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Every month in Connect magazine, ViewPoint puts forward a key question facing one of the island's main industry sectors - and then a group of leading practitioners give their take on the answer, and what it means for Jersey.
This month, Allam Zia, Allan Watts, Bennie Burger and Anthony Love explain what is the best way to entertain clients.
Pictured: Allam Zia
"As change management experts, it’s important for us to make sure our entertainment offers clients an experience that is both enjoyable and engaging. We’ve run a series of events over the past 18 months that have fulfilled that criteria and helped address important issues affecting business in the island. For our first event last year, we brought over Dr. David Baxter, a Professor of Innovation, to headline an evening of innovation, highlighting some of the challenges clients could face along with possible solutions.
"For our second event we focused on the theme of uncertainty – a hot topic after the EU Referendum, and in the lead up to the American elections. As well as a fascinating insight into plans for Jersey’s future from Dr. Ian Skinner (Head of Strategic Planning, States of Jersey), guests enjoyed an interactive cocktail masterclass. Our most recent event was perhaps the most ambitious. This summer, we invited clients and members of Jersey’s business community to a bespoke presentation from International Futurist and U.N Gold Medal Winner Ray Hammond, on seven key drivers for change and what they might mean for business.
"Feedback on all three events has been very positive, both from clients who enjoyed the opportunity to meet world experts in innovation and future trends, and from our own people who were able to talk to clients away from the projects and programs that they are all supporting, and to get to know each other better, and build on those relationships."
Pictured: Allan Watts
"What makes good corporate hospitality? You don’t have to go big to be bold. Too many people think that the level of spend is commensurate with the degree of guest enjoyment. It’s true some events are ‘must attend’, for example the Investec Rainforest Ball held in aid of orangutans – Take That, Lord Archer and a set dressed to die for will surely go down as the event of 2017. But you can find simpler ways to your clients’ hearts and minds by being innovative and putting yourself in their shoes: what would you enjoy?
"The best corporate hospitality events are often those that let people relax. A beach BBQ or drinks in an intimate historic setting, for example, or a film premiere can often provide the right environment at very little cost. The important thing to remember is not to ‘sell’ at a hospitality event because your guests know there is no such thing as a free lunch. If they feel at ease, they are more likely to appreciate the effort you have gone to.
"Try to inspire people by introducing them to something new or thought provoking. Someone once gave me some sound advice: ‘If you are organising a hospitality event for an audience of accountants, don’t invite an accountant as the guest speaker!’ It’s a valuable maxim – your clients don’t want to hear about work; so create a buzz not a zzz; give your guests something unexpected and they’ll be talking about it for days."
Pictured: Bennie Burger
"As a specialist in corporate and commercial law, I work with companies and lawyers all over the world, and let’s be honest: a lot of lawyers don’t have an obvious edge on their competitors. That said, the best marketing a lawyer can do is to do a good job – nothing else does it quite as well. Entertainment, however, allows you to develop a comfort level and trust with your clients, separate and apart from the actual work you do.
"I accept that my clients' time is valuable, and they will simply stop accepting my invitations if they are bored. That’s why it’s always good if you can diversify and offer something more to your clients. The following are some original ideas for client entertainment and for other company events as well.
Pictured: Anthony Love
"The best way of entertaining clients in Jersey is… to be sensitive to the fact that clients are individuals, are varied and are often time-pressured. That means not taking a ‘one-size fits all’ approach, but varying the offering throughout the year. I’m a golfer (though the handicap is slipping a bit now!), so there’s nothing I love more than taking fellow golf-lovers out for a few rounds at the various charity tournaments that take place at island golf courses. However, we’ve held gin-tasting and cocktail making evenings, drinks receptions around our island’s heritage properties, and even had an evening with Nigel Mansell!
"Last year we sponsored Jersey Heritage’s Coin Hoard Exhibition at La Hougue Bie. That allowed us to align our client entertainment around both the exhibition and the special insight Stanley Gibbons can offer our clients about rare, heritage coins. We organised drinks evenings where clients could meet the people who unearthed the Coin Hoard and go behind the scenes in the Hougue Bie laboratory, speaking to archaeologists about their work with the 2,000-year-old treasure trove. We brought over our own rare investment-grade coins, some dating back to 330BC, that guests could touch, and examine up close, discovering their heritage … and if they wanted, secure for themselves.
"There is still a place for sports – in Guernsey we have sponsored the Powerboat Series 3 years running - an exhilarating event for everyone involved. And in the same way that a balanced selection of rare stamps and coins could be a good way of diversifying a portfolio, a diverse series of events is a great way of entertaining clients."
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