Emma Channon reflects on her final M&IT Agency Challenge...
Three
hilarious sets of challenges, 43 informative presentations, a few too many
glasses of wine, hundreds of unexplained mosquito bites and two-and-a-half days
of non-stop laughter - it's a snapshot of this year's M&IT Agency Challenge, but it doesn't even come close to describing the wonder of
the event.
As I sit
here trying not to fall into a post-AC depression and resisting the urge to
scratch the bites on my arms - seriously, where they came from I have no idea -
I realise that there just isn't any other industry event like this.
Our industry
is built on relationships and bringing together so many suppliers and buyers
in a fun, informative environment for three days helps form and solidify close
working bonds.
But when the
programme is so diverse that one minute you're acting out an animal invasion on
camera before hearing from a supplier in a short, interactive presentation and
then later bonding over good food and drinks, you've not only got a pocketful
of new business contacts, but a load of new friends.
Whether it's
encouraging a team member through the inflatable obstacle course in It's a
Knockout, or friendly heckling of the opposing side during the archery
competition, the fun and inclusive atmosphere runs thick throughout the event.
The presentations are scattered in between the challenges to maximise
engagement levels, and with a strict time limit to each one so the appropriate
information is delivered concisely. At the end of day two the one-to-one
meetings take place, with the chance for enquiries or business to start.
This year
saw us expand to Celtic Manor Resort, a move that seemed to signify the
challenge's true coming of age. It meant we had more event spaces to work with,
a better array of challenges for the teams, and gave the whole event a more
exclusive allure.
The staff
were absolutely brilliant and the food top notch, and using a majority of the
event spaces kept the programme mixed and interesting. Of course, the M&IT
marketing team deserve thorough recognition for pulling the event together so
well and I have been so impressed as to how they manage to improve it year
after year.
This year
has been my third - and sadly, my final - M&IT Agency Challenge, as I get
ready to head back to Australia late September. So a huge thank you to everyone
involved in this year who made it the success and the fun it was - and I will
be getting a huge dose of FOMO as I follow next year's event online!