Corpies live it up in Liverpool and lord it in Crewe

The whole Chillisauce corporate team left the office on Monday to enjoy perhaps the most action-packed FAM trip in the history of company.

Departing London just after 9am, the team travelled 1st class to Liverpool where the first stop was Revolution cocktail bar. The group mixed the best of breakfast and boozing with a cheeky shot of porridge vodka before having a look around the venue and a quick chat about new corporate cocktail making and vodka tasting events. Then it was onto stop no.2- Knowsley Safari Park.

The team weren't to see the animals but to go 4x4 off roading and quad biking. As well as playing host to some of the world's most frightening animals, the park witnessed some of the world's most frightening driving as the Chillisauce crew took turns behind the wheel of a Land Rover which was pushed to its limits as it careered around rugged terrain which wouldn't have looked out of place in Jurassic Park. After tearing up the quad biking track and shooting at a variety of testing targets on the air rifle range it was time to bid the wilds of the safari park farewell and travel down to Park Royal hotel in Warrington.

The staff at Park Royal threw in an unexpected 'treat' by booking the Chillisauce crew in for a Thai Chi class. With a number of the team having run a 10k the previous day, they were stiffer than concrete corpses and proved quite a challenge for the tutor, particularly 6ft 6' Will and 6ft 4' Tom, whose longer limbs apparently put them at a huge disadvantage. When the session was over there were sandwiches, cakes and drinks for the team to feast on which definitely helped soothe everyone's aching bodies.

From Park Royal, it was back on the road to Crewe Hall in Cheshire, the final stop of the day. You couldn't help but be impressed by the stunning Jacobean country residence which is a Grade 1 listed building and former residence of Lord Ranulph Crewe. After a tour of the superb hotel and a couple of refreshing drinks on the patio overlooking the grounds, the team retired into the brasserie where they were served a fantastic chilli-themed three course meal featuring chilli duck, chilli tuna and chilli ice cream. After a few more beers and glasses of wine at the revolving bar to toast a fine day, the team retired to their bedrooms for a well-earned sleep in the lap of luxury.

A full Spectrum of events

For pure enjoyment you simply can’t beat a multi activity day. Where else would you get to speed around behind the controls of a hovercraft and then get to shoot a crossbow a couple of minutes later?

Spectrum wanted a full day of outdoor activities so Spencer sent them to Chingford just outside of London to enjoy a classic multi activity day where they got to have a go at no less than eight great activities; rage buggies, hovercrafts, blindfold driving, crossbow and air rifle shooting, archery, a GPS challenge- a modern twist on the treasure hunt, and the team building game ‘Diffuse the Bomb’ which involves teams answering questions to crack a code.

The great benefit of a multi activity day is that there are so many activities that everyone will find something they enjoy, as the feedback shows the Spectrum team had a blast.

'I would firstly like to say that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day and all the activities included. I think the ones that went down well were the hovercrafts and the buggies. The team on the day was all very organised and good teachers.

In all honesty there isn’t a bad word I can say. We all had a fantastic day and would definitely use Chillisauce again in the future.

Thanks for all your help.'

http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/activity-days/multi-activity-days/

Fashionable corporate events

What the Chillisauce team don’t know about fashion isn’t worth knowing. Just one look around the Chillisauce office and you can see most of the major fashion houses represented; Primark, Marks and Spencer and George at Asda are all on display, so it was no surprise when Dior, one of the world’s other foremost fashion houses, got in touch with us wanting to go cocktail making in London.

When it comes to corporate events, cocktail making is a timeless classic. Any opportunity that a group gets to have a couple of tasty drinks in the name of team building is always going to be a winner and so it proved for Dior:

'Thanks for all your help with the event - it all went really well and everyone had a great time. The location was very central and handy for us and the fact that it was in a bright cafe rather than a dark bar was appreciated!

It lasted the right amount of time and the food was very good. I would be happy to use you again.Thanks for everything and for turning it around so quickly and professionally - it made my life a lot easier!'

http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/cocktail-making/

University challenged

Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex is most famous for hosting the V Festival but on Wednesday it played host to Chillisauce and the University of East London for a day of team building.

The UEL wanted some fun activities to follow a departmental meeting so Ian suggested a Quintessentially English which is a great mix of traditional garden games such as croquet, badminton, lawn bowls, giant chess and draughts, and some not so traditional games such as giant Connect 4, giant Jenga and Twister.

After the early morning meeting at Hylands House, the team headed out into the park eager to get underway and despite the slightly inclement weather, it did nothing to dampen the team’s enthusiasm:

'Thank you for helping us to arrange our team building event at Hylands Park yesterday. We arrived at the venue to be greeted by Debbie(our event manager) and her team who were all lovely and very helpful throughout day. The weather was changeable between showers and sunshine but that didn't spoil the day at all, everyone took part and really enjoyed themselves.

The games were really were devised and although there was structure within the day Debbie and her team were not intrusive and allowed us to enjoy ourselves as a department. The whole day ran smoothly without any problems and we would like to express our thanks to the team.

With regards to booking the event and liaising with yourself in the office, once again everything ran smoothly, you answered any questions we had usually same day which was great. Thank you!!

We would also like to thank the catering staff at Hylands House who were extremely helpful and polite to us on the day. We run an event like this every year and we will definitely be in touch next time. Thanks once again.'

http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/quintessentially-english/

A cream cracker of a night

Some event companies just want to sell pre-built package days where you have to fit in with a format devised by them. We don’t blame them as it makes their jobs pretty easy, but in the end the customer loses out. At Chillisauce all of our events are completely bespoke which means that we build the day from scratch to meet your requirements. This can present quite a challenge but it’s the kind of challenge that our event team relishes.

United Biscuits, the makers of Jacob's Cream Crackers, Jaffa Cakes, Hula Hoops and McVitie's biscuits amongst others, got in touch wanting after-conference team building activities in London. They'd been studying our website and liked the look of quite a number of our activities so much so that they wanted to see if we could produce an evening where their team of 100 got to make their own adverts, learnt to mix cocktails and got to slip on their dancing shoes for some Salsa.

Isabel said ‘no problem’ and got on with organising what promised to be great evening at Royal Holloway University. She arranged a cross between Commercial Break and Den of Dragons where the teams competed against each other to impress a panel of judges with the adverts, brought in some top mixologists to teach the team some cool cocktails and had a Salsa instructor on hand to help the United Biscuits team burn up the dancefloor. On top of all of this Isabel also hired a top DJ to spin some tunes and play requests.

As we expected, the United Biscuits team had a tremendous fun-filled night:

'I just wanted to say a big thank you to you and your team for making our conference so successful on Thursday. Each event that we booked with you was superb:

Commercial Break- This worked really well and ran without any hitches - I am looking forward to seeing the DVD!
Cocktail Making- The display was fantastic and the cocktails were really nice! We had loads of Tequilla Sunrise's left over but they were poured into jugs and people helped themselves through the evening.
Salsa Dancers- They really engaged everyone and had loads of people on the dance floor - the lessons went down brilliantly and they made sure that the dance floor was full.
DJ- The DJ was very accommodating and played requests. He also made all the announcements that we asked him to. The variety of music was great and we had people dancing from 9pm to 2am.

I wouldn't hesitate to use any of your event managers again. They were all fantastic!'

Take at look at Commercial Break- http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/directors-cut/productid_3790/
and Cocktail Making- http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/cocktail-making/

Chillisauce give you extra

Crystal Challenge is now so popular that scientists estimate that by the year 2023 every single person in the UK will have taken part in Chillisauce’s most popular team building event.

Halifax wanted a relaxed day of team building activities for a team of 40 in Yorkshire and had liked the look of Crystal Challenge on our website. The group had already booked themselves into Yorkshire’s only 5* hotel so it was left to Isabel to put together the team building activities. They wanted a couple of hours of activities in the morning, lunch and then the same again in the afternoon, which Isabel was happy to arrange.

The Grade II listed 18th century mansion was a great venue for the event and the Halifax team had a go at all of the favourite Crystal Challenge activities including ‘chemical catastrophe’ and ‘diffuse the bomb’ before finishing the event in the legendary dome.

Unfortunately there was no sign of Howard Brown or the really massive woman from that advert where everyone sings, but the whole Halifax team had a brilliant time:

'I would like to thank you and everyone involved in making our away day as fantastic and fun as it could possibly be. The weather was great which was an added bonus. The events were well planned, fun and best of all they were suitable for everyone so everyone felt they could join in.

The event team were friendly and helpful and it was clear that they put allot of hard work into the day and it really paid off. I would definitely recommend Chillisauce to colleagues for their away days.'

http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/crystal-maze/

July newsletter jumps into inboxes

On this month's newsletter we're talking Christmas. You may think it's too early to start thinking about the festive season, but you'd be bang wrong. The weather outside is frightful (it's dark and pouring with rain as I write this) and if you want a Christmas event that's delightful, there's only one name to know- Chillisauce, HO HO HO!

We're also giving everyone the lowdown on our Rally Driving packages, you can win tickets to the 1st day of England v South Africa at Lord's and Dr David Tracksuit gives us his guide to the sporting summer.

Check out the newsletter here: http://chillisauce.cmail5.com/e/440332/f7dlijd/

Netball team continues to toil

Things just don't get any better for the Chillisauce netball team. Having started the season with a pair of painfully heavy defeats, the team were optimistic going into their next round of matches.

First up were the team with perhaps the most threatening name in the history of amateur netball- The Angles of Death. Despite the gallant efforts of the Chillisauce players including Mike 'the Munch' Elders who has brought a physical side to the team, the AoD ran out 28-1 winners, with Chillisauce's only goal being scored by Isabel Gwynder-Lewis. Captain Kim Drew described the result as 'smashing', or that might have been 'a smashing'.

Undeterred the team returned to the site of the previous weeks' mauling on Wednesday to face Team Sam. Despite the less intimidating name, Team Sam racked up a massive 32 goals in response to a shell-shocked Team Chillisauce's 2. Captain Kim racking her brains for suitable adjective plumped for 'flogging'. However the team did provide the comedy moment of the match when Ali's shorts fell down mid-jump which had both teams in stitches.

Record books are now being checked to find out the worst goal difference at the end of a full season!

Vicki joins Chillisauce

The Corporate team are pleased to welcome Vicki Wren. Vicki, who's from Edinburgh, previously worked as an Account Manager at Maximillion where she specialised in organising team events, away days and incentives throughout the UK. She has also worked as a freelancer for a Scottish marketing company which specialised in experiential marketing, and worked as a charity support worker for four and a half years.

Vicki has only recently moved down to London and enjoys exploring the city's markets at the weekend. Her biggest love is travelling and reading up on new places to explore- next on the list are Peru and Costa Rica.

Corp team check out London Launch Live

Tom, Ian, Vicki and Charlotte headed to Earls Court 2 on Wednesday morning to meet the best of the capital's venue and event suppliers at London Launch Live.

The team got the lowdown on plenty of interesting new suppliers and enjoyed a talk from Jez Paxman, the man behind the Innocent smoothie village fete. As ever boys made a special effort to check out all of the catering companies who had free food and drink on offer and even though they arrived at 10.30am, it's never too early to have a glass of champagne.

Welcome Break become quack addicts

How do you judge the success of a corporate event? Smiling faces on the day? Good feedback? Well, we think the one true reflection of success is clients returning to use our services again and again.

Welcome Break are a prime example. In the past we have sent their teams on a Multi Activity Day, Stunt Driving and on a Spy Mission and their experiences using Chillisauce have been nothing but positive, so when they wanted another corporate event, Chillisauce were top of their list.

Having done some of our more conventional events in the past, Welcome Break wanted a fun or quirky event in the morning followed by an afternoon of more structured team building.

Well if it was something quirky they wanted, Ian had the perfect solution; Geese and Duck Herding. Herding has become something of a cult corporate event recently, perhaps people are getting withdrawal symptoms since the demise of 'One Man and his Dog'? The Welcome Break team loved the idea, and in the afternoon Ian organised a classic Crystal Challenge, the quintessential team building game.

As usual with a Chillisauce event, everything was in place and ready to go weeks in advance, but then there was a massive spanner in the works- the kitchen roof at the venue Ian booked unexpectedly collapsed causing the place to be shut- and this was an established venue, not some old hut knocked up by cowboy builders! Ian, understandably perplexed, had only a matter of hours to find another venue in the area, but using his extensive knowledge he managed to book the group into a great hotel which wasn't in the process of collapsing, much to everyone's relief.

As expected, the rest of the event went according to plan and the Welcome Break team enjoyed their 4th exciting Chillisauce corporate event:

'Now that our event is over I wanted to pass on my thanks to yourself, Claire and Sarah for running a superb event. The venue proved to be excellent.

The whole team thoroughly enjoyed the Geese & Duck Herding.....and Claire will be pleased to know I think I have mastered the whistle! The afternoon event was also excellent, and very well run by Sarah, with her colleagues Bruce and Don.

We even had good weather - other than a brief spat in the morning the rain held off all day! Please pass on my thanks to all concerned.'

Take a look at the Crystal Challenge here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/activity-days/crystal-maze/

and Duck Herding here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/activity-days/sheep-and-duck-herding/

GRL get active

Multi Activity Days are like a full English breakfast. Everyone has their own favourite bit, but the real genius is the way everything combines to make a tasty treat that leaves everyone satisfied.

When it comes to cooking up tasty team building days, the Chillisauce team are the Gordon Ramseys of the events industry, but with slightly less swearing.

GRL, the world leader at developing simulation solutions for the subsea environment, wanted a fun day to reward a small group of their clients in Buckinghamshire. Ian got on the case and arranged for the group to race around on rage buggies and hovercrafts, test their aim at archery and laser clay shooting and take part in two team building activities, egg flirt and the ever baaaaarilliant human sheep herding.

The group had a fun-packed day and the GRL team were really impressed:

'Just a quick email to say a big thank you to you, Paul (the event manager on the day) & his team for a great day last Friday, everyone at GRL thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Keep up the good work :-)'

Read more about our Multi Activity Days here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/multi-activity-days/

It's a Crystal Challenge Knockout!

When it comes to team building, it seems that people just can't get enough of the Crystal Challenge and It's a Knockout. Events based on retro television shows have never been so popular as it gives people the opportunity to roll back the years, get outside in the sunshine (perhaps) and enjoy some old school fun.

The William Pears Group wanted an event for 100 of their staff in Hertfordshire which encouraged team building and communication but was light hearted and energetic. They liked the look of both Crystal Challenge and It's a Knockout, but were torn between the two. That's when Corp Fun Manager Ian came up with a simple solution; do both. Ian booked the group into one of Hertfordshire's top venues set in 55 acres of rolling parkland and organised a full day of unforgettable fun.

In the morning the group took part in the Crystal Challenge which culminated in the top teams spending time in the brilliant purpose-built dome scrabbling for golden tickets. After lunch the team got wet (partly because it was raining) and wild with three It's a Knockout games- funnel tunnels, giants and penguin pursuit- which involved donning huge costumes, sliding around in soapy bubbles and catching fish like Pingu.

Despite the inclement weather, William Pears still enjoyed a cracking day:

'Thanks again to Chillisauce for making yesterday a success despite the weather, our office is a buzz this morning with people recalling the events.'

Read more about It's a Knockout here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/its-a-knockout/

and Crystal Challenge here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/crystal-maze/

Chillisauce netball team off to difficult start

When Kim had the bright idea to start a Chillisauce mixed netball team there was widespread enthusiam in the office. The thought of throwing a ball around on a Wednesday night and then having a few drinks afterwards appealed, so Team Chillisauce entered an after-work league in Waterloo.

The only vacancy for a team in the competition was in Division 1 (where the serious players play), however the valliant Chillisauce team were undeterred despite the fact that most of the team haven't played any competitive sport since school, which for some was a very long time ago!

Unfortunately despite the boundless enthusiasm of the brave Chillisaucers, the season has started with three defeats- a 7-9, and two hammerings (look away now if you don't like seeing one-sided sports results), 3-28 and 1-27.

However last Wednesday the team recorded their best result of the season and avoided a much-feared pummelling. It was meant to be the team's week off, but someone (who shall remain nameless) misread the fixture list so the Team Chillisauce were left standing around with nobody to play.

The only way is up from here!

Guide to the sporting summer

Hello, I’m Dr David Tracksuit, former Arsenal footballer and doctor of sports punditry at the University of Ridingford. Here’s my guide to the sporting summer. Enjoy.

June- July
Wimbledon
The world’s greatest tennis tournament is bigger and better than ever this year with the addition of a new spectator ceiling on Court 14. The ceiling has been erected only 10ft above the ground making serving difficult and lobs impossible. Roger Federer has promised to play left handed without a racket in the final to give his opponents half a chance of winning.

Player to watch: Grobnan Shotalovic
Although he's having to bide his time in the Juniors this year, the 13-year-old Croatian wunderkind has taken the world of tennis by storm since reaching the semi-finals at this year’s Warsaw Open. He famously beat Andy and Jamie Murray 6-1, 6-0, 6-3, in the doubles final at Monte Carlo despite losing his playing partner to injury during the first set. If he doesn't win a Grand Slam tournament in the next two years I'll eat my racket.

Prediction:
‘Tiger’ Tim Henman to be reduced to tears in the BBC commentary box after John McEnroe asks him what it's like to have never won a Grand Slam.


July
Open Golf Championship
The 158th Open Championship takes place at Royal Birkdale in July. Mark O’Meara was the last winner at the famous course in 1998, when he shot a final round of -40 to win the famous claret jug by two shots from Spain’s Miguel Pitchenputt.

Player to watch: Boom O’Driverly
The big Texan is famous for his big drives and even bigger waistline, but has a delicate touch around the greens that belies his 38st frame. He finished runner-up to Mike Weird at this year’s McDonalds Invitational, and despite his lowly world ranking of 578, he’ll find the long narrow fairways, fast greens, and large number of local pubs to his liking.

Prediction:
With Tiger Woods out with a knee injury I expect a European to win. Ian Poulter or Fujitzu Hamaharki would be my tips.


July- August
England v South Africa Test Cricket
The Proteas come to the UK for their first tour since Nelson Mandela was re-imprisoned. With regular captain Jake van der Batt out with a torn finger, Graeme Smith takes the reigns. Smith will be looking to build on the success of his last trip to England where he managed to visit the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Nelson’s Column, the National Portrait Gallery, the London Dungeon, the Cabinet War Rooms and the British Museum all in one afternoon.

Player to watch: Francois Pietersen
The mad twin brother of England’s Kevin, Francois was left behind in South Africa when Kevin emigrated. Francois has never forgiven his brother for turning his back on the country of his birth and has vowed to attack him with a barrage of short-pitch bowling, words and stones.

Prediction:
This four Test series will go right down to the wire and much depends on whether England’s faltering batting line up can fire. Much rides on the form of Michael Vaughan, if can score big England have a great chance. It’ll be tight, but I’ll go for England 4-0.


August
Olympic Games
The Games of the XXXCCVJGJAVC Olympiad are held in Beijing, China. For me the Athens Olympics was ruined by drugs- that was when my heroin addiction was at its worst, so I have no memory of those Games.

Athlete to watch: Xang Hi Chang
The Chinese 10,000m specialist has been training for the games by running 40 miles a day whilst simultaneously sucking on the exhaust pipe of a car. Xang expects to be in peak condition for the Games, but unfortunately due to his training regime, doctors don’t expect him to live beyond the age of 30.

Prediction:
Great Britain will finish as respectable 156th in the medal table, ahead of their traditional rivals the Canary Islands but behind Sierra Leone.


August
2008/9 Premiership season stars
When there's no football to watch I feel dead inside. Since the end of Euro 2008 I've had to dedicate myself to making a full size matchstick model of the Cutty Sark just to distract myself from the pain of not being able to watch football 24 hours a day. The first Saturday of the Premiership season is the happiest day of the year. I can go down the boozer in my Arsenal shirt, watch a proper man's sport, drink beer with my mates and talk about birds. Happy days.

Player to watch: All of them
Every single Premiership footballer is a sporting genius who deserves every penny they earn. The Premiership is the greatest sports competition in the world so sit back and enjoy the entertainment as sporting titans face off in such mouth-watering contests as Bolton vs Hull and West Bromwich Albion v Wigan.

Prediction:
My wife will leave me after Christmas as all I do is watch, talk about or occasionally play football.

Making waves in Southampton

Tom and Ian started the Bank Holiday weekend in style with a trip down to sunny Southampton to see what was on offer for corporate sailing groups on the south coast.

After a meeting at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, the pair were treated to canapes and drinks on board a luxury powerboat moored in the marina, before donning their lifejackets and heading out onto the River Solent.

The Chillisauce duo enjoyed a white knuckle rib ride flying across choppy water left by passing ferries and plenty of 180 degree turns at speeds approaching 40 knots, before boarding a racing yacht to have a go at sailing themselves. Although it wasn't a particularly blustery day, the yacht managed to get plenty of speed up and under the guidance of the professional sailors, Tom took the helm and was soon sailing like a modern day Sir Francis Chichester.

Tom and Ian then headed back to the marina to have a look at some more of the boats available for corporate days before heading back to the yacht club for a cool drink. There have been harder days at work!

Tom gets dirty with T-Mobile

Next month at Chillisauce, we're launching a range a community-based and environmental regeneration team building projects. We will give businesses the opportunity to give something back to their local communities and reduce their impact on the environment though volunteer schemes throughout the UK.

To kick this off Tom went to visit a project in Welwyn Garden City where 20 staff from T-Mobile were at a primary school clearing a pond and building mini-allotments where the children will plant vegetables.

Tom, who knows little about healthy eating and even less about gardening, got straight to work with a fork digging over the mini-allotment areas to make them suitable for planting. Over the next few months, with good weather and a bit of luck, the children will be able to enjoy carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuces, onions and leeks which they have nurtured themselves.

This project will play a key role in helping the children learn about heathly eating at a time when child obestity in Britain has reached record levels.

Although this was not the type of team building day that any of the T-Mobile staff had experienced before, all of them really enjoyed the day and shared a great sense of achievement when the work was completed.

HSBC get sporty

May 31st was undoubtedly one of the biggest nights in British sporting history. Teams of finely-tuned athletes went hammer and tongs as one of the biggest prizes in sport was on offer. Competition was fierce and there were a few tears from the losing team, but that's how much a gold medal in the Chillisauce Pub Olympics means...…..oh and Manchester United were playing Chelsea in the Champions League final as well.

HSBC wanted a fun night out for a team in London to coincide with the first ever all-English final in Champions League history, so in keeping with the sporting theme, Suzy organised a Pub Olympics at a top bar in trendy Shoreditch and brought in big screens so the HSBC team could enjoy the football whilst having a go at a variety of pub games.

The drama of the football was matched by the drama at the venue as HSBC staff battled it out for honours at darts, table football, skittles and air hockey, before toasting victory or drowning their sorrows at the bar:

‘I just wanted to thank you for your excellent organisation of last night's event. The event was a huge success, great venue, worked with the numbers, where we had 74 people in total, which we were happy with.

A big thank you to Nathan and Spencer (the Chillisauce team on the night) and the gang, as the team were very well organised, very enthusiastic and friendly with both our clients and HSBC staff. I look forward to working with you again soon.’

Fancy yourself a Pub Olympian? Click here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/pub-game-olympics/productid_4903/

RBS mix it up

Making cocktails? That’s not team building is it? Well that’s where you’d be wrong. Just because you’re not driving a 4x4 blindfolded or trying to diffuse an explosive device, doesn’t mean you can’t learn skills that will benefit you at work. The fact that you can have fun and enjoy a few drinks whilst you’re at it is a welcome bonus!

RBS wanted to get shaken and stirred in Edinburgh so Claire organised an afternoon of cocktail making on a private floor of a top cocktail bar for their group of 45. Under the guidance of an experienced mixologist, the team learned to make several delicious drinks including a Mojito, a Pear Caipirowska, a Cosmopolitan and a White Russian, playing competitive team building games as they went.

The group also had a three course dinner to help soak up some of the alcohol before they unleashed their secret weapon- Singstar on the Playstation. As everyone knows alcohol and singing are natural bedfellows and there’s nothing like a few cocktails to loosen the vocal chords and get everyone up and belting out their favourite tunes. Apparently one of the directors is a huge S Club 7 fan, and had been threatening to rope some of the other members of staff to help him sing ‘Reach for the Stars’!

‘It went very well!!! It was so well organised and the venue perfect, but a big thank you has to be to the staff - they where GREAT! Am busy collating feedback forms from the team now and that is one thing that everyone has commented on was how great Craig, Charlotte and Eloise where. The whole afternoon was just fun and really relaxing.

Thanks for all your help too, it all went well and nothing was missed so it was all plain sailing on the day!

p.s. I didn't have to sing S Club 7!! Did Wham instead!!’

Take a look at our Cocktail Making packages here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/cocktail-making/

Start the fans please!

RSA Group wanted a morning meeting followed by a team building event for 30 people in Cheshire which would encourage interaction within the team and would help improve communication.

Ian sent the group to a luxury manor hotel and after their meeting the group enjoyed all the thrills and spills of the Crystal Challenge, a combination of testing team building activities where groups can win crystals to spend time the UK’s only mobile crystal dome. As ever with the Crystal Challenge, the feedback was fantastic:

'The day was excellent thanks - everyone had a really good time and, as a team, we all got a lot out of it.

Could you please pass on my thanks to the Chillisauce guys who were there on the day as it was their enthusiasm and hard work that made the day such a success.

I will definitely be recommending both Chillisauce and the Crystal Challenge to both colleagues and partners and I'm sure that should we require a event like this in the future, we will come back to Chillisauce.'

Read more about the Crystal Challenge here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/crystal-maze/

Deloitte team make their directorial debuts

Who said that accountancy couldn’t be glamorous? Deloitte contacted us wanting a venue for a morning conference, an afternoon of fun-filled team building, a meal and some evening entertainment for a team of 90.

Ian organised a blockbuster day for them at a beautiful 4* hotel in south London. After the morning conference, the teams split to take part in Director’s Cut and Commercial Break- two events require teams to work together and get creative behind the camera.

For the Director’s Cut, teams of ten tried their hands at film making as they planned, scripted and acted in versions of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘The Apprentice- The Movie’ and ‘Magnificent 7’. The teams had to budget and buy props and costumes from the before weaving their magic in front of the camera. To make matters even more difficult they were challenged to shoot all of their scenes in one take, so there were no second chances if you fluffed your lines!

The teams taking part in the Commercial Break had to make adverts promoting the 2012 Olympics. Amongst the compelling pieces of television one team even managed to incorporate a recreation of the protests about the Chinese torch relay. Very topical.

Over dinner the films and adverts were premiered on big screen much to the amusement and occasionally embarrassment of everyone involved!

After dinner, things got competitive as the Pub Olympics got underway. Like the actual Olympics but better as you can enjoy a few drinks whilst taking part, the Deloitte team worked their way though a modern pub-tathlon of events including table football, air hockey, giant Connect 4, bar skittles and a selection of games on the Wii.

The feedback is short and sweet, but sometimes less is more:

‘Just a short note to thank you for organising yesterday's event - a good day (and night!) was had by all.’

Take a look at our Director's Cut here: http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/directors-cut/
Commercial Break here: http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/directors-cut/productid_3790/
and Pub Olympics here: http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/pub-game-olympics/

Alterian motivation

The marketing moguls Alterian wanted a day out of the office for a team of 40 near Bristol. There’s no better way to re-energise a team than with some activities in the fresh country air, so Charlotte organised a day of orienteering, quad biking and archery.

If you don’t know what archery or quad biking are, you must have been in solitary confinement for the last 500 years, but what is orienteering? Well, orienteering involves charging cross-country between concealed checkpoints armed only with a map and compass for guidance. If you were in the Scouts or Guides during your youth you're at a huge advantage as success in the event is dependant on being able to figure out the fastest route possible, so ability to read a map is key. It's a great way to get a bit of competition going amongst your group and also developing teamwork skills.

Charlotte travelled down to Bristol to personally oversee the event and the whole Alterian team enjoyed themselves, especially the boss who managed to come out on top in all of the activities, winning a much coveted teddy.

The biggest cheer of the day was reserved for one of the female employees whose rather conservative riding on the quad bikes led to some of the other team members chasing her around the course on foot encouraging her to open up the throttle!

‘It was a great day - lots of positive feedback from my team. Just what we needed after a week of intense meetings, and coming during a very busy period it was good to get outside.
All well arranged and thanks to you for chaperoning us around, and arranging the coach.

The teddy is now tied to a pillar in our area of the office as a trophy! I will bear Chillisauce in mind in the future and have passed the good word to other department heads. Thanks again.’

Quad biking, archery and orienteering is just one of a myriad of Multi Activity Days which we can organise all over the country. Take a look at them here:

http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/activity-days/multi-activity-days/

May newsletter mailed

The May Chillisauce was emailed out to over 5,000 of our clients this afternoon. If you've got a head for business you can check out our 'The Apprentices' days, and also featured are our new and improved Family Fun Days. You can also win £250 to donate to an environmental cause or community sceme of your choice.

Take a look at the new newsletter here:
http://chillisauce.cmail1.com/e/411858/f7dlijd/

LSC play the spying game

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. They have a single goal- to improve the skills of England’s young people and adults to ensure we have a workforce of world-class standard.

If you want world-class workers, team building can play a vital role. If you want to energise and motivate your team, and improve their communication, decision making and leadership skills, team building activities help develop all of these qualities in a fun-packed format.

That's where Chillisauce come in. LSC contacted us wanting an event for 28 members of staff in London which would get them out of the office, developing their team work and having some fun. Corporate Fun Manager Ian, who worked briefly as a spy during his gap year, suggested an Incognito Spy Mission and LSC loved the idea.

The LSC team donned trench coats and dark glasses and hit the streets of London where they were plunged into the murky underworld of espionage, following a trail of intelligence, cracking codes and completing challenges and information drops:

'My colleagues and I had a wonderful (and very tiring) afternoon. Within a few days a colleague from another department asked me who organised this event for us because she’d heard it was really great.

Thanks for making the afternoon such a success!'

Read more about Incognito Spy Missions here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/team-building-days/spy-days/productid_3975/

Top 5 summer holiday destinations

If you've got no idea where you should go on holiday this summer, Galapagos Stevens, Professor of Travel and Tourism at the University of Ipswich gives us his top 5 destinations for 2008.

Margate, England: The place to see and be seen.
'The quintessential English seaside holiday resort. The media may portray Margate as a crumbling, chav-ridden, hell-hole on the Kent coast but the reality couldn’t be more different. Since fire destroyed 95% of the town in 2006, over £100bn has been invested in regeneration.

Margate’s brand new marina has led the town to be compared to Monaco and many of the richest and most influential people in Europe have yachts moored there. The town boasts Britain’s only 7* hotel and last summer George Clooney held his 60th birthday party at the local Dreamland amusement park. Expect to pay around £5,000 per night for a double room in a 3* hotel in peak season.'

Kabul, Afghanistan: For those with a sense of adventure.
'If you’ve got a sense of adventure, a week in Kabul simply can’t be beaten. There’s not much opportunity to get legless in a Muslim country, but you may come back legless as mines litter the roadsides. This is definitely one of the most picturesque cities I have ever visited, although I do like pictures of war.

Hotel accommodation, although cheap can be a little basic. Some hotels lack basics like ensuite bathrooms and outer walls. I took my wife and she said that the earth moved for her virtually every night, mainly because our hotel came under regular attack from rocket propelled grenades. Expect to pay around £109 for a week all-inclusive in a 4* hotel. Flights go daily from RAF Northcote.'

Harare, Zimbabwe: Great for couples on a budget.
'The economic crisis is great news for tourists. Your pound will go miles, although you won’t be able to travel many miles unless you fancy queuing for hours for petrol. Food is not all that plentiful, but that’s great news if you’re on a diet. Travel light as you’ll need several suitcases full of currency to buy anything.

In a new initiative aimed at boosting the ailing economy, you can play a round of golf and have tea with Robert Mugabe for US $30. Hotel accommodation is expensive and standards have slipped considerably in recent years. Expect to pay Zim $95,000,000 for a ten day trip not including flights or transfers.'

Xzanhse, Greece: Clubbers paradise.
'If you’re a fun-loving youngster who loves nothing better than supping a light ale and doing the twist at a discotheque, Xzanhse is the new place to go. Dubbed ‘the new Ibiza’ by Saga Magazine, the Greek island has three enormous social clubs which can accommodate up to 250 for an evening tea dance and regularly feature big name DJs including Mike Read and Dave Lee Travers during the summer months.

Rumoured to be a favourite with celebrities such as Carol Thatcher and Bobby Davro, Xzanhse has plenty of excellent guest houses which are perfect for youngsters who want to party all night and sleep during the day. You can fly Easyjet from London Stansted for £29 return and a week in a 3* guest house should cost around £400 in peak season.'

Kog Harm Lou, Thailand: Great if you’re man over the age of 60 who has needs.
'The smallest and most beautiful of all of the Thai islands, Kog Harm Lou is an undiscovered gem off the west coast of Thailand. This was the place where the film ‘The Beach’ was meant to be filmed until they decided to make it somewhere else.

I travelled to Kog Harm Lou last year on my own after my wife was taken ill in Bangkok and I can honestly say it’s the one of the friendliest and most untouched places I have visited. The women on the island are particularly friendly and for only £3 per night you can stay in a beach-front hotel complete with live-in maid. It’s an absolute bargain. Flights start from £850. Go there now, it’s enchanting!'

Professor Stevens' new book 'Lonely Old Man Planet- South East Asia' is available to all good book shops priced £18.99.

Corporate team shine in Sheffield

Whoever said 'It's grim up north' clearly had never been to Sheffield in May. The Chillisauce team were up bright and early on Friday morning to travel to the steel city to have a go at some of our most popular events and visit some venues.

The sun was shining as they arrived at Sheffield station from where we headed straight to the home of Sheffield Collegiate CC, England captain Michael Vaughan's club, to take part in a Crystal Challenge, one of our most popular team building events.

It was girls v boys as Suzy, Claire, Charlotte and Isabel faced off against Ian, Spencer, Will and Tom. The teams were challenged to construct a free-standing shape out of wooden blocks (much harder than it sounds!), retrieve dangerous chemicals from a cordoned off area, build a huge catapult capable of hitting targets 40ft away, solve a murder at a casino and diffuse a bomb by answering a series of brain teasers. The prize for each challenge was a crystal and ten seconds of time in the crystal dome.

Much to the consternation of the boys, the girls won five crystals to their four, even though they suspected that the girls had been getting more than a bit of a helping hand from the instructors!

With their extra ten seconds of time in the excellent inflatable dome, it should have been simple for the girls to snare the most golden tickets but their hesitant ticket collecting style led to them garnering a frankly pathetic number of tickets and they were trounced by the boys whose aggressive style and bigger hands paid dividends.

After lunch they headed up into the Yorkshire dales to test their skills behind the wheel of a Land Rover over a challenging off road 4x4 track featuring more lumps and bumps than an acne-ridden teenager's face. Both teams displayed admirable skill behind the wheel, not least Charlotte who, after looking suspiciously capable, revealed that she had been driving off road on her parents' farm since primary school.

The team then visited a couple of top Yorkshire hotels to check out their facilities before driving back into sunny Sheffield for a meal with some our suppliers and a well-earned Friday night drink.

Check out Crystal Challenge here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/crystal-maze/

Go off road by clicking below:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/4x4-off-road-driving/

Dress Up Friday

When it comes to fashion, some Chillisauce staff leave a lot to be desired. We have a fairly relaxed dress code in the office, by which we mean you can wear exactly what you want. Whilst some of the team abide by the dress smart, think smart mantra, others look like they've just raided the bargain bin at a charity shop.

Some of the girls in the office decided enough was enough, so once a month we're going to be having a themed day where everyone will dress up.

We kicked things off last Friday with a 'dress up' day where everyone had to don their smartest clothes and give the Chillisauce office a much-needed touch of sartorial elegance. This came as a shock to some Chillisaucers who normally only wear a suit at a funeral or court appearance, but virtually everyone made the effort and looked spiffing. Top marks went to Commercial Director Will (pictured) who looked like he'd just come straight from a pheasant shoot on a country estate, and Gavin who's three piece suit, but no shirt, set tongues wagging.

Crystal crackers

Crystal Challenge has become a phenomenally popular corporate event since we first started selling it last year. Mixing conventional team building with a fantastic finale in the UK's only mobile dome, it’s no surprise that we keep getting fantastic feedback.

Aston University spotted Crystal Challenge on our website and wanted us to base them at a venue near their Birmingham base. Corporate Fun Manager Suzy polished off the Chillisauce crystals, dusted of her leopard skin coat and booked the group into one of Warwickshire’s most picturesque hotels:

‘I am pleased to say the whole event was absolutely brilliant. The hotel was absolutely beautiful, the food was great, the staff more than helpful and very friendly and the rooms and facilities provided were excellent. Everyone completely enjoyed the Crystal Challenge which was fun and well organised.

The staff organising the event were very friendly and made everyone feel at ease. The whole event was of a very high standard and well organised. All of my staff certainly enjoyed themselves and this has been one of them most successful away days we have ever had.

I would like to thank you and your team for all your hard work in organising this event and no doubt we will be looking to you in the future. I think the staff want a re-match next year at the Crystal Challenge so we will have to see. Many thanks again.’

http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/crystal-maze/

Tom through to final

Chillisauce copywriter and stand up comedian Tom has made it though to the final of the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year competition. He’ll to head-to-head and joke-to-joke against 12 other new comics with a £1000 on offer for the winner and paid gigs for a whole year for the runners up.

RWE go mad

RWE got in touch with us wanting a half day team building event for 27 staff in Swindon which would improve communication. Initially they were interested in a treasure hunt, but as Ian found out more about the young, dynamic team, he thought that the more energetic Go Mad in the Country would be more suitable.

Go Mad is a fully mobile, interactive five-in-one event, combining elements of a murder mystery, treasure hunt, scavenger hunt, photo mission and a 'Famous Five' adventure. Ian based the team at a top Wiltshire hotel and as expected they had a great time, even if they caught the staff at the hotel on a bad day!

‘As far as our team was concerned everyone had an absolutely fantastic day! It was really good fun, everyone got involved and thoroughly enjoyed it. Everything was really well organised, and Debbie (the event manager) and her team were great fun, and got really involved which made the day even better.

I believe that we're already looking in to organising another event with yourselves - and I think that we're going to be doing another event later in the year, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from us again.

Hope that gives you some useful feedback, we're quite happy to go on record to say that we had a great day in all! Thanks again for all the time and effort both yourself and your team put into to making the day as good as it was!’

You can go mad yourself by clicking on the link below:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/go-mad-in-the-country/

Chillisauce- the 4th emergency service

If you need to get to hospital in a hurry you call an ambulance. If you need a great corporate event, you call Chillisauce. The London Ambulance Service wanted a full day of activities, team building and a brief morning meeting for 60 of their staff in Hertfordshire, so Isabel organised a multi activity day where the group got to try their hands at a range of events.

The aim of the day was to get the group working together under pressure and have some fun whilst they were doing it. Good team work is important in all businesses, but when lives are at stake it’s crucial that team members trust each other. Team building activities play a key role in improving communication and decision making skills.

After a brief morning meeting, the London Ambulance crew headed outside and sped around in hovercrafts and rage buggies, shot crossbows and laser clays and worked together chariot building and human sheep herding.

As the feedback shows, the day was a huge success:

‘Just wanted to drop you and your team a MASSIVE THANK YOU from my whole team for the event that you arranged for us on Thursday.

I can safely say that the whole team thoroughly enjoyed themselves and managed to learn a lot about each other.

Your whole team were really great, as were the staff on site. I managed to thank everyone on the day but also wanted you to know how good it was.’

http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/activity-days/multi-activity-days/

NEC hit the treasure trail

Treasure hunts have come a long way since ‘X marks the spot’ maps in old bottles. Sadly, there’s no buried treasure to dig up, but a Chillisauce treasure hunt is an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable experience.

The electronics giant NEC wanted to get out of the office for the day and have some fun in London. Suzy organized a treasure hunt and the NEC team really got into the spirit of things. The streets of London aren’t paved with gold, but they’re full landmarks and attractions which make it a brilliant place for a treasure hunt.

To add to the fun, Suzy incorporated several central London pub stops along the route where the teams could refuel and socialise before getting on the scent of their next clue:

‘On behalf of NEC, I would like to say a massive thank you to yourself and the Chillisauce team for the event on Thursday. We all had an amazing time and were impressed with the organisation of the event. Debbie and Kirsty (the event managers on the day) were really helpful and made the day even more fun so please also pass our thanks onto them.

We will certainly be using and recommending Chillisauce again in the future.’

Take a look at our treasure hunts here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/treasure-hunts/

The biggest brands choose Chillisauce

The list of the Britain’s top ten brands was published this week and they all have one thing in common- they have all enjoyed events with Chillisauce. Britain's biggest brands are, in order: Vodaphone, Tesco, HSBC, Marks and Spencer, Barclays, Standard Chartered, BP, Royal Bank of Scotland, Asda and NatWest.

Google, who have booked a number Chillisauce events, were named as the world’s top brand with a brand value of £43bn, which is roughly £43bn more than is currently sitting in the Chillisauce beer fund.

For a full list of the most powerful brands in the world click on this link:
http://www.millwardbrown.com/Sites/Optimor/Media/Pdfs/en/BrandZ/BrandZ-2008-Report.pdf

Spencer joins Chillisauce

The Chillisauce team is pleased to welcome Spencer Mason to the company. Spencer has just come back from Wellington, New Zealand, where he has been organising events for a corporate ten pin bowling lounge for the last 18 months.

For the six years prior to that, Spencer was based in Newcastle, teaching diving in the freezing North Sea and from there he went on to work in Italy, New Zealand and the Caribbean.

He's a massive water sports fan and also enjoys surfing, waterskiing and wakeboarding, so we hope we has a wet and wild time at Chillisauce.

E.on enter the Den

Have you had a brilliant idea that you think could make you a millionaire? Every great invention starts with a spark of inspiration and with our new Den of Dragons corporate event you can unlock the creativity in your team.

E.on wanted a half day team building event near their office in Coventry. They wanted a fun activity which encouraged learning and interaction but also had a business edge to it. Den of Dragons fitted the bill perfectly, so this is exactly what Ian suggested the group do at the mighty Coventry City’s Ricoh Arena.

E.on’s group were divided into teams and had to come up with ground-breaking inventions which would convince the Chillisauce dragons to part with their cash. The groups wracked their brains and came up with a range of the brilliant inventions, but the spoils went to the team who produced the prototype of the ‘Protectagent’, a stab-proof suit for business people who work in the inner city.

They’re busy people at Eon and were concerned about the event overrunning as they had to be out of the venue by 5. However with Ian at the helm, the event ran like clockwork as the short but sweet feedback shows. Why use 1000 words when you can use ten?

‘The guys were on time and we had a great event. Many thanks.’

If you dare enter the den, read more here:
http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events/den-of-dragons/

April newsletter arrives in inboxes

Sneak a look at this month's Chilisauce newsletter to get the inside track on our Incognito Spy Mission and new Stunt Training days. You can also win the chance to donate £250 to a charity of your choice as well as catching up on all the usual Chiilisauce news.

Don't be an April fool, check out the newsletter by clicking the link below.

http://chillisauce.cmail5.com/e/388840/l/

(Almost) All you need to know about Shakespeare

April 23rd marks the 443rd anniversary of the birth of Shakespeare. The Bard was the bane of many a school child’s education, but if you want to make yourself sound clever at a dinner party it pays to have a basic knowledge of his most famous plays.

Professor Anthony Thimble from the University of the Isle of Man gives us a brief guide to the Bard's best work.

Othello:
Othello is a Muslim soldier who is tricked into killing his wife Desdemona by Iago, his trusted advisor. Iago shows Othello a copy of the Ye Olde News of the World which appears to show Desdemona snogging his lieutenant Cassio in a London tavern. However it turns out that the photos were fake and Othello commits suicide by taking a heroin overdose.

Famous quote: ‘Alas lawyer. I’m in proper strife.’ (Othello- Act V, Scene III)

King Lear:
King Lear decides to divide his kingdom between his three daughters- the evil Goneril and Regan and the delightful Cordelia, but Cordelia is disinherited after getting caught cheating in her university finals. Goneril and Regan throw Lear out and order his and Cordelia’s execution. However, there is uproar in Parliament and the decision is overturned, but not quickly enough to save Cordelia. In the play’s final scene, Lear, realising the error of his ways, appears on stage with Cordelia’s body before dying himself. King Lear is Shakespeare’s most famous comedy.

Famous quote: ‘I was cast into the night with a flask of Bovril to sustain the fight.’ (Lear- Act II, Scene II)

The Merchant of Venice:
Bassanio needs money to travel to Belmont to woo the beautiful and wealthy Portia. He asks his friend Antonio, but he’s just bought a speedboat, and NatWest won’t help him, so he’s forced to go to Shylock, a Jewish money lender. Shylock hates Antonio and only lends Bassanio the money on the condition that he can take a pound of Antonio’s flesh if he does not repay the loan. Antonio loses all of his money after the Wall Street Crash and Bassanio blows all of his cash on cigarettes and booze so Shylock insists on his pound of flesh. The matter goes to the High Court where a judge decides that the contract is illegal and makes Shylock convert to Christianity as a punishment.

Famous quote: ‘Ok, I’ll convert, but can I still wear the hat?’ (Shylock- Act V, Scene I)

Hamlet:
Prince Hamlet sees the ghost of his dead father, the King, who tells him that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle Claudius and demands Hamlet avenges him. Claudius hastily marries Hamlet’s mother and banishes Hamlet to Miami and orders his murder. Hamlet however returns to Denmark and, after getting fatally wounded during a poker match, he kills Claudius and names the Norwegian Prince Colin as the heir to the throne before dying.

Famous quote: ‘Alas poor Yorick….although he was a bit of an idiot.’ (Hamlet- Act III, Scene I)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
This fairy story is so mental I’m pretty sure Shakespeare was on drugs when he wrote it. I can’t really make head nor tale of what’s going on, and there’s a bloke prancing around with a donkey’s head on! I think they might all be having a dream or something and there’s a guy called Lysander, but apart from that I’m pretty stumped. I always throw a sickie the week I’m expected to lecture on this play.

Famous quote: ‘Oi, Robin Goodfellow you joker, get out of my sight before I iron you out!’ (Oberon- Act VIII, Scene I)