60-second start-up: Zing Events | Smarta

Frustrated with a stale and old-fashioned?industry, events managers Charles Berry and Andrew Wells decided to strike out on their own. Here they tell the story of Zing Events in 60 seconds and explain what makes the business special.

0-5 seconds: Sum your business up in a sentence

We provide and deliver team building programmes that excite, motivate and are just that little bit different?from what's currently?out there.

5-10?seconds: What's the business model?

Direct sales as a result of internet marketing and word of mouth, but we also have large event agencies selling our products.

10-15?seconds: Who are your competitors?

The market is saturated with very similar companies offering the same predictable corporate events, which is why we set up Zing - we want to stand out as the company that goes beyond the expected, offering something new, exciting and different.

15-20?seconds: What's your USP?

Businesses are often turned off by traditional team building, disregarding them as old fashioned, outdated programmes that breed awkwardness. We've had 15 years in the industry and we know what else is out there and we wanted to address those shortfalls. We offer team building with a twist. We excite employees, motivate teams and inspire businesses.

Our events include The Zing Show, a team challenge that?takes corporate evening entertainment to the next level. It mixes the familiar with the unexpected, the vintage with the modern and it's full of unique surprises. It's a high energy night fronted by the best in the business - low on cheese and high on class.

20-25?seconds: How have you funded it so far?

We have used directors loans to fund the venture so far. Knowing that we don't owe anybody is a great feeling.

25-30?seconds: What were you doing before?

We are both passionate about the events industry and through our years in the industry, team building has become our main focus. We have both worked as freelance event managers for over 15 years?between us?and we enjoy meeting new people and exciting companies through Zing's events.

30-35?seconds: Where did the idea come from?

We both had a lot of ideas that we wanted to inject into the industry. We knew that there weren't the opportunities while we were freelancing, Zing was many years in the making and it is our way to make a mark on the industry.

35-40?seconds: What's the smartest thing you've
done so far?

Getting our heads around social media. It has been a great platform to gain new clients and a fantastic way to broadcast our product to the masses.

40-45?seconds: What's the stupidest?

Believing the paint colour chart was a true representation of the grey we painted the office walls, it now resembles a battleship.

45-50?seconds: If your business was a biscuit, what would it be?

Rich Tea. It's reliable, established, complements everything, instantly recognisable, non offensive, well rounded and here to stay.

50-55?seconds: Which idea are you a bit jealous of?

Richard Branson has a great business model and the man is always having fun in the process.

55-60?seconds: Where are you going to be in 12 months' time?

We are very ambitious and driven to make Zing stand out over the next year. We are currently working on new event ideas, which we think will revolutionise team building as people currently know it. We would love to expand our team and explore different areas of the market; such as experiential marketing and product launches.

For more information about Zing Events click here, www.zingevents.co.uk.

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