Case Study
Festival vibes for an annual corporate celebration
Every year, Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) hosts a summer gathering for its UK teams. As the company’s financial year ends on 30th June, it’s a chance to ‘end the year’ with a celebration of everyone’s achievements, and to throw a big party!
Usually a gala dinner, the group decided to mix things up for 2024 with a more relaxed, festival theme. They turned to FCM Meetings & Events to make sure the London-based event ran like clockwork.
Embracing culture and sustainability
FCTG wanted to move away from formalities and towards a celebratory event that connected to its core values. Objectives included:
· Celebrate the successes of financial year 23-24
· Deliver a fun, engaging, inclusive event experience
· Promote internal culture and reinforce brand identity
· Provide valuable opportunities for sponsor engagement and visibility
· Reflect the company's commitment to diversity, equity, and sustainability
Sustainability and inclusion were considered from the outset.
• 60%+ of employees live within 45 miles radius of central London, helping reduce carbon emissions associated with long-distance travel.
• Décor was kept reusable, with a focus on minimal waste.
• No dress code, no VIP seating, and every attendee was given equal access to the experience.
A beach....in London?
London City Beach was chosen as the venue. Its outdoor garden networking space and indoor option was the backdrop for casual seating, games, street food and festival entertainment. Attendees had the choice of dancing to live music, chatting to colleagues away from the dance floor, or talking to sponsors in more relaxed environments.
On a more practical level, it had good transport links, and budget-friendly in-built AV and décor. Space was tight, which was managed with flexible furniture, clever signage, staggered activations, and overflow areas.
Sponsors were associated with activity stations around the event, which included a glitter station, wellness hut, caricature artist and photo booth. There was even a surf simulator for those that dared!
Production and content creation was managed by FCM Meetings & Events, including video content, graphics and coordination with external suppliers. A custom-built app was created to house information and push notifications during the event.
Building the buzz
With a clear registration website, over 95% of attendees registered smoothly with zero questions or glitches. Attendees were asked to submit their favourite song that would get them on the dance floor, to be played at the event.
Email communication was split into delegates, new starters and sponsors with tailored messages to each. The team also posted on Workplace to remind people to attend and build up the momentum before the event.
An unexpected entertainment challenge
FCM Meetings & Events had already booked comedian Abandoman, party band FNKBND and a DJ set from Radio 2 and television presenter Rylan Clark.
But entertainment also hinged on the performance of the England football team. A week before the event, England secured their place in the quarter final of the UEFA EURO tournament. With the unpredictable timings that come with football matches, the team ensured the space was ready for those who wanted to watch, and had prepared back-up plans and shifted schedules depending on what happened (England won on penalties, which helped with the mood!).
A true celebration for all
90.75% satisfaction score. It speaks to the success of the event, with 88% agreeing the event reflected company values.
The custom-built app saw an adoption rate of 87%, with 93% happy with the app check-in feature.
The event reached its objectives of improving internal engagement, strengthening supplier relationships, and also raised more than £20,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support and Action for Children. Post-event engagement also saw high participation.
Feedback from the attendees include:
“Festival style suits us, our people and culture down to the ground! Everyone was relaxed, wearing what they are comfortable in and able to talk without restriction of a table/area/schedule”
“This event was run really well. Super impressed with M&E for the show they put in”
“After going to 15+ of these, this year was my favourite and much more on brand for Flight Centre”