/ NEWS Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 13
Xcel Centre staff take part in a team-building exercise in their own back yard
WHERE BUSINESS XCELS IN AYCLIFFE
Newton Aycliffe ’ s state-of-the-art conference venue continues to build a name for itself as one of the best facilities of its kind in the region - not just locally .
The Xcel Centre , built three-and-a-half years ago , has hosted a string of high-profile events , most notably all of Hitachi Rail Europe ’ s main functions , as well as the hugely-popular annual Oktoberfest event , a manufacturing and engineering exhibition .
The purpose built facility was also the venue for a Sedgefield Constituency anniversary do organised by MP Phil Wilson last November and it annually hosts Durham County Council ’ s Future Business Magnates events and Star Radio ’ s awards evenings , to name a few .
With around 30 major events held throughout the year , the centre ’ s impressive auditorium has already exceeded expectations , but it ’ s the smaller conference rooms which allow for huge versatility , as proved recently when members of staff were put through a training day by specialist team-building company High Impact Development .
Centre manager Kerina Clark watched on as staff were asked to drive a 28-year-old Land Rover around the car park ... blindfolded !
Luckily , there were no injuries … and no damage caused .
“ It was certainly interesting !” explains Kerina . “ It was about trust and communication .
“ We spent the morning looking at emotional intelligence . It ’ s not necessarily what you do , but how you do your job . While there was a fun element to it all , there was also some selfassessment involved and we were challenged to
look at how we work individually and as a team ”
“ When you then do team tasks , you start to see what you ’ ve been studying in the morning playing out in the afternoon , especially when we did the blindfolded driving !”
“ We have a close-knit team , but even those who were maybe a little sceptical beforehand thoroughly enjoyed it and said they got a lot out of it .
“ We also looked at what ’ s become known as the aggregation of marginal gains , a term coined by Team GB ’ s cycling coach Dave Brailsford who was credited for the stunning performance in the Olympics last summer . It ’ s about focussing on all the little things that collectively make a bigger difference to any one thing .
“ With most teams , and a lot of businesses , it ’ s not about making a massive change , it ’ s about making some minor adjustments which , added up , make the difference .”
The team-bonding exercise demonstrated the Xcel Centre ’ s ability to adapt to specific requirements , so it ’ s satisfying for Kerina to see outline ambitions being fulfilled .
She says : “ One of the key aims when we built Xcel was to ensure maximum flexibility . It was imperative that we could be versatile and adapt to just about everything a potential client might need .
“ The Xcel Centre was purpose-built for events and that ’ s meant we ’ ve been able to tailor-make what we do in line with what our clients want , and deliver what ’ s needed , as opposed to what we think is needed .
“ Sometimes people look at our venue and think we only do big events but we have a whole range of spaces available and the wide range of events we ’ re hosting for companies now , large and small , prove that the possibilities really are endless .”
The Xcel Centre opened with 20 employees and has almost doubled its operational staff since then .
“ The vision was to build a centre which would be a resource to the local community , and that underlying ethos remains . Not just the business community and what we do in terms of events , but also the fact that all operating profits of the Xcel Centre are re-invested back into the local community including supporting crisis help for families and a food bank .
“ They ’ re sending out between 12 and 20 food hampers every week , while also working in partnership with other agencies to help people in need . The help can range from home help teams , domestic maintenance and renovation to emergency clothing and furniture supplies .
“ So there ’ s a lot more to us than just business . There ’ s a lot of fantastic work going on behind the scenes , with the money that ’ s being made on site , and long may that continue .”