Fluid Connects 2023

Once again the Fluid family assembled for our annual conference.

The intention this year was to connect, with colleagues, teams and with our Fluid friends. Celebrating our achievements and successes, connecting face to face, forging meaningful relationships and deepening trust whilst having fun. 

This year really was The Greatest Show! 

All change

It was a new location for this year’s event, hosted at the sprawling Whittlebury Hall Hotel in Northamptonshire and despite battling through motorway closures and floods, our teams managed to arrive on time and ready for an action-packed weekend of events and activities.

Always a highlight of the weekend, our conference goodie bags were tip-top this year, featuring an on-trend recycled crossbody bag, a handy waterbottle made from prevented ocean plastic to keep us hydrated, a wellness journal, a recycled plastic pen and a gorgeous little box of truffles for an energy boost! 

Bingo with a twist

Friday evening, we were “eyes down for a full house” with 80’s and 90’s bingo. Our hosts really got us in the mood with their shelltastic outfits and the table props ensured that much air guitaring and lip-syncing ensued! What a nostalgia trip! 

Ice ice baby

Saturday kicked off with a lively icebreaker to wake and shake us into action ahead of our Fluid friends showcase where we got to get up close and personal with our friends and their fantastic product offerings. Some amazing and meaningful discussions were had and our teams came away feeling better equipped and more knowledgeable.

Inspiration from our leader - Longevity

Next up was Miles’ keynote, he focused on the topic of longevity as individuals and as a business, citing a fascinating Netflix documentary Live to 100 - that focuses on blue zones, 5 pockets of population where people live extraordinarily long and vibrant lives. We learnt the secrets of these blue zones, the lessons we can learn from them and how we can apply them for ourselves as a people-first business with a real purpose. 

“I’m on top of the world!” - Guest speaker Tori James

Our guest speaker for this year was the amazing Tori James, the first Welsh woman to climb Everest at the age of 25! She explained her epic journey and all of the preparation needed for such a monumental task. She spoke about stepping out of our comfort zones to reach our true potential! I don’t think anyone present will ever forget watching her traverse the crevasses with a rickety ladder wearing climbing spikes or those frostbitten toes ewww. An amazing and truly inspirational talk. 

Break the safe - team building

After a much-needed lunchtime refuel, we were ready for the next task! Our team-building activity this year was a safe-busting task! We were split into teams and then asked to solve challenging clues and work together to help break into the safe! A fun and challenging task that certainly tested the teams! 

The Greatest Show! 

Everyone really dressed to impress this year! The theme for our awards dinner this year was The Greatest Showman and the whole team were kept in suspense until they were invited by the ringmaster to enter the dinner hall. Revealing a circus-themed spectacle of fire breathers, stilt walkers and a lion in a cage! (Ok, not a real one, but still!). The theme was continued during the evening with candy floss and popcorn, splat the rat and a themed voiceover for the awards presentation. 

Roll up, roll up for the Fluid friends and family awards 2023

As everyone was tucking into their first courses, the awards began with our Fluid friends….

Fluid friends awards 

Customer Service Team of the Year

The Laltex Group 

Account Manager of the Year

Aidan Brown - PF Concept 

Best Marketing Support

Power a Life 

Deadline Champion

Direct Trade Bags

Proactivity Hero

XD Connects

Unsung Hero

Impression Europe 

Problem Solver

Bio Labs 

Fluid Futures Leader

XD Connects 

Product with a Positive Impact

Power a Life Wee PAL 3.0 

Specialist Supplier of the Year

Essential Embroidery

Supplier of the Year

XD Connects 

Fluid family awards

Helping Hand

Bronte Creary

Shooting Star

Callum Symonds

Inspire Leadership 

Tom Mercer 

Rising Star

Brandon Tregidgo

Team Impact

Technical Services

The Innovator

Ryan Ritchie

Stand Out Moment 

Online Sales Team

Company Values

Kevin Wickett 

Special Achievement 

Ryan Ritchie

Pinnacle - Employee of the year 

Laura Ralph 

Huge congratulations to all of the worthy winners and nominees! 

Cheers and celebrations were had long into the night, along with some serious strutting on the dancefloor and some flexing of the vocal cords during karaoke! The team finished the weekend on a high, inspired and excited for the future and better connected as a team. 

A big thank you goes out to the conference team for organising an amazing event, and as always, a massive thank you to our Fluid friends for supporting us in everything we do. Here’s to 2024! 

You can see the highlights of the weekend here: 

If you’re interested in how we can add a bit of The Greatest Showman magic to your conference, get in touch today and we’d be happy to make your conference one to remember with exceptional and meaningful merchandise.

Request a call-back from one of our merchandise consultants