Want a wedding with a difference? Everybody has heard of VisitScotland via Scotland’s national tourist web site but did you know they have several niche web sites for specialist holidays in Scotland? We were really pleased to see that Scottish Wedding, the specialist wedding site for Scotland has included our Leap of Faith event. This is a Scottish wedding ceremony with a difference. A really big difference. As Scottish Weddings says Activate Events’ “Leap of Faith is Scotland’s first four-pole structure where couples can tie the knot mid-air.” We like to manage the event at St Andrews, in partnership with the Fairmont St Andrews, which means friends and family can watch you take the plunge from your 40 foot pole with a backdrop (no pun intended) of some of the nicest scenery on Scotland’s east coast. Scottish Wedding is also right on the money when it says “Activate Events offers a titanium guarantee that a Leap of Faith wedding will be spectacular”.

Where do team builders go for a spot of team building? The answer for Activate Events last week was Aberfoyle, where we had a great day out at Go Ape. This company specialises in rope bridges, high wires and Tarzan swings and, basically, anything which involves hanging people from the tops of trees (but in a good way). In no time at all we were flying through the greenery of the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park in Aberfoyle.

There is no doubt we will incorporate something like this into our corporate events and team building sessions. There are huge benefits to be gained, particularly for those people more used to sitting at desks than swinging through trees.

Here is a short movie of Sean going ape on the Big Zip Wire, the longest zip wire in the UK. Don’t try this at home (or at least not until you have taken the washing in).

It’s a QuickTime movie but if that’s not convenient, it’s also available on YouTube for a slicker viewing experience!

[qt:/images/big_zipwire.mp4 320 256]

It’s that time of the year when I get to see our happy clients again in informal surroundings and also to meet newly referred suspects to the Activate happy client list!

I enjoy immensely the opportunity to get in front of people again. this is the perfect time to listen to their event needs, their aims and expected outcomes from investing time, money and energy into their most important assets….people!

It is also a great time to hone my skills as a listener, as a coach and as an event creator. Training for the team also takes place during these meetings with Laura Temp and Andrea le Clair our Event Consultants joining me for a meeting master class, as well as them meeting their own prospective clients.

A couple of top tips for an effective meeting:

1. Remember that a meeting is an event. Organise yourself as if you were running this event for your client! This is an interview for their business!
2. Call a couple of days beforehand to confirm time, place, agenda, duration and any challenges such as local parking.
3. Call on the morning before you leave the office to sort any last minute challenges.
4. Smile when you meet, use their name, have a firm handshake and thank them for their time.
5. Use your skills and information cleaned so far to assess how they operate i.e.
   1. Red: business like, short sharp info, clear and decisive…no stories!
   2. Green: How are you? They care about you and are happy to chat.
6. Stay on time, on track and finish with a commitment to follow up, add to email newsletter, book event.

Hey, don’t forget to enjoy yourself and people buy people and usually within the first 4 seconds…so make them count!

Sean