When you think about business events, the idea of fun is often far from your mind, but that is exactly what ATPC made their ‘Preparing You For Business Success’ workshop.

Upon arrival, there was the usual sense of anticipation at what was on offer – with business events you can never be sure of what to expect, but what followed was a great surprise!

Yes, they introduced us to their business, with six of their team talking about what they can offer, but it was slick, very slick and condensed just enough that you were left with questions. Not a good tactic you may think, but in fact, it was all part of their plan! The presentation covered aspects of a business’s needs and how they look at things differently. It was about encouraging us to ask questions and get a clear sense of how they can help get the results you need.

The host then explained what was to follow after the break for breakfast. As we all moved to eat, a strong sense of intrigue was felt around the room at the prospect of being thrust into a speed-dating session!

So, after a hearty breakfast and a chance to mingle with a great group of people, the ‘speed-dating’ workshop began. Each table was visited by a member of the ATPC team to be asked questions on their topic by the attendees, but the catch? The visit to each table was only for a period of 3 minutes! The topics were good – funding, work permits, website building, where, what & how financials, staff – what to register and check, the physical & virtual office, social media marketing, IT & security, the property dilemma and the Italian connection. The host kept the team members moving around and it was done in a fun and exciting way. It was a scramble to get your question in, but with the promise of there being contact after the event to answer your questions, there was never going to be any losers.

During this session, I heard many people saying, and not complaining, that they wanted longer! And I’m sure that was the whole point. The team encouraged us to think about what we needed to know, gave us an insight into their experience and ability by drip feeding us a sample of their knowledge and then left us wanting more!  What a great way of encouraging a meeting after the event!

When a venue is elegantly decorated as this was, you get the feeling of there being a celebration – and it has to be given to the organisers! This was a true celebration of a slick and professional business that has an amazing team of knowledgeable and extremely likeable individuals. I hear there will be more events to follow – it will be exciting to see what they offer us next time, and I will definitely be there to find out…