Type of event: Two Day Team Building & Strategy Meeting

Date: September 2021

Venue(s): Churchill College, King's College, University Arms

Background

Founded in 2017, Zenobē Energy has grown rapidly to become the leading owner and operator of battery storage in the UK, creating solutions for the power and transport sectors. 

With its team of 70 people, many working remotely and located across the UK, it was decided to hold a two-day team building and strategy event in September to get all staff together for the first time. Cambridge was chosen as a location that was easily accessible for everyone.

Different elements

The two-day programme contained a number of elements and several venues were chosen to host the range of different activities.

The core event was held at Churchill College, with a conference-style meeting and smaller rooms used for breakout sessions. In the evening, drinks and a private dinner were held at King’s College. Overnight accommodation was at the centrally-located University Arms hotel, close to the railway station and other venues.

Other aspects of the ‘Cambridge Experience’ included punting on the River Cam which worked well for team building.

Friendly and flexible

Sam Denyer, Human Resources Generalist, who organized the event for Zenobē said: “We felt safe at all the venues where clear information, signs and safety guidelines were displayed, including wearing masks in public areas. The venue teams were very friendly and flexible in accommodating our requirements, both in the run-up to the event and on the day itself. We also enjoyed delicious food, which included meeting a range of dietary requirements and the dinner at King’s College was a memorable occasion with its beautiful setting.

“We decided to have some elements as hybrid to enable attendees to join us remotely including our employees based in Australia and several speakers who presented via Microsoft Teams. Churchill College provided IT assistance to set up the presentations and were on hand to support us throughout the event.

“The event met all our objectives. It was an opportunity for us to share our strategy, goals and achievements as well as host some fun team building activities. It was all about meeting each other in person for the first time which has really helped new employees to feel settled into the business.

Preparation

“We worked hard to plan all elements of the event to ensure they could go ahead within the current guidelines. I would recommend reading venues’ terms and conditions before booking to understand the cancellation processes and fees. We asked all our employees to complete a lateral flow test prior to attending the event and also before they left the following day as this worked well to ensure our employees felt safe.

“We had very positive feedback from our employees too who really enjoyed meeting up in person for the first time. We will now be holding this type of event annually! Cambridge is a beautiful city, full of culture and ideal for our event. We wouldn’t hesitate to book a future event here.”