Looking back, flying forward
A giant aircraft hangar provided the breathtaking backdrop for almost 300 leaders at easyJet to celebrate the airline’s 20th birthday and get to grips with the strategy for the next five years.
Working closely with the easyJet comms team, we created a high-energy leadership event based on a Hollywood movies theme. We developed a spectacular movie back-lot set and a fast-moving, interactive agenda to get participants to engage with the easyJet story and explore the behaviours that would drive future success.
An action-packed opening sequence saw a high-powered motorcycle race up onto a catwalk, James Bond style, to signal the beginning of a very different and truly memorable experience.
Axiom’s Chris Carey facilitated the whole event and made extensive use of the latest audience-collaboration technology to generate lively dialogue and spark new thinking. We issued participants with iPads so they could register their views, ideas and questions and take part in large-scale brainstorming and action planning.
In the keynote, CEO Carolyn McCall outlined the easyJet strategy and gave a clear view of how leaders would need to work with their teams to deliver it. We used the iPads to ‘crowdsource’ feedback from participants and allow them to identify the burning questions to put to the top team. A frank Q&A followed, including a discussion of the behaviours that would underpin success and those that needed to be consigned to history.
Key messages take off
From there, the focus of the event moved to equipping leaders to bring the strategy to life with their people. Chris talked to participants about how they could apply the storytelling approach used in Hollywood to engage their teams in the new strategy.
Next, participants were put ‘in the picture’ as they broke into teams to shoot short movies highlighting what success would look like in their part of the business. As the best movies were shortlisted, participants worked up storyboards to help them deliver cascade briefings to their teams. Shortlisted films were then given a premiere and participants voted for the winners in various categories.
To close, we got participants to register their views on a range of hot topics. The results showed just how big an impact we’d made on easyJet leaders with this short, high-energy event.
Writing the easyJet way
Our work with easyJet extends beyond this major set-piece leadership event. We have also trained more than 100 of the company’s managers and communicators from across Europe in business writing. In 10 half-day workshops, we helped participants learn to write in a way that is simply, friendly and real.
What our client says
“Axiom supported easyJet brilliantly with our annual event for our top 250 managers. They devised the concept and executed the delivery of an engaging, interactive and inspiring event which helped our managers understand and develop their narrative skills and improved their understanding of our strategy. Axiom were easy to work with, responsive to our needs, creative in their approach and professional on the day.”
Paul Moore, communications director, easyJet
