Welcome to our summer party blog! Every summer we like to let our hair down and throw a summer party filled with fun games, flowing drinks and BBQ food for our team to enjoy as a thank you for their hard work!
Before we even got to the party part of the day, we kicked things off with the Involution Games. Now, if you're thinking Olympic-level sports, you might be overshooting a bit. The teams were chosen by 5 captains, who after picking their crew had to designate players to each game, playing to their strengths on the night of the party.
First up, the classic skittle-picking competition. Simple enough, right? Except when someone (naming no names, but it rhymes with "Schmichael") decided that using their entire hand was a valid strategy when the aim was to use chopsticks to lift the skittles into the bowl. The true chopstick master was Olga, Senior Account Manager who made quite the impact with her fierce precision, accuracy and speed.
Second, shoot the hoop, we channelled our inner NBA moves to compete in our basketball game to see who could score the most in a minute. Whilst it is safe to say not many of us will be going pro in basketball, Chris (our Production Manager) stood out as best, sinking shot after shot. Still, when it comes creating branded merchandise, that’s truly where we shine.
Third, table football. Although we didn’t need our football boots, we took to the table in our teams to determine who would finish top of the league. Account Manager Jake stood out as top performer with his skill and strategy, followed closely by our sales gurus Meg and Mel. However, the constant spinning of players made for a lot of foul play.
Onto the fourth game, our Nerf shooting range was designed for us to practice our aim and score as many points on the bullseye as possible. There were a few good shots from across the teams, with our Data Product Manager, Ben, taking top spot. However, Nam, our Junior Account Manager followed up with some good shots making for good competition.
Our fifth game took us to the dart board for our teams to hit bullseye, after a few drinks it become clear that the dart board itself was becoming a challenge to hit, never mind the bullseye, especially with Ange, our Productive Operative, who struggled to land points! We must say that Stevie, our Warehouse Operative, found his inner Luke Littler and put on a performance that could see him play at the Ally Pally!
Lastly, the infamous gladiator arena where our teams chose their bravest member to face each other in the Colosseum (inflatable arena) hitting each other with inflatable pugil sticks to try to knock the other off their feet. As a self-proclaimed champion, Account Manager Laura certainly but up a good fight, but reigning legend was 9-year-old Nathan, son of our embroidery specialist Anna. His legendary skills were unmatched. All in good fun, our teams got to finish the games on a great note!
What would a summer party be without sunshine? As we enjoyed the sun as the evening went on, the breeze brought that classic Yorkshire summer chill as we tucked into a well-prepared BBQ. Heading up the grill, Operations Director Nathan and Embroidery Specialist Jac cooked up a feast; clearly, they have taken lessons from Gordon Ramsey. From burgers, chicken, sausages, courgettes, halloumi and more, the choices went on and delivered an incredible selection for all our team to refuel. The vibes were immaculate.
Onto the party! Organised for the team was a free bar that included all the spirits you could think of, creating some cracking concoctions throughout the night. As well as all the mixers and liqueurs, Baby Guinness’s were a popular choice through the night (we see Jay and Mia). But the standout drink was Horsforth’s Brewery's very own draught beer! What a treat, and great to be supporting another local business.
As the drinks started to flow, our team found their dancing rhythm and hit the floor, a big shoutout to our very own, Packing Specialist, Kev for DJ’ing the party, who produced great music for us to dance along to. Although there were no official games for dancing, Marketing Manager Charlotte and Account Manager Sylwia would have won the award for the best dance moves at Involution, certainly a consideration for us to add a dance-off for the next event.
Finishing off with party food for nibbles on the table, which came as a needed boost for all the dancing that was going on. As the night started to get late our team started to finish off their drinks and slowly make their way home, or onto the pubs. We would like to say a big thank you to all of our team who intended and made it a great night full of memories and vibes. We look forward to the Christmas party to come at the end of the year!
Don't forget to watch the YouTube video of our party unfold here!
