Breaking the corporate mould - why businesses must reconsider how they engage with their teams

For nearly 20 years, at every stage of my career, I spent many a day in stuffy hotels and badly lit conference environments. These lifeless environments are exactly what you expect… swirly carpets, beige walls, air-conditioned box rooms, limited outside activity, and landscape views of a grey car park. 

We’ve all been there, the expectation to learn, discuss, and challenge colleagues with a bright mind. However, the reality is death by PowerPoint in unnatural light. The food served up makes you feel sluggish rather than invigorated, and you drink on too much cheap coffee in the hope that we’ll be able to concentrate fully when returning after lunch. The breakout and evening sessions for ‘fire side’ chats are without fires and the people serving you are less than engaging... How does this stale environment enhance creativity, wellness of employees, and help build the best teams? Come on people, you can do better! Your staff deserve better, and in return you will get better results when your organisation is inspired!

With the reduction of office-based working where people once connected face to face regularly, the rise of home-based working (mainly in isolation), and the subsequent reduction in real-estate costs, businesses should be investing heavily in their people and their wellbeing more than ever. These new but now cemented times for employees and employers have meant that we must mould out a new hybrid working model. Understandably this puts pressure on organisations and all management levels that weren’t there before to ensure employee welfare.  

I’ve heard many people say, ‘it’s fine, we have meeting areas in our own offices’.  We’ll save some money and just utilise these workspaces for our meetings. But how does that make any team or individual feel valued or inspire a new way of thinking to build innovative strategies and dynamic plans? The more people relax in an environment and feel comfortable in their surroundings, the more likely they are to think differently…

And at the end of the day, the purpose and objectives of these company meetings is to generate, provoke, and inspire a different way of thinking for teams and individuals. Organisations need to think outside of the box, come up with creative and inspiring spaces that will stimulate minds and provide the right environment for building business.

That’s why, when we set up Silchester Farm, it had to be different, it had to inspire and it had to deliver a new generation of meeting spaces. Somewhere that people can feel inspired and go home feeling energised and motivated. Our unique spaces include the elegant country Farmhouse and Barn House, perfect for both accommodation and meetings, the cosy Hen House for more intimate gatherings, and the spacious Hampshire Threshing Barn and Cow Shed capable of accommodating up to 140 guests, not to mention our charming al fresco spaces such as the Dutch Barn and landscaped Gardens. As a family-owned business, our team of devoted event managers are deeply passionate about what we do and delivering exceptional experiences.

Suitable for corporate away days, stays and retreats, conferences, team building days, workshops, film shoots and more, Silchester Farm’s stylish and versatile spaces are the perfect setting for your event. To learn more about what we’ve created, read our eight-step guide to the perfect event.

In addition, and adding to our unique spaces, we’re now extending our offering to feature ‘The Drift’ - eleven people sized pig arcs, with luxurious hygge interiors that can be used for meetings or additional places to stay.

And I know you don’t just want to hear from my perspective. Ultimately you want to know what other organisations have done. We have great customers who have found our location the ultimate place for hosting memorable and people centric events. If you’d like to know more about how one company used our spaces last year, read and view this testimonial from Wavelength Leadership where they stepped off-grid for an in-person, three-day rural retreat set in the midst of the stunning Hampshire countryside.

For more information, or if you’d like to be shown around Silchester Farm, please contact me.

Al Winsey, Co Owner of Silchester Farm