Plenty of buzz at Employee Benefits Live 2013

More than 2,000 visitors, including benefits, reward and human resources managers, attended Employee Benefits Live 2013 at Olympia, London, on 25 and 26 September.

Celebrating its 15th year, the largest reward and benefits event in Europe saw a 6% increase in the number of attendees.

Professionals came together to network, share ideas, benchmark suppliers, gain advice from experts and attend conference sessions.

More than 100 exhibitors, some of which were new to this year’s event, showcased the latest developments in reward and benefits, giving visitors the opportunity to source products and services, and learn new techniques to attract and retain the best talent.

On the exhibition floor, two Top Gear Stigs battled it out on the test track on Gran Turismo 5 on Tusker’s stand. Elsewhere, Reward Gateway organised a flash mob to showcase a dance routine on the first day of the event.

The floor was never short of buzz, boosted by a number of exhibitors handing out prizes.

Lucky winners included Kerry Dair, HR, benefits and payroll specialist at Mastercard UK, who took home a £500 gift voucher from Evans Cycles, and Mirka Slater, Europe, Middle East and Africa benefits manager at Expedia, who won an iPhone 5 from Busy Bees Benefits.

The exhibitors with the best stands were also rewarded. Edenred won ‘Best big stand’ for its replica of London, and Lorica’s build-a-sandcastle offer and Workplace Giving’s ice cream parlour design were jointly named ‘Best small stand’.

Exhibitor prize winners

  • Janet Mckenzie, reward and recognition manager at B&Q, was awarded a bottle of champagne by The Venture Capital.
  • Lorica Employee Benefits presented Laurie Davis, reward adviser at Hyde Housing Association, with an iPad mini, and five runners-up won a pair of Gandy’s flip-flops.
  • Benefex handed out an iPad mini to Gemma McCauley, payroll and benefits manager at Henry Schein.
  • Reward Gateway (formerly Asperity Employee Benefits) awarded Ricki Steele, reward executive at Hastings Direct, a Boardman bike.
  • PeopleValue handed out a range of prizes to delegates. Ellie Vaughan, people data and reward manager at the Alzheimer’s Society, and Kate Racellis-Sewell, consultant at KPMG, won sailing trips, Martina Carty, people administrator at Asos.com, won a power drill and Shona Collins, customer service adviser at the Co-operative Group, won an iPad mini.
  • Tusker presented Ben Williams, pensions team leader at Home Retail Group, with an iPad mini.