Published by John Warner
02.05.23
When it comes to ecommerce partners, brands are increasingly spoiled for choice – and it was a desire to set ourselves apart that led to the decision to put outside-the-box thinking at the heart of the latest quarterly gathering of the Velstar team. While we’re predominately hybrid or remote, the ambition was to bring everyone together to develop the agency’s thinking and culture in a unique way.
While looking for ways to achieve this, Holly (our Finance & Operations Director) came across the ideal venue! Packed with puzzling challenges, brain-teasing workouts, oddball photo opportunities, interactive experiences (and looking to take its first steps into corporate events), Quirky Quarter is a venue like no other.
With the venue’s rooms aiming to warp perception, the team were provided with a day of puzzles and optical illusions, as well as a talk from Olympian and motivational speaker Steve Smith.
When thinking about an Olympian, we often think about innate talent or extraordinary genes – Steve’s talk reminded us that when we see someone at the top of the podium, there is a team stood behind them.
The Olympian’s first-person account gave the team an insight into the magic that can happen when a team collectively works towards the same goal, it’s only then greatness can be achieved. The team left with an altered perspective on what makes for a successful team and how they can add this to their ecommerce expertise.
Speaking about the day, CEO and founder Dan Sheard stated:
When I launched Velstar in 2016, it could have been argued that the world didn’t really need another web-development agency – but thanks to an emphasis on hiring the best people and retaining that talent through dedication to culture and professional development, we’ve grown really quickly, acquired the awesome WeInfluence to bolster our marketing credentials and are now looking to push ourselves to the next level.
We took a chance and changed gears for this latest quarterly get-together, and I’ve been delighted with the results – not only did we have a great day full of laughs, it also generated some truly exceptional ideas for how we can make immediate improvements for our clients. Honestly, I couldn’t have hoped for a more successful day.
Quirky Quarter Event Coordinator, Summer Edwards, commented:
The experience Quirky Quarter offers the general public has been really successful, but we’ve been really keen to broaden our offering and work more with dynamic businesses tired of using the same corporate venues.
When we spoke to Holly, we knew our ambition aligned with what Velstar wanted to achieve. Holly and her team were able to use the different spaces in the venue in a variety of unique ways – from the central area being employed as a conference space for all 50 attendees, to several smaller breakout spaces, all with that Quirky feel.
The best thing was revealing more of the spaces and exhibits slowly as the day went on, meaning there were plenty of surprises before we ended with a fantastic drink reception in our library.
We’ve been delighted with the feedback from the Velstar team – we always knew that the venue inspired people to look at things differently, and it’s been fantastic to see the impact that’s had in a business setting. You could almost see the sparks flying!
We wanted Quirky Quarter to offer something off the beaten track – visually, experientially, cognitively and we think we’ve managed that and are looking forward to partnering with more businesses like Velstar that want a team building day, conference or more that takes people outside of the ordinary to develop the extraordinary.
While the team loves coming together, this outing is sure to be hard to beat – and the ideas generated will no doubt help Velstar become a better agency for both clients and the team. Everyone is already looking forward to the next outing – but if you happen to be reading this and in the market for an ecommerce development agency and growth partner with a difference, why not drop us a message?
