Imagineering

outline

Vertical Horizons Events are highly-organised, planned in great detail and carefully analysed for the unexpected with contingencies ready for deployment. They are designed using hindsight, insight, foresight, creativity and freshness. Participants find them interesting, informative, involving, useful, enjoyable and memorable.

Events can be as short as one hour and as long as a week. Events take place indoors and/or outdoors and can be stand-alone or part of some other company event e.g. a Sales Conference. They can be recorded.

During the proposal and detailed planning stages there is thorough discussion and agreement with clients with regular reporting. Vertical Horizon keeps all agreements it makes with clients by agreed deadlines. If there is any doubt about whether an agreement can be kept this is discussed prior to the agreement being made. If the doubt persists the agreement is not made.

Proposals include an outline and an overall budget. A high degree of clarity is required regarding general aims, specific objectives and desired outcomes. All delivery will be done by individuals who are experts in their area of knowledge. Virtually any resources can be included.

We use the principles of Task and People in the design, planning and delivery of our events: on the Task side we ensure that everything is well-planned, rigorously and robustly designed and that it all works. On the People side we use a high degree of creativity to ensure that events capture the imagination and involvement of those present. We endeavour to ensure that learning and enjoyment takes place.

Vertical Horizon ensure that any briefing and/or pre-publicity is done in good time and all participants have the information they need at the right time to get the most out of the event.

examples of events

Major Bank: 2 days, 40 people, English Channel, U.K., Outdoors
Two-day sailing event in the Solent to reward successful sales people and teach them more about the benefits of team work and co-operation. They already knew about the benefits of individual initiative and competition. First day was a problem-solving exercise sailing in flotilla. The second day was a race, with problem-solving elements added, in different legs with some exchange of crew members. Therer were off-shore and on-shore review sessions.

Computer Company: 4 days, 1,200 people, Outskirts of Paris, France, Indoors
Sales conference. Vertical Horizon provided creative inputs between each segment of the conference to ensure everyone was awake, involved and working with what they had just seen in presentations. A special lighting rig was designed to enhance mood and change focus at different times. The conference was used to signal a change in direction for the company which would materially affect the sales force. This was well-received and a potentially difficult change of direction and culture was openly welcomed rather than silently resisted.

Software Company: 10 days, 50 people, Thames Valley, U.K., Indoors & Outdoors
New, young, eager company. Wanted to set the right culture from inception. Event took place on-site and off, indoors and out, in four separate stages over four consecutive months. The First Stage was an exploratory about what features employees wanted to see in the developing culture. Stage Two was to get to know each other, this took place off-site and consisted in an extended outdoor event with shelter-builds over-night and barbecues for food, some catered, some done by the groups themselves. Stage Three was a series of practical sessions on-site to look at how the desired features of the culture could be built in a practical sense. Stage Four was in the form of a course to test how individual behaviour was promoting or blocking the desired culture. There was a short review three months after the event. This organisation now has an annual event to reinforce the company values.