We were hearing the word ‘SPARK’ around the office for weeks before it was clear what it was about. All we knew was that it was a three day creative workshop; a chance to get away from our desks and think strategically about the business, and share our ideas and experiences.

During the run up the ground floor of our building felt like Oxford Circus during rush hour… There was so much to organise and set up.

On the first morning we were all gathered in the Flag – our communal dining area – and given T shirts to wear. The facilitators ran some exercises to energise us all and ensure we were in a positive state of mind… It involved meditating and picturing our feet walking though sands on the beach (little bit weird) BUT there was a lot of positive energy flowing through the room which was great.

So what came next? On the first day, we were asked to think of and pitch a business idea to a crowd of 50 colleagues. The only brief we were given was that our idea had to be ‘out of the box’, and something which would add real value to RCI Bank and be realistic… Not a big ask at all!  A total of eight ideas needed to be chosen by the audience, who were asked to pick their top 3 ideas. The highest scoring eight pitches were then selected and we were then put into groups of six to build our ideas, each individual brought their own skills and expertise to the table, forming quite the power groups.

It was a fun and collaborative working environment with people who you never thought you would get to work with, ranging from customers services, marketing, after sales, and even a couple colleagues working in dealerships.

What made it extra special were the various lunches and dinners which brought us all together over the three days and made us feel like a close knit family. Every team wanted to hear how each group was getting on and were really supportive of each other.

There were mentors from all over the industry who were taking time to sit down with each team and talk through their ideas throughout the event. This encouraged us to think about our ideas from a different perspectives and cover areas which we might not have considered to begin with – I guess that’s why they are experts in their industries.

We also had guests from companies such as Carwow who gave really good insight into start-ups and the struggles and successes of how they got to where they are today. They were really inspirational and sparked an entrepreneurial flare which was visible in the final pitches…

As the third day came to an end, it was clear how much work and effort had gone into the ideas. Every team was practicing their final presentations to make sure they were pitch perfect, and making those last minute tweaks.

Then before we knew it, it was game time… The panel of judges assembled, a little bit like Dragon’s Den, and each group took it in turns to pitch our ideas. You could just see how passionate each and every individual felt about their ideas. The energy was really positive and there was so much detail in every pitch… Even the financials had been calculated!

In the end, the winning team was awarded a trophy with the potential to bring the idea to life and we all celebrated with some mocktails and snacks in the Flag to round up the week.

It was incredible knowing that this same SPARK event was happening across our offices in London, Paris and Seoul at the same time… Different time zones and different ideas, but the same level of dedication, passion and hard work. It was also great that RCI Bank was willing to invest in our professional development by taking us away from our desks and day jobs for three full days to take part in the initiative. Bring on the next one!