Gide Loyrette Nouel Weekend Sportif

the challenge

The London office of a global law firm headquartered in France was tasked with organising a staff conference with team building. The challenge was to bring together over 300 lawyers, from 21 international offices, for a conference, practice group meetings and various sporting and social activities to encourage and build relationships between attendees.

our thinking

We worked in partnership with our key preferred suppliers to:

Locate a convenient hotel in London, with good transport links, for over 300 delegates to reside over the two-day programme

Organise and arrange a detailed delegate management system throughout the extensive schedule of events

Develop and create a conference programme to incorporate an AGM for all Resident Partners with Practice Group Meetings and Support Staff Meetings for all attendees

Design an evening social activity that encouraged social networking amongst attendees from the firm's different offices

Create and design an innovative daytime activity, incorporating an annual football tournament

Organise a spectacular dinner dance for 300 guests, with the opportunity for some musically-minded lawyers to perform after dinner

our solution

The Guoman Tower Hotel, located on the North Bank of the River Thames alongside the prestigious Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, was selected as the residence for the duration of the conference. Delegate management was executed through 'http://www.rsvp-online.com', a cost effective online data capture engine that enabled all attendees to register for all the various activities and Practice Group meetings.

Guests travelled to and from the different activities by Routemaster bus. Chosen for their iconic status the Routemasters proved particularly popular amongst the international attendees. An evening cruise on board the flagship Silver Sturgeon was also organised for all attendees. Departing from St Katherine's Pier, guests indulged in sumptuous food, whilst listening to a fantastic cabaret performance against the dramatic backdrop of London at night.

Inspired by London's successful bid to host the Olympic Games in 2012, a decision was made to theme the event as the ‘Week-End Sportif Olympics'. As the annual football tournament was the main activity, an impressive location for the tournament it was imperative. As such, the David Beckham Academy - with two full-sized state-of-the-art indoor pitches and one of the largest sporting facilities of its kind - was selected.

The ‘Week-End Sportif' evening dinner was held at The Royal Courts of Justice, the home of both the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal. One of the finest Gothic Revival buildings in Britain, this awe-inspiring venue was both impressive and significant for the attending lawyers. In addition to this, the screening of the Rugby World Cup played a fundamental role in the evening's proceedings. With the firm's French connections, France's victory against New Zealand only added to what was deemed a superb evening!

Through an exhilarating and exciting schedule of events all the client's objectives were met and key relationships were built amongst all the individuals that attended.