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.
April found the KDM Events team packing our bags as we were invited to organise a team event at the newly opened Hotel Eden in Rome.
We were asked by our clients to organise a two day team event that provided activities dealing with team work and transformation, whilst also being fun and innovative. The team event was being held at the newly restored Hotel Eden located in the city of Rome as part of their ‘People Forum’. The forum was organised for the client’s internal team of Heads of Department.
Pleased to be invited to organise this team event, we packed everything we needed for the two day event into large suitcases and flew to Rome to deliver an animation team building activity and a beatbox energiser.
So what did the two day event consist of?
Across the two day team event the KDM team delivered our Animation Innovation team build activity and our Beat Box workshop to 40 members of the client’s team.
The Animation Innovation activity is designed to encourage team building through creativity. Through an introduction to Stop Motion Animation techniques, the team members were given the opportunity to use new ways of communication to show their ideas as they created, produced and edited their own animation.
Alongside the animation activity, we also provided a beatboxing workshop. The clients team were introduced to the techniques and skills needed to beatbox. Beat Box is a great energiser as it allows all members of the team to be involved as they work together to see what can be achieved together using only mouth, voice and lips. With their newly learnt skills and having been allocated different percussion sections, teams successfully worked together to create a musical memory.
And the feedback?
Our client delighted us with a very short email ending with this sign off “All was amazing!”
We did it!
The first time we’ve even considered taking time out of the day job to enter ourselves into the industry’s most prestigious; M&IT Industry Awards, and we bagged ourselves a GOLD!
We couldn’t be prouder, the unique draw of the M&IT Awards is that, you, our fantastic clients are the judges. So when we entered, we were not only hoping to walk away with the prize, we were excited to find out how our clients had placed us against the amazing offerings from our worthy competitors in the UK Event Industry.
The addition of the sparkling Best Event Provider Award to our fancy new office, was really just the icing, knowing that our clients are loving what we’re doing is the real success! Check out our Managing Director’s Post Acceptance Interview below:
On a crisp Thursday afternoon in January, the KDM Event Management & Delivery team found ourselves at the beautiful Welcombe Hotel & Spa in Stratford, preparing for a last minute conference booked only two weeks prior.
As one of the UK’s largest suppliers to the Event Industry, short lead in times don’t phase us, our equipment is all stored at our central warehouse, much of it handmade in our own workshop and our full time Event Managers, trained to produce a huge variety of of corporate events, are not unfamiliar with acting fast to get the job done!
So what did we produce in those 2 weeks?
Our client, The Dental Directory, one of the largest full service dental dealers in the UK, tasked us with the provision of a full day experience their delegates wouldn’t forget following successful delivery of the same for their 2016 conference.
We began the conference with set up on Wednesday, KDM’s full AV Package was required throughout the following day along with the technical expertise of our AV staff to ensure smooth presentation.
Following a morning of company presentations, teams were provided with the necessary tools to produce their own films, their Animation Innovation team build was based around The Dental Directory’s products providing a variety of learning outcomes such as raising team morale and reinforcing product awareness.
While delegates retreated to prepare themselves for the evening, our ground crew got to work turning part of the neo-Jacobean mansion into a Great British Celebration, decorating banqueting furniture with red, white and blue and dressing the room with brilliantly British staples; life size telephone box, life size letter box, giant tea cup and saucer and British icon silhouette panels.
The evening’s entertainment was completed with a Great British pub games package and the glossy awards ceremony, captured beautifully a professional photographer, was met with cheers all round!
The client was undoubtedly pleased by the outcome:
“The guys that they did a brilliant job on both days. Set up Wednesday was great and then Thursday the presentations went very well and I was surprised how well the team responded to the animation exercise. As always the games went down well and the gents attending were really helpful, I also held the record for the batak so good day all round!”
If you’d like a hand with last minute plans for conferences, event management or team building, get in touch!
Our Commercial Director is all too familiar with the battle women face in the workplace to gain the same status, pay and respect as their male counterparts, but sees the current issues highlighted as wholly missing the point!
Nicky Whyman, Commercial Director writes:
“I recently read an article about the appalling representation of women speaking at the Northern Powerhouse Conference, and as somebody who books speakers for conferences on a daily basis I can tell you that never, do I begin the search by deciding on which gender best fits my criteria. In fact, there’s not a point during the selection, proposal or booking process, where I wonder to myself should I be booking a male or a female for this?! My proposal and recommendations will always be based on an individual’s suitability for the occasion, based on what the client is hoping to get out of it.
“The events industry is actually dominated, in terms of sheer numbers, by women, though according to eventsuncovered.tv, the majority of leaders in the industry are men. This is clearly an issue to be addressed but the way to fix this is just not as simple as handing out leadership roles to women instead of men to even out the playing field – that is flawed on far too many levels to even begin typing!
“This is no different. The article I read featured descriptions of the ‘embarrassing’ 13% of speakers at the event, which celebrates the best business leaders in the North of England, quoting industry experts calling it ‘disappointing’ and an MP whose message was ‘women must be involved at every level’.
“My main problem with this rhetoric is that if we keep shouting about the special treatment we need to be heard and to succeed, if we continue to ‘slam’ somebody for choosing the male alternative, we’re actually presenting ourselves to the world as the weaker half of the population, who need a little extra opportunity to succeed and a bigger stage to be heard – how can we expect to be considered equal?
“The way I overcame the challenges facing me in the workplace was by emphasising my own ability, rather than try to isolate myself as entitled to different treatment. There are many ways to ensure you’re moving forward in your career and reach your goals – here are some tips based on my personal experience:
- Seek out a mentor who is a respected specialist in their area. Don’t underestimate the power of approaching someone and asking for their help!
- Don’t let your current position limit you – join and attend networking groups with job roles/membership that you aspire to.
- Increase your skill and knowledge levels with specialised training – ask those in the positions you aspire to what they recommend.
- If you are specifically being harassed or discriminated against then consider taking the appropriate steps. Don’t expect it to automatically blow over and don’t be tempted to just leave– take professional advice from a trusted 3rd party source before taking action.
“I’ll end on this final thought, the organiser confirmed that while they agreed that women are underrepresented, they’d actually approached companies who had decided upon a representative for themselves… Maybe the senior female leaders were too busy to RSVP?!”
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
Copyright 2017 KDM Events Ltd - Team Building Activities & Games, Conference & Event Management, Venue Finders, Event Planners, Treasure Hunts
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