KDM is a twenty strong team of creative, experienced event management professionals committed to making your event a resounding success.
Creative Event Management: we produce creative and exciting concepts to enthuse your guests and clearly deliver your message in a memorable event which maximizes the return on your investment.
Venue Finders: we use our collective knowledge and experience of the best venues in the UK to identify the right venue for your event at the best possible price.
Team Building: we have a portfolio of proven fun team building events and concepts to produce a polished, cost effective and successful event.
Evening Entertainment: we have a wide collection of in-house interactive game shows and entertainment plus a host of the best entertainers and specialist suppliers to ensure that your evening has that wow factor.
No two events are the same so it’s important to consult with you to understand your audience, values and objectives to help craft exactly the right solution to fit your brief. Our events range from a team activity day for ten guests, a product launch roadshow to an overseas Annual Conference. For each we fashion the perfect mix of creative content, venue, logistics, entertainment and theme to make the event the success you deserve.
Please take a look at the wide range of solutions we’ve delivered and either call us or send us your enquiry to find out how we can help make your next event the memorable experience you expect.
For over 25 years, KDM have been proudly delivering creative team building, away days and conferences to a broad range of clients – from conferences for PLC’s, to themed awards evenings for 100 people, to tailored team building for corporate clients both small and large.
Following a number of successful Olympic themed conference events, our client, one of the world’s largest snack companies, asked us to organise and manage their upcoming Annual Field Sales Conference.
The Hilton Birmingham Metropole hosted the 2 day event for 350 field sales staff and the main objective was to launch their bold and bright new branding, the sales team had high expectations and the organisers were excited for the big reveal so our event dressing had to have the wow factor.
To deliver the maximum visual impact we designed a bespoke AV set with curved boards to reflect the logo, company coloured staging and amazing micro LED tiles which both changed colour and allowed their new branding with animation to flow over the whole set.
KDM event management staff were on-site throughout to manage the event and ensure the organisers could concentrate on their live business content, we even helped to accommodate some last minute content changes, just another day at the office for a KDM Event Manager!
During registration we took control of 350 field sales laptops, chargers & bags which were all updated and PAT tested during the stay – the feedback from this element was that it was the smoothest turnaround they had ever had.
Then with a very short window of time, our event management team ensured that the main room was transformed to an atmospheric purple paradise for the awards dinner where guests entered to dressed tables complete with silver candelabra’s and branded linens.
The after dinner awards ceremony saw a 350 strong audience in fancy dress applauding a Gorilla, Superman & ‘Dorothy’ picking up company awards, this is where our photo studio came into its own with guests coming back for more photo opportunities. It’s the only time you will ever see Marilyn Monroe, The Pink Ladies, Minnie Mouse & Mario together!
Finally, the following day saw the conference event wrap up with group rotations each hosted by a KDM event management team member to ensure no-one got lost! And using our interactive handsets through the conference also allowed the company to gain feedback throughout the event to ensure it successfully met all of their objectives.
The overall feedback, any events company would be proud of and we certainly: – “Very positive, well structured, well planned even with the adverse weather affecting timings, I’m not an event organiser so appreciated the support/advice/guidance provided by Caroline and her team. We’ve had lots of feedback on how well it was organised, the content was great and it was very engaging. The evening looked great and the photo studio was a favourite! Thank you for your support at all times – It was a pretty slick operation!”
When a long standing financial sector client came to us with a request to organise their annual Retail Division Update Conference, we were delighted to help as we always are. This year though, we were asked to provide the conference along with our event management expertise on a smaller budget.
We’re not an Events Company who turn down a challenge so with Networking and business content high on this year’s agenda, we aimed to meet the reduced budget target by achieving savings in 4 key areas:
We kept it simple with the following recipe:
Take:
80 senior managers and Directors
Add:
1 unusual historic country event venue
1 dedicated meeting space with natural daylight, private bar and terrace
1 compact AV set and technicians
Mix together with:
1/2 day business presentations
1 BBQ dinner overlooking Capability Brown designed gardens
6 Seasoned live swing/jazz musicians
Glorious summer sunshine
80 Overnight stays and breakfast
Then allow to develop over 18 hours until risen!
Selecting the right event location for the conference was key. Previously our client has used business conference centre venues with a high end business look and feel to the conference. However, this year they wanted to encourage a more relaxed summer networking atmosphere whilst retaining the professional business presentation feel. We worked with the client to source an unusual Country House venue, having provided team building activities and conferences here in the past, we knew the exclusive meeting space was perfect for an intimate business atmosphere. A compact AV set to match the size and style of the room enhanced the personal feel to the business presentations and allowed for closer interactions during the afternoon.
The agenda for the day was also made more compact. Rather than an early start and full day of content, the group arrived for lunch followed by an afternoon of business presentations made shorter to allow for more contribution by the delegates.
Networking, sharing ideas and best practise was important so an informal outdoor BBQ dinner with drinks and live music provided the perfect informal setting for the team to share their thoughts from the day and catch up with the latest developments. Moving back indoors once the sun went down, the networking continued into the wee hours.
All in all, the combination of the revised compact agenda, altered travelling times, change in style of event venue with smaller AV requirements and relaxed evening dinner meant that the event cost came in circa £1,000 under the new target budget. Added to the positive feedback from the delegates who appreciated the style and content of the ‘new look’ conference, the client was very satisfied with the tasty recipe we created!
One of our long standing clients in the motor insurance sector recently asked us to deliver their annual company-wide conference. As always, the event was a great success, and while we love writing about how well our conferences and team building events go, we also analyse each and every one of them to make sure we’re learning from every possible outcome, whether it happens or not.
Capturing issues early and engineering work arounds before the event is one of the ways we really add value for our clients. After all, post-conference 20-20 hindsight won’t help you have a perfect event.
So, what would have gone wrong on this particular day?
Itinerary timings – speakers know their allocated timings and yet so often enthusiasm means a presentation runs over – and strangely the average is 10 minutes! This could result in missed comfort breaks, teambuilding activities running behind, a late lunch and a restless and hungry audience. With the co-operation of the client organiser we built in extended timings for refreshments and lunch beforehand and as we always recommend leaving detailed timings off the delegate itineraries – when the inevitable happened – the time was regained without impacting the audience’s experience.
Exhibition – With this being the first year that our client had organised an exhibition as part of the itinerary, the list of internal exhibitors was extensive, the IT requirements were varied but the budget was very limited! Many of the exhibitors would bring their own laptops, tablets and projectors to hook up to our plasma screens and knowing how complicated hooking up incompatible devices with the wrong cables can be we produced an ‘IT cables’ guide which allowed the exhibitors to see the names, pictures and descriptions of the cables available to them onsite. Not one exhibitor arrived without the right adapters so were all able to display their content and of course we had spare cables in stock just in case!
AV Autocue – as the speaker itinerary developed and more hosts became involved for each different section, it became obvious that the number of people wanting to use the autocue system would not allow time between each speaker to manually set the autocue glass height to suit them. With only a few weeks to go, we addressed this by switching to an electric glass system to allow us to reset the height remotely between presenters, avoid unsightly delays between sessions and allow each speaker to see their script – a rather critical essential!
But like any event organiser knows, there are some things that you just can’t plan for! Such was the case when after rehearsal, changes were needed to slides in EVERY presentation. Fortunately, over the years our team has learnt to be ready for anything so powered by coffee and sugar we worked into the small hours to complete the changes.
Great event planning really is one of the major keys to any successful conference or exhibition event and avoiding potential problems on the day. But when the unavoidable happens, a flexible expert event management team on the day is worth their weight in gold!
Get in touch with us if you’d like your next team building or conference event to be taken care of by an Events Company who will look for the potential issues during planning.
So you’ve booked the conference venue, all the speakers are lined up and you’ve issued invitations to attendees. Your conference is off the starting blocks and you can heave a big sigh of relief. But the next consideration could determine the make-or-break of your event’s success. The value of the event will be largely measured on the satisfaction recorded by its attendees.
One of the biggest challenges of a conference organiser is to shape the agenda in such a way as to keep the audience engaged and enthused throughout the day. Here are a few tips to ensure no yawns, no empty seats and a large round of applause at the end.
Variety is the spice of life: if you’ve ever had to sit through a full day of PowerPoint presentations, with no opportunity to actively participate, and just the most cursory Q&A component, you’ll know how dull and uninspiring the experience can be. Small wonder that attendees emerge tired and grumpy, having learned little and enjoyed less. And yet it’s easy at drawing board stage, to suggest an agenda with rich and varied content. Of course you’ll need presentations, but why not build in an engaging team building activity such as a treasure hunt, a workshop or even an exhibition, one or two interactive sessions along with an ice breaker should break the day up comfortably, helping conference delegates maintain concentration.
Short and sweet: 20 minutes is probably the longest period that any of us can maintain active concentration. After that, the mind wanders, thoughts turn to lunch or the brain gently slides into neutral. Speakers are understandably keen to share their insights in great detail but research shows that delegates actually appreciate shorter and more concise presentations with the opportunity to submit their own questions and comments. Whenever possible, ask speakers from the outset to bear these two points in mind when planning their content.
We’ve been in Events Management for over 20 years and audience engagement technology has evolved massively in that time. We are finding that conference delegates love to be involved in two-way dialogue instead of being passive listeners, and the latest conference apps allow questions and comments to be submitted from the floor. We’ve recently developed our own event apps, which enable members of the audience to put live questions and comment to speakers as part of interactive business sessions. The great bonus is that group conclusions can be reached on the day and feedback obtained while delegates are still experiencing the event.
Active learning: Once the key conference messages have been conveyed in the meeting room, why not reinforce them via a team building activity? We all assimilate information in different ways, so the inclusion of quizzes or challenges can help to ensure understanding in an interactive, entertaining way.
Ice breakers: Energy levels tend to slump immediately after lunch, so we recommend that our clients energize their delegates and get the oxygen flowing. A quick 10 minute ice-breaker works wonders before the start of the first afternoon presentation. Not only will your delegates thank you, but their memory recall of that first session will be so much stronger.
Controlling the clock: In a perfect event management world, speakers would religiously stick to the timetable but it’s not unusual for sessions to either finish early or over-run. And in every event organiser’s memory there are instances where speakers had to pull out on the day. So it’s a good idea to plan for the worst and ensure your agenda has built-in flexibility. This way you’ll be able to adjust the length of refreshment breaks to either catch up from the over-runs or fill-in some unexpected free time.
Give us a break: Research has shown that conference delegates really appreciate the opportunity to network with other attendees or catch up on their e-mails, so it’s not a good idea to pack the agenda too tightly. And if you do get a last minute speaker cancellation, what may seem like a crisis to you could turn out to be a welcome gap for them.
Bright eyed and sharp-witted: Conference venues used to provide stodgy traditional meals but in recent years there has been a revolution in menu design. But if you feel the options are lacklustre, don’t be afraid to ask for healthy alternatives, such as fresh fruit smoothies and raw vegetable canapés. That way your delegates will be saved the mid-afternoon blood-sugar crashes which are so detrimental to concentration and problem-solving.
And for overnight events, late-night alcohol binges can be a disaster for attendance levels on subsequent mornings, so the inclusion of a coffee bar as an alternative option may yield dividends. Guests really appreciate the extra choice and will be far more alert the following morning.
Our clients have found that putting themselves in the delegates’ shoes and imagining what would create an inspiring, upbeat day for them, is the best way of ensuring enthusiastic feedback at the end of the event. You want your delegates to go home happy, and so do we!
Speak to us if you need some help planning your next conference or team building away day.
KDM specialise in all forms of corporate events including conferences and meetings, activity days, team building events, themed parties, corporate entertainment, corporate hospitality, conference management and venue finding for conferences, meetings and corporate accomodation.
Using KDM's fully trained event staff and with our own equipment prepared and maintained in our workshops we are able to maintain the highest of standards to ensure that your corporate event runs professionally and smoothly from your initial enquiry through to delivery.
We have developed an extensive range of corporate event ideas and activities to complement your conferences and meetings and encourage team communication and bonding through a range of specialist corporate activity events. We are also able to entertain your clients with our wide spectrum of corporate parties, entertainment and special events.
For more than 20 years from our Staffordshire office, KDM have been providing solutions to our Midlands and North West clients' corporate event needs.
Our London clients are served from our office in Richmond, Surrey and we provide tailor-made, cost effective solutions to your event ideas and needs together with a full service for all meeting and conference requirements.
If you would know more about how we can help you achieve your objectives please call us for an informal discussion.
Everyone at KDM has a strong belief in the value of our events and we are determined to give our clients the best possible service to ensure that their corporate events always achieve their objectives. We are tirelessly creative in our event solutions, we cut no corners, we use only the best equipment - which we create and maintain in our workshops – and we ensure that our staff deliver the best service from your initial enquiry through to your post event feedback.
We care about the community in which we live and work and every year we nominate and support one of our local charities. In previous years we have bought children Christmas presents in support of the Salvation Army ‘Christmas for Kids’ Appeal, bought mobility equipment for a delightful little girl through the BDF New Life Trust and helped raise funds for Arthritis Research and the Douglas Macmillan Hospice. For the last three years we are a lead sponsor for the Donna Louise Children’s Hospice Trust Summer Ball.
In these challenging times employee motivation, optimising opportunities and working cost effectively are the three key issues every business faces. Whilst spending on team motivation and rewards has not been at the forefront of corporate minds, a well motivated team which understands the corporate objectives will undoubtedly deliver the best results.
Events form KDM will help you reinforce the message or communicate a change of strategy or focus, and KDM's proven event solutions will add value to the communication process. We can help you develop communication within your team through team building and by using KDM’s cost effective solutions and with our conference management experience, knowledge and commitment we will ensure that you successfully deliver your message.
Many companies are looking to hold their corporate events in the UK rather than abroad and with our unsurpassed experience of UK venues, meetings and conferences and our range of team building events, corporate hospitality packages and corporate entertainment can be delivered throughout the UK at conference venues, hotels, training centres or even at your offices.
For further information about Corporate Events from KDM and some of the event options available from KDM please don't hesitate to call.
Maximising sales opportunities from clients and differentiating yourselves from your competitors requires developing the personal relationship to support the product or service that you supply. Whilst the corporate event and corporate hospitality budget may be reduced, if it is used in a focused way with clearly defined objectives and a key guest list the results achieved will support your business objectives and leave you well positioned to weather the challenges ahead as the long-awaited awaited recovery takes hold.
KDM's corporate events deliver powerful results, giving you the best combination of verbal, visual and interactive elements, to successfully deliver your corporate message and achieve your business objectives through effective communication.
Our well designed, superbly delivered corporate events will ensure that your message is clearly understood whether you wish to introduce new initiatives to your sales force, manage change in your organisation, let your best customers know how valued they are, promote your business to new markets or say 'thank-you' for a job well done.
When you are organising any sort of event to find the ideal venue for your corporate event at the best price your venue finder needs to know as much as possible about your aims, objectives and budget. At this stage we know that the detail of the event will not have been finalised but an outline of the proposed itinerary – with the following detail - is essential to ensure that you are able to find the right venue, in the right location – and at the right price.
It’s an obvious question but an essential one – how many delegates are you expecting at your corporate event? At the initial planning stage of a conference or meeting it is difficult to be accurate but you should be within a variance of, say, ten per cent. This needs to be closely monitored and updated as your planning proceeds you will be expected to contract for a number of rooms with final numbers confirmed two weeks before the event date. At that time numbers can be increased subject to rooms being available and - importantly - the room capacity of your function room.
Conference and meeting venues seek to work as close to maximum capacity as possible - empty rooms are lost revenue - and they will not keep spare capacity available for your event 'just in case'. Likewise they will decline a booking which might compromise their ability to sell their remaining event space. For example a hotel with 70 bedrooms may offer availability to a group of 50 but not to a group of 20 who need their main conference suite and a number of syndicate rooms as the venue will then be restricted in filling their remaining bed and meeting rooms.
If you can guarantee a minimum number of delegates or revenue, some meeting venues might offer exclusive use. Beware though – a long lead time is essential as you need to guarantee almost full occupancy and invariably some small bookings will already have been taken for your date. Exclusive use is normally much easier for non-residential meetings, conferences and events as Stately Homes and Unusual Venues are invariably taken on an exclusive use basis.
Pre-event planning needs to consider who the event delegates will be, how many should be invited, and how many are expected to attend. Knowledge of these elements are essential for budgeting for your event. You also need to consider whether there will be special guests or media representatives who need special facilities, overseas delegates who need interpreters or VIP's who may need additional security or have specific requirements.
It is important to book the conference venue as early as possible as otherwise arranging other factors will be difficult, if not impossible. Make sure you book your venue as soon as you have your meeting date confirmed and then work backwards to establish a timetable of events. Whilst some clients like to source their own venue, others use a professional venue finding agency to help identify and book a venue. A venue finding company can offer their experience and expertise plus a speedy and often free service, as their commission is paid by the venue and not by the client.
Obviously an exact date with possible alternative dates for your corporate event is ideal, as flexibility will give you more options and a better likelihood of obtaining the ideal venue. Whenever possible we’ll put forward the ideal venue for your conference or meeting on the ideal date, but on odd occasions you may have to choose between the ideal venue on a suitable date or a suitable venue on the ideal date! If you are specific about the date you will have less flexibility … particularly in the prime months of June, July, September and October or when you have a short lead-in time.
The format and duration of your meeting or conference are important factors and will have an effect on availability. A conference, meeting or corporate event requiring several syndicate rooms, a main auditorium, exhibition space and separate dining facilities will have a much more restricted range of options than an event for thirty delegates needing a single room with theatre-style seating. In the case of the former early booking is essential!
Timing is a key consideration, both to allow adequate time to plan the event and also to make sure delegates are able to attend. Holding an event during a busy work period or during the holiday season could have an effect on attendee numbers and the availability of key personnel is always the first thing to check.
Where is the Meeting being held?
Who’s coming and where are they coming from? Will people be travelling by plane, trains or car? These will dictate whether the meeting venue needs to be easily accessible from the tube, a main-line station, an airport, or a motorway? These are all important issues, which will help you decide on the location for your event.
Why is the Event taking place?
What is the purpose of the meeting or event – an incentive, a top-level management retreat, a training course or a sales conference? - all will require a different style of venue to suit your objectives.
You need to consider whether delegates will be listening and passive, or if a high degree of participation will be involved - perhaps team building or an ice-breaker activity - as this will impact upon the type of venue you require.
What Space Do You Need?
Do you just need a single room for the meeting or do you need breakout rooms in addition? Do you need different rooms for different sessions as they need different layouts? Do you need private dining - as opposed to the restaurant - on one or more nights? It's important to consider these at an early stage as it is important that the conference venue chosen has the facilities and the availability that you are likely to want.
The Meeting Room Layout
It may seem straightforward but there’s a lot to consider as different layouts require differing amounts of space and this will dictate the size of conference room you need. The layout is essential to set the style of the meeting and getting this right will ensure that the event runs smoothly on the day.
Natural Daylight
Not all conference rooms have natural daylight. It is a selling point of most venues but needs to be clarified at the booking stage of your event planning and your needs will vary according to your particular corporate event - a one hour presentation works fine in a room with no natural light but a day's conference with a mix of presentations and open sessions will send your conference delegates to sleep.
Speakers
If the event or conference features speakers and presentations, check what facilities speakers will need such as a laptop, internet connection, data projector or assistance with preparing their presentation. Always send out in advance a running order for your conference so that everyone involved knows what is happening.
Your Budget
An issue about which a lot of people are coy in the mistaken belief thinking that revealing it will put the price up. It is important to consider this at an early stage remembering that in addition to the headline accommodation rate you might also need a budget for room hire, wines, speakers, staging, audio visual equipment and entertainment.
At KDM we will always try to work within your event budget and we will always make sure that you get the best value out of every penny.
The Guests
Some events can involve quite physical activities, others are mental challenges and some are a mix of both. Your event planning will fail if any activities are not realistic and achievable with guests positively encouraged. It is important to remember that nobody will benefit if an individual is be forced to do an activity which embarrasses them or with which they feel uncomfortable However with careful consideration at the event planning stage as to who is coming and their different abilities then usually the hard work is done.
Noise!!
Some indoor and outdoor events use amplified music or authentic African drums and most result in the exuberant participation of your guests! Make sure that the venue understands what you are doing to ensure that you and they do not receive complaints from neighbours or companies in nearby conference rooms.
Your Budget
The dreaded word! This is the time clients come over all coy. Nobody goes out to buy something without knowing how much they are able to spend. There is nothing different with the planning of a corporate event. At KDM the reason we ask is not so that we can sell you the same event for more money, it is so that we can propose the right event for you. After all why have a look-a-like if you can afford Daniel Craig himself!
Have you told your Event Organiser Everything?
A client who recently held a James Bond evening asked us at KDM if we could slow their sales teams drinking speed down … no easy task! However, as the bar was paid on account we introduced time slots when drinks could only be bought with casino chips for part of the evening.
Organising the Event
If you have the time or if organising corporate conferences and events is your job then researching, creating and delivering your event can be very rewarding. If however like most organisers, organising the event or conference is a task given to them in addition to their other roles then it has the potential to be a time-consuming and stressful time.
We do however have a solution – use a professional organiser like KDM - it’s as simple as that. We’ve dealt with every type of booking imaginable and have contact with hundreds of suppliers and venues. We can guide you through the minefield of picking the right event: whether it’s a Gala theme night, a team building activity, a company fun day or a corporate conference.
We are completely independent and we are unbiased. We eliminate the stress, allowing you to deliver and enjoy your event and also take the credit for a job well done!
Who is taking part?
When planning a corporate event the activities you should consider depend on many different factors.
What are the guest's roles? What are their nationalities? What is the age range? What is the gender split?
These elements will all influence the event as you wish to design an event that will not only meet your objectives but also attract and retain the interest of your delegates or guests. Remember, the most lavish corporate event can be a disaster if you fail to take the interests of your guests into consideration.
How many people are taking part?
Superficially an obvious question but to work well larger numbers often require more activites or an event with quick rotations so that there is more team interaction. However smaller numbers may allow for the team to work on certain in-depth aspects of their role or relationships.
Knowing the number of guests is also essential so that your event management company can propose the correct event to meet your objectives and ensure that interaction is maximised and ‘dead’ time minimised.
Why? - The Event Objectives
Whether the event is for team interaction or for hospitality or entertainment, before you start any event planning you must consider and establish clear objectives and this will dictate the style, type and structure of the event. If delegates have been in the same conference room for two days a table based mental task may be one step too far. However, if you are looking to get a team working towards a common goal, a competitive outdoor event may not be best suited whereas it would be a perfect way of saying “thank-you” to a team for a job well done.
Do delegates work together on a daily basis? If so concentrating on crossing boundaries may be an appropriate event choice. For delegates who only speak on the phone, activities that focus on communication and working together may best achieve your event objectives.
Whatever your objectives clearly establish them at the outset – even if they are quite simply 'Let's have fun!' You must then make sure that they are clearly understood by your corporate event organiser or provider.
When - The Date?
Make sure that your planned corporate event doesn’t clash with major sporting events, other meetings and events at your workplace and popular holiday periods. Certain times of the year will be more popular than others.
Christmas is obviously a popular time for events, but festive events are so often left until the last minute when availability is at a premium. Planning ahead is essential.
When - The Time?
When to hold your event needs to be carefully considered. In a three-day meeting, holding an activity breakout on the second day may mean that you can often use the event to emphasise some of the key factors of the conference. On a one-day meeting you may decide to hold a thirty-minute high-energy icebreaker in the middle of the day to keep enthusiasm levels high and eyes open!
Where - The Event Location?
Not all corporate events can be held at all venues. Few city centre venues have grounds for large scale outdoor activities, some events need certain room heights; some venues have restrictions on amplified music. When considering the venue, location, access, size, availability, facilities, grounds, costs and style - modern city centre, country house, or unusual venue - all need to be taken into account. Each will have an influence on the overall success of the event.
Everyone had a fabulous time and it was planned perfectly
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