As AV Specialist has evolved into a multi-national organization with three regional editions, one of the greatest challenges has been posed by the interaction of staff working in different parts of the world. “We only have a small team of full time staff working on our three regional editions,” explains publisher Kevan Jones, “but we work in 4 different locations and communicate in a wide range of languages. This creates obvious challenges for everybody involved.”

In many cases, team members had never met each other, communicating only via e-mail and phone. “In our quest to maintain common standards throughout the company we decided to host a team-building Indaba (a Zulu word that loosely translates as an important conference or discussion between members of different tribes) in Dubai during the build-up to the annual Cabsat exhibition,” says Kevan. In addition to the staff from Johannesburg (South Africa) and Tehran (Islamic Republic of Iran), the company also invited selected customers, suppliers and industry players to participate. “The primary idea was to get to develop closer relationships between staff working in far-flung locations,” explains Kevan. “But we also wanted to gather information from customers – better understanding their requirements so that we could provide an appropriate and meaningful service.”

During the Indaba, the AV Specialist team participated in a number of team-building activities, including a drum circle and the construction of a tower. There were also key presentations from Roger Crumpton, CEO of the International Association of Broadcast Manufacturers (IABM) and Aspen Aman, Middle East business development manager of BPA Worldwide. Roger’s presentation focused on the changing needs of the broadcast industry with a particular emphasis on marketing challenges faced by suppliers active in the market. “When Kevan invited me to participate in the AV Specialist Broadcast Indaba he asked me to present an overview of the market and provide his team with an insight into new challenges faced by our members,” says Roger. “So I was a little surprised when he handed me a drum and asked me to join their drum circle. My concerns soon evaporated as I settled into the group’s rhythm. This was fun and I was quickly immersed in our shared energy. Within no time, I felt like I was part of their team, and when I eventually delivered my presentation it was more like a discussion with old friends instead of a typical ‘business presentation.’ The AV Specialist team is exclusively focused on the broadcast industry and it was a great pleasure to share their energy.”

Roger’s enthusiasm is reflected in the experience of Aspen Aman, regional manager for BPA Worldwide, the international media auditing organization, which provides independent circulation analysis for many of the world’s leading broadcast magazines. “Audit reports are normally presented in a company boardroom,” she says. “But Kevan invited the entire AV Specialist team to get involved in the audit reporting process, and worked hard to ensure that the information was shared in an innovative and exciting fashion. It is sometimes a challenge to get marketing teams excited about audit reports but Kevan’s approach turned an otherwise ‘static’ presentation into a great adventure – not just for the AV Specialist team but for BPA as well.”

The team building activities hosted throughout the 2-day event were facilitated by UAE-based Lawrence Enderle from Flying Elephant where he manages the company’s new teambuilding division, Team Spirit.Lawrence began using the drum as a tool for teambuilding in 2001, after working 22 years as a learning and development consultant, group process facilitator and team trainer. With a Business Administration degree in Human Resources and Master Facilitator training, he enjoys designing and delivering experiential programs for all types of businesses and organizations.

“We know that people learn best when having a fun experience which allows real emotions to surface,” says Lawrence. “We set-up activities that engage multiple senses, which we know is far more powerful learning tool than any presentation can provide. By empowering the participants, we reduce the gap between theory and application. That is how behavior change takes place and is reinforced over time. With Kevan and the AV Specialist team, we facilitated several activities that allowed the participants to have a shared team experience with their colleagues from around the world. We set up positive teambuilding experiences to take back with them, creating a memory with a positive emotional attachment to the event and each other. This is the beginning to creating a high performance work team.”