An Annual Tenant Experience Like No Other
🎯 Client Objective
Thames Valley Park, home to a collection of innovative businesses ranging from global tech giants to fast-growing start-ups, wanted to create a memorable, inclusive event that would energise its community of occupiers.
The aim: boost tenant satisfaction, foster connection across companies, and celebrate the park's unique riverside location with something active, unexpected — and a little competitive.
💡 Our Creative Approach
We proposed and delivered a high-energy, culturally immersive Dragon Boat Racing event, which has since evolved into a beloved annual tradition. More than just a race, this activation was designed as a full-day festival of team spirit, community engagement, and experiential detail.
Experience Highlights:
🛶 Dragon Boat Races led by expert facilitators, with real-time commentary, music, and professional race direction.
🍜 Themed Food Zones offering bao buns, rice bowls, and mocktails, along with a gin bar, soft drinks, and vintage ice cream van.
🎏 Cultural Decor & Props: Giant Foo Dog entrance statues, a full-sized rickshaw, bamboo plants, parasols, dragon banners, and even a 5ft ceremonial gong.
🎮 Lawn Games & Wellness Touchpoints including an Ergo Dragon Boat Challenge warm-up and cluster seating zones with beanbags and rugs for lounging.
📸 Visual Storytelling: A drone, videographer, and photographer captured the full colour and energy of the day — creating stunning post-event content.
🚧 Event Challenges
Coordinating multiple racing teams across tenant companies — many of whom hadn’t met before — required meticulous organisation and a crowd-first layout. Ensuring water safety, weather contingency plans, and smooth vendor logistics were also core priorities. Additionally, as the event grew in popularity, we had to scale up capacity and infrastructure without compromising experience.
🛠️ Our Solution
We created a seamless, flexible event design that:
- Combined precise operational planning (race management, PA systems, first aid) with layered creative details (branded lanyards, stylised podiums, lantern installations).
- Built in scalable catering and entertainment zones to accommodate growing participation.
- Kept the spirit of competition and community alive — with branded trophies, medals, and immersive visuals to enhance emotional engagement.
📊 Results & Impact
Participation grew year-on-year, with more teams than initially planned and widespread anticipation across the park.
The event became a signature moment in the Thames Valley Park calendar - something tenants now actively plan their summer schedules around.
Client feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, noting the atmosphere, organisation, and the sense of community it sparks.
Local vendors and staff also reported record demand during the event, adding commercial value to the park ecosystem.
“The energy was unmatched - it’s gone from a one-off to something people talk about all year.”
“We’ve seen such a competitive spirit emerge - teams were already planning tactics the moment the date was announced.”
🎥 Lasting Memories
From overhead drone shots of boats cutting across the water, to team selfies by the Rickshaw and award ceremonies framed by golden lion statues - the visual output became a celebration of culture, nature, and connection.
📈 Ongoing Value
This event proves how powerful shared physical experiences can be in strengthening workplace culture. By blending bold creative staging with high-end coordination, we helped Thames Valley Park deliver a standout tenant engagement moment that continues to build year after year.
Learn from Our Experts
Our blog is full of tips and tricks from our expert event planners to help you start planning your event.
