A roaring trade
As Leisure Benefits Co-ordinator for John Lewis branches in Cheadle and The Trafford Centre, Greater Manchester, Neil King organises trips and events for more than 1,700 employees. Carrie Drage learns more.
Neil King was working as the Menswear Section Manager at the Cheadle branch of John Lewis when he applied for the role of Leisure Benefits Co-ordinator (LBC). He had been employed by the store since its opening nearly 15 years ago and on a past trip joked with his predecessor, Jan Sinclair, that she had an enviable job. He says, “Four years ago, when the time came for Jan to retire, she approached me and asked if I would like to apply for the position. The rest is history.”
As Leisure Benefits Co-ordinator for John Lewis branches in Cheadle and The Trafford Centre, Neil divides his time between organising trips and events for the 1,700-plus employees and promoting the benefits available to staff across the John Lewis Partnership as a whole.
A team effort
The programme of outings are available to all employees of the John Lewis Partnership and each trip or event is subsidised; however, the amount allocated for each is dependent on the annual budget. Although Neil is the only full-time paid Leisure Benefits Co-ordinator for the two branches, he gets assistance from a team of 40 volunteers that work across the two sites.
Neil meets with the volunteers roughly six times a year to put together a programme. He explains, “ Because the volunteers work closely with employees in different departments, they are able to offer feedback on previous trips and suggest what might be popular with staff in the future.” Neil is also provided with a demographics report by the Personnel department. He says, “By studying the data, I can gear the programme towards certain groups of people.” Word reaches the employees via a weekly publication entitled ‘The Chronicle’, postings on the social notice boards in the corridors of the two branches and regular email shots.
Day tripper
Neil organises roughly 15 to 20 day outings and events a year for the two branches of John Lewis.
A large majority of the workforce are under the age of 30, however Neil has noticed that many of the younger employees have little interest in socialising with work colleagues. To overcome this problem, he has organised social events that strike a chord with the staff in this demographic. For instance, in 2007 Neil hired out a VIP lounge in a nightclub called Pure in central Manchester, the full cost of which was subsidised by the company. He comments, “We had interest from about 150 people so I put together a guest list and each person was given a wristband that entitled them to a free drink.”
Outings to Go Ape at Delamere Forest, in Cheshire, and Speed Karting, in Warrington, have also been popular with the younger crowd attracting 20 and 25 group members respectively. Transport was arranged through Bullocks Coaches of Cheadle. Neil remarks, “The drivers are always on time and their prices are very competitive too.” Commenting on the 2006 Go Ape visit, Neil says, “The day was fun but quite challenging.” He laughs, “Speed Karting in 2008 got very competitive!”
Although many of Neil’s outings are designed to appeal to a specific demographic, some venues are universally attractive. One such venue is Belle Vue Greyhound Stadium, in Manchester, which the group have visited on two occasions, most recently in 2008; three coaches were filled on each visit here. Neil says, “The stadium offers a ‘Top Dog’ package that includes admission, a racecard, four free bets and food and drink vouchers for each group member.”
Another event that produced a good turnout is something Neil has termed ‘An Audience With…’ The event, which took place at The Trafford Centre in January, saw more than 100 employees arrive for an evening with spirit medium David Traynor. He remembers, “It brought tears to people’s eyes.”
Events on a much larger scale also feature on Neil’s programme. A good example is the Christmas party, which can attract up to 1,100 employees. Last year, Neil contracted the services of The Christmas Company, based in Middlesex, to organise the celebration and organised for Bullocks Coaches to provide a shuttle service to the venue from outside the two John Lewis stores. He reveals, “It was held in a marquee at Old Trafford and was themed on the Egyptians. I tell the organisers what I want from the evening and they put something together for me.” Neil has also used Staffordshire-based J D Parties for such an occasion. He says, “Tatton Park, in Cheshire, has been the location for three years running.”
Branching out
Neil also arranges regional events in collaboration with other LBCs, which average one a year. He reveals, “The John Lewis Patnership is divided into regions and the Cheadle and Trafford Centre branches fall into the North region. This runs from John Lewis in Aberdeen down to Waitrose – another business that forms part of the Partnership – in Sandbach, Cheshire.” In 2007, half a dozen LBCs – Neil included – arranged an ‘It’s a Knockout’ tournament for 500 staff members at Tatton Park. He explains, “We hired the services of Peterborough-based Gable Events on this occasion. We had carnival activities during the day followed by a Take That tribute band and fireworks in the evening.”
Last year’s regional event featured Chatsworth, in Derbyshire, as the venue, and included mulled wine and a fireworks display. Neil comments, “Three hundred people came along to this event and many expressed an interest in returning to Chatsworth. This lead me to organise a behind the scenes tour of the house for May this year.”
Breaking away
Although day trips and events form the basis of Neil’s programme, he also arranges UK-based breaks roughly twice a year.
Lumley Castle Hotel, near Durham, is a venue that always generates fond memories for Neil. The group have stayed here on three occasions, most recently in 2008, for themed Murder Mystery and Elizabethan Banquet weekend breaks for up to 50 people each time. Neil says, “Each hotel room has its own individual character. In one room, you have to enter the bathroom through the wardrobe. It’s like Narnia!” Neil books the break through Cheshire-based Group Choice. He remarks, “The company is run by a lovely couple who are always very accommodating. ”
Newmarket Travel Service, based in Surrey, is another company that Neil uses for the annual London weekend break in September. The 50-strong group travel down to the capital on the Friday and take in a West End show in the evening. He says, “One of the best things about using Newmarket Travel is that individual group members can choose the show they want to see.” As an added incentive, Neil arranges a walking tour with Richard Jones of Discovery Tours and Events, based in London, for the Sunday morning. He comments, “I always get excellent feedback about Richard’s tours and would highly recommend his services.”
Value for money is high on the agenda for Neil when putting together his programme of trips and an all-inclusive weekend at The Winnock Hotel in Loch Lomond, last year, fitted the bill perfectly. The break for 46 people was booked through Wiltshire-based Success Tours. He says, “I have dealt with Tony Flanagan here on a number of occasions and always value his advice. He understands what kind of trips will sell well.”
Group getaways
Although overseas trips are rarer, Neil aims to organise at least one city break abroad in the space of the year.
In 2006, 40 people enjoyed a four-day break to Rome, in Italy, with Success Tours. Neil comments, “We only had one organised excursion on this trip, which was a guided tour of the Vatican.” The group stayed at the Mercure Coliseum, which Neil describes as “very clean and handy for getting around Rome because of its central location.”
The following year, the same company arranged a four-day break to the Tuscany region of Italy, again for 40 people. On this occasion, the group stayed at the Ercolini E Savi Hotel, in Montecatini Terme. Neil reveals, “The owner was very hospitable; she would greet us each day as we got off the coach and was always present at meal times.”
The 2008 break to New York was again arranged through Success Tours. To compensate for the lack of itinerary, the coach transfer from the airport to the hotel featured an onboard guide to advise the 40-strong group on the best places to visit in the city. Neil says, “The three nights were spent at the Wellington Hotel, near the theatre district.”
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Cheadle John Lewis in 2006, Neil arranged a holiday to the Canadian Rockies with Collette Worldwide Holidays, based in Middlesex. Neil says, “The Tour Manager was very knowledgeable and dealt with any problems efficiently.” The eight-day trip included a two-day journey aboard the Rocky Mountaineer Train for the group of 40. Neil comments, “Each carriage had its own attendant who would serve you meals and provide a commentary en route.”
Innovation and misfortune
Although Neil is relatively new to the role, he is brimming with ideas and is always keen to introduce new experiences for the John Lewis employees. One idea he is currently working on for 2010 is a regional event that will bring together members of the John Lewis Dramatic and Music Societies for a one-off production. He says, “I’ve done some research into holding the event at The Lowry in Salford.”
Despite his many successes, Neil is the first to admit that it has not always been plain sailing. When asked to share a disaster story, he reveals an early blunder, which lead to the group missing a morning train departure. He remembers, “One of the first trips I organised was a train journey on the Orient Express. I hadn’t realised that they had changed the departure times so the group ended up missing the train from Manchester Victoria station. Fortunately, we managed to get a full refund so I repeated the trip the next year. I have since learnt to double-check every detail!”
Looking ahead into 2009, Neil already has a number of trips confirmed. These range from a visit to The Gadget Show Live at Birmingham’s NEC in April to a Bavarian Night at Bolton’s Rivington Hall Barn in June and a four-day break to Lake Garda with Success Tours in October. “I really enjoy my job and have no plans to change”, he states. “Although it’s primarily an office job, every day is just so completely different!”