Amazing Monaco, expensive? Think again!
I’ve been on some amazing FAM trips, but Monte Carlo (principality of Monaco) takes first place. The transfer from Heathrow (6 flights per day) to Nice (2 hours) and then 25 minutes to the stunning 5 star L’Hermitage Hotel (part of the SBM group of 4 hotels and a Casino) was so quick. I left home at 10am, I was looking at the med and luxury yachts from my room by 3pm! Our hosts Ugo and Maree from the sales team left nothing to chance and ran the whole event with first class military precision.
The destination speaks for itself, just being in Monte Carlo is amazing – let alone playing the Casinos, seeing all the amazing super cars and yachts, eating Michelin star food and enjoying ‘winning’ a treasure hunt by the Grimaldi Palace (thank you Ekypage). Then to top it off, flying back to Nice by helicopter! Well, at least it was just a glimpse at how the super rich live. But if you are thinking this destination is way out of budget, then think again! Monaco, and more importantly SBM, want your business and outside the season i.e Jan-March and Nov, it’s a First Class and surprisingly ‘Great Value’ option. What’s more the weather is perfect (16 degrees in Feb), there’s little traffic and they ‘physically’ want you to have a good time. The SBM group has over 900 rooms across 4 hotels and and a stunning (& flexible) exhibition and events venue, complete with revolving roof and a 1000 capacity. It’s a destination with seriously good conference, team building, exhibition and leisure facilities and all the WOW factor you need to entertain in style.
Want to know more, contact the Planet Pursuits team.
Treasure Hunting just went global!
Planet Pursuits has just released its first global based App. iTreasure is a mobile phone application, or App, that allows users to Create a treasure hunt using an iPhone and then invite friends to join and play. The company’s research suggests this is the first App of its type in the world.
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- Locate the clue from your mobile map
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- Create, Share & Play games anywhere
Anyone can create a treasure hunt using this App. You start by giving your game a name and location and then you add cryptic questions for your players to answer. You can add clues, photos and hints and then using your phone you fix your location using the inbuilt mobile GPS tracking system. The player can see their location on a map and easily identify where the clue is, if they merge the two spots by physically going to that location they can answer the question or look at clues and photos to help them – which costs extra points. Once you give the correct answer the next location is revealed.
Planet Pursuits events is the company behind this innovative new product and Simon Maddison, its founder, is no stranger to treasure hunt style games, having successfully sold a similar Spy-based team building product around the world.
“I see this as a community based extension of our hugely popular spy game”, said Simon, “not only is this a great game to play and enjoy for social groups, it can add real value for a tiny investment to any venue, hotel, recreation space, village, town or city. With this game users can create games to leave online for others to play or create games and keep them private with passwords, like at a hotel or national trust property. The game content is only limited by your imagination. My vision is to get people outside, playing with technology, and developing an appreciation for the outdoors and outdoor recreation!”
With the proliferation of the internet, mobile applications and social networking groups, the company could see an opportunity for technology based games that had a social and physical interaction as well. Apart from the obvious social and health benefits in playing iTreasure, there are lots of key skills exercised by playing a game including problem solving, team work, navigation and orienteering.
The company has already created iTreasure games for Hen and Stag parties and corporate team building away days and are now in talks with a number of hotel chains and historic houses about creating bespoke games. Planet Pursuits feels iTreasure Hunt has all the right qualities for becoming one of the world’s fastest growing, live, recreational, location-based social media activities. www.itreasure-hunt.com
“I want one for Christmas!”
For the 5th year running, the Planet Pursuits team hosted another Corporate fun day for the LukOil employees at the scenic Calcot Manor. Clay shooting, apache rallies and reverse 4×4, along with craft and cupcake making for the children just managed to stay on the ground in the gail force winds on saturday! Not letting this effect anyone, the clay shooting stand became highly competitive and the odd bribe (in the form of a tangerine!!) started being handed out to our instructors. A great day was had by all and the overall view of the day was an extremely successful and fun one. Craig from LukOil, a keen shooter, was the last to leave the field getting in one more round on the clays before telling his wife that this year he wanted a clay trap for Christmas! Planet Pursuits would like to say a big thank you to LukOil for choosing us once again to host your event and we look forward to working with you again next year!
Country Pursuits at The Great Tythe Barn, Tetbury
How lucky are we to have such wonderful dry and sunny weather today on the 25th November 2011. Perfect conditions for our Country Pursuits event the lovely Great Tythe Barn, Tetbury.
Clay Shooting, Archey, Quad Biking were booked by a national IT Company for the day and the enjoyed our Blackjack and Roulette tables in the evening.
For further information on our Country Pursuits activities please visit our website and click on the team building tab – www.planetpursuits.com
Falconry, 4×4, Shooting, Archery, Golf, Fine Dining, all in 24 hours – must be at the Gleneagles Resort
They do say that event management is one of the top ten most stressful jobs in the world, as well as one of the most rewarding, well it certainly was the latter, for our Director Simon Maddison, who enjoyed 24 hours in Scotland.
The poof of the pudding is in the eating, and by golly did we feast last night at Gleneagles, as I enjoyed a 24 hour hotel experience. I try to share these familiarisation events with my staff, but it was not going to pass up this one!
Widely known for its golf (host of the 2014 Ryder Cup) and hosting the G8 summit, Gleneagles has got to be one of the top hotels in the world. The hotel boasts 3 championship golf courses, incredible spa, a stunning equestrian centre, a national gun dog and falconry centre, a shooting school and a list of activities as long as your kilt. In just 24 hours we had a sampler of everything and enjoyed a piping of the haggis at supper and a Beat the Retreat with a full Scots band at dram-o’clock! I defy anyone not to enjoy the perfect Scottish setting, atmosphere, superb facilities, spa and outstanding accommodation. This hotel is up to date and modern, but also retains that rare quality that so many historic properties lose, a timeless and established appeal.
It’s a five star hotel with unassuming 6 star service – thank you Gleneagles.
Over 3000 attend the BMW Mini Fireworks Party
The weather was perfect, not too cold, no rain or wind, just the right conditions to host a fireworks night party. How often do we experience that as event managers! But everything went like clockwork at BMW Mini site plant in Swindon as well over 3000 guests attended the night. Planet Pursuits was delighted to be awarded the contract to manage this annual event. Our brief was to improve upon previous years events, (run by another company) which had suffered from poor planning, management and catering logistics. The trick for Planet was to keep a large audience entertained within tight budgets and ensure the safe arrival an exit of guests in a two hour window. Our idea was install a large stage and live band and give the event a festival feel, with a range of catering choices, whilst the BMW Mini team used a workshop to feature a series of famous Mini’s, including one from The Italian Job.
Site logistics is key to an event of this scale and understanding space, volume, traffic flow and domestic requirements are all skills we posses as a company to ensure a successful outcome. Obviously you can’t control the elements but you can take steps to mitigate against these – luckily on this occasion it was a perfect November evenin
g. Thank you to the BMW Mini Team who provided first class support with the event.
Fireworks Event for BMW Mini
Our event crew are busy setting up for a fantastic Fireworks party tomorrow night on behalf of BMW Mini. Fingers crossed the weather stays dry for the expected 3500 employees.
Pictures and further information will be on our blog early next week.
Planet Pursuits hosts client day at Bisley
Planet Pursuits would like to thank all our guests who attended our Client Day at Europe’s Premiere Shooting School
Bisley in Surrey. Despite a dreary November day, the weather did not dampen spirits or competition, as Company Directors battled it out for top gun. The teams were rewarded with a much welcomed pint and a homemade steak & ale pie at The Swan.
John Cole, Director of Epirical Investments commented, ‘I don’t do many of these days, but I really should, they are a superb networking event and an opportunity to gauge economic outlooks from like-minded professionals’.
C&IT Awards London, Nov 2011
Planet Pursuits would like to thank the Monaco Tourist board for their kind invitation to attend the C&IT 2011 awards party at the Natural History museum last week. No stranger to C&IT, Planet Pursuits has featured three times this year on the front cover of the web news homepage – more recently with the success of the Triumph International event. Director Simon Maddison commented ‘if I had known there was so many event catergories, we would have entered, as many of our 2011 events would have been excellent contenders for an award – we’ll be back for 2012′.
Maison Talbooth Clay Shoot
On Saturday Planet Pursuits hosted a clay shoot at The Maison Talbooth Hotel in Colchester, Essex. Celebrating the clients birthday, a group of 28 friends and family arrived at the venue for what the client wanted to be a ‘highly competitive’ affair! Most had never shot before but all gave it a great go, including the girls who were slightly more apprehensive than the boys at the start but proved to a better shot than quite a few of them! Each person had a practice round which gave them the chance to get used to the gun along with one on one tuition from one of our instructors. After this we went on to the competition round! We did have one or two professionals within the group who turned up fully equipped and looked like the ones to watch out for! However not to be out done by this the birthday boy shot an impressive 6 out of 10 clays making his score the one to beat! He was looking like the overall winner until our last group of the afternoon. We had a complete natural appear out of nowhere who shot a fantastic 8 out of 10, scoring the highest score of the day! 
