience for her team, and we would have done the same for her if we were in her shoes.
Needless to say, the event was a hit!
4) Change
Isabella has displayed a good level of adaptability throughout her journey thus far. She is open to changes in the planning and execution phases, being able to compromise on timing clashes and finding a solution that is beneficial to both her team and Team Music.
She can adjust her expectations according to what Team Music can offer as well. This is shown through her trust in us to be able to meet the objectives and deliver an unforgettable experience. The autonomy helps both her team and Team Music to co-develop the event together.
During the event itself, issues arise that challenge Isabelle and Team Music. When the morning meetings get delayed, setup time has to be shortened. She prioritizes tackling the issue first, communicating with Team Music, her task force, as well as her boss on a realistic timeline in real time of what to expect. She also coordinates with her team to assist Team Music in setting up. As a result, the setup happens at breakneck speed.
Finally, Team Music’s program starts and ends within the agreed time. It is well-received by all 200pax, her task force, and her boss.
Here’s a positive moment in action
In essence, Isabella was resourceful, trusting, and respectful in all her business dealings and communications with her task force, her boss as well as Team Music. This ensured a smooth transition from the start of the planning to the end of the execution. Along the way, Team Music also got to be part of the journey and enjoyed the process as well.
We know that there are many Isabellas out there, and we look forward to working with you very soon ^_^