One of my favourite parts of the job at Spark, aside from the PR itself, is planning our monthly team socials. Once a month, the Spark Socials team gets everyone out of the office and into Soho and the surrounding areas for something that has nothing to do with coverage or campaigns. It’s a great excuse to switch off, catch up properly and remind us that we’re capable of discussing topics outside of B2B tech.
With January vibes doing their usual thing, I found myself looking back at the socials we planned last year to lift the mood. In the spirit of healthy competition, here’s my very official ranking of my favourites over the last 12 months:
5. Soho Quiz Night
A Hallowe’en quiz, two teams, and a lot of misplaced confidence. We only found out it was Hallowe’en themed once we arrived, which I can mostly take responsibility for given I chose a date suspiciously close to 31st October. Hallowe’en knowledge, it turns out, is not our strong point. A special mention goes to the picture round, where the quiz master read out the wrong instructions and my team (unjustly) lost a painful number of points. Despite the heckling, spirits remained high.
4. Wii and Games Night
We dusted off our old office Nintendo Wii and spent the evening playing classics like Wii Tennis and Just Dance. What started off fairly relaxed quickly turned competitive, with far more commitment than anyone was expecting. Some of us discovered hidden talents. Others discovered we should probably stick to PR.
3. Rounders in Hyde Park
Our annual August rounders match delivered exactly what it promised: sunshine, a picnic, and a reminder that not all of us are destined for sporting greatness. It’s always entertaining to see who takes the rules VERY seriously and who is just there for the vibes (me). Safe to say competitiveness was high, skill levels varied.
2. Journalist Social
Our bi-annual journalist social is always one I look forward to. In April this was hosted at 100 Wardour Street, right in the heart of Soho. Cocktails, live music and a great excuse to catch up with journalist friends we spend most of the time speaking to over email or phone. When so much of our work happens behind a screen, it’s a good reminder that relationships really are at the heart of what we do.
1. Karaoke
The winner, without question. A tiny karaoke room in a Simmons basement, conveniently located next to the toilets. What it lacked in size, it made up for in energy. An eclectic playlist ranging from Eminem to Taylor Swift, lots of enthusiastic performances, and the karaoke version of a hangover the next day. Luckily (and perhaps concerningly), for many of us this wasn’t our first time singing in front of colleagues, so dignity remained mostly intact.
If nothing else, last year proved that a good team social goes a long way – so roll on the next round. Let us know if you would like to join us!