Corporate Events, Incentives, Conference Management | First Event

Beyond the Sales Summit Shifting Behaviours and Reigniting Culture

Client

Overview

Every year, our client brings together their UK sales team for a summit to reflect on achievements, share challenges, and set the pace for the year ahead. This year, the stakes were higher. Rapid growth and constant momentum had left morale slipping and people were working in silos. With 358 attendees spread across the country, the summit needed to do more than share information; it needed to rebuild connection, reignite belief in the business, and show everyone that they could take ownership and shape the company’s future.

A large audience watches a panel discussion on a brightly lit stage with orange decor and “YOUR HOUSE. YOUR STORY.” displayed on screens at a private luxury event. A brightly lit conference stage with four white chairs, a small table, and a large orange backdrop reading Our House. Our Story. Colorful bean bags offer relaxed seating at this private luxury event. The screen displays Welcome to Sales Summit 2025. A crowd of people socializes and mingles inside a dimly lit, ornate hall with high arched ceilings and chandeliers, as colorful lights illuminate the space, creating a lively, festive atmosphere perfect for a private luxury event. A large audience sits in rows of chairs, attentively watching a presentation on stage at a private luxury event in a brightly lit conference room with orange lighting and framed pictures on the walls.

The Challenge

The client wanted a summit that would feel different; less like a business update, more like a purposeful experience. The goals were:

Achieving this required a strategic approach. The event needed to be a vehicle for culture, skill-building, and achievable outcomes. This is why our strategy and creative teams were embedded from the start, ensuring the summit was designed to address these deeper business challenges.

  • Rebuild pride and re-engage the team with the company’s vision.

  • Shift behaviours from individual performance to collective ownership.

  • Break down silos and reconnect people with the “why” behind their work.

  • Equip both leaders and employees with the skills, confidence, and tools to take action in their day-to-day roles.

Our Solution

We kicked things off with a workshop, asking: What does success look like? What do we want people to think, feel, and do? Not just during the event, but beyond it?

From there, our Creative Strategist developed a red thread, a unifying story that tied everything together. Our Creative Lead then turned this into creative pillars and mood boards that built the summit experience from the ground up.

The event identity emerged: “Own the story – Shape the next chapter.” Framed around the theme “Our house, our story.”

How that translated into the experience:

  • Stage & space: Central, relaxed seating with no hierarchy. Bold lighting and vibrant AV created energy and sparked conversation.
  • Storytelling touchpoints: Mesh boards displayed highlights and stories from the past year, turning walls into culture canvases.
  • App integration: Attendees built their own agenda, chose activities, and even logged commitments for the year ahead, creating a bridge between event and action.
  • House party: A finale that turned the summit into a shared celebration, aligning perfectly with the “Our house, our story” theme.

How that shaped the breakout sessions:

Each workshop was designed collaboratively with the internal team to equip participants with practical skills and ensure actionable outputs they could take back into their roles. Our team also worked closely with leaders, mentoring them to maximise engagement and achieve the best results from every session.

Why

It Worked

 

Every detail was strategically designed to connect people, break silos, and ignite culture.

The summit didn’t rebrand the business or rewrite values; it unlocked what was already there and brought it to life. Attendees left not just informed, but energised. Commitments made during the summit kept the story moving long after the event. Culture wasn’t just talked about; it was experienced, co-created, and celebrated.

 

The Results

 

  • Event Objectives & ROI: Our client’s Head of Sales Strategy & Operations rated the event 9/10 for meeting objectives and delivering expected ROI.
  • Attendee Impact: Happiness was the standout outcome, teams left buzzing from spending time together and reconnecting.
  • App Engagement: 201 attendees submitted commitments; 358 active users across the event dates, creating measurable post-event impact.
  • Working with First Event: Overall experience rated 10/10. Feedback highlighted our strategy team for making a real difference in bringing content to life and making everything make sense.

 

The summit successfully transformed an annual summit into an immersive experience where people didn’t just attend, they lived the story, made commitments, and carried momentum back to their roles.

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Looking to transform your events into something people don’t just attend, but truly live and carry forward? Get in touch with our expert team today.