This year’s Trafalgar Management Away Day took place at Fareham Live on 10 March and was focussed on the last of our four core company values – Respect.

But it was out with the old style presentations, and in with cosy fireside chats as PR and Comms Manager Dave Bradbury (TE’s very own Graham Norton) was joined on the sofa for a series of conversations about the Respect value in practice.

Joining Dave for the first half of the ‘chat show’ were Trafalgar’s Joint CEO Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire, along with CEO of Trafalgar Theatres and Venues, Helen Enright. In this section, the trio discussed the importance of the Respect value to the success of the company, and how it can make a commercial difference. Helen also looked at highlights and challenges from the past 12 months, and what we might expect to see in the coming years.

For the second part of the show, the focus moved to Respect in Partnerships and Dave welcomed Jess McCrorie (Director of Partnerships and Campaigns – Trafalgar Tickets), and old friends Chris McGuigan (Commercial Director – Trafalgar Theatres) and Laura Taylor (Assistant Producer & Head of Celebrity Casting – Imagine Theatre) to the stage. We heard real life examples of how Respect can shape and sustain successful partnerships with external stakeholders.

The final part of the show looked at environmentally sustainable initiatives across the business, and Dave was joined by Alvin Hargreaves (Group Operations Director – Trafalgar Theatres), Mark Hollington (Group Hospitality & Customer Experience Director – Trafalgar Theatres) and Jeff Brady (Senior General Manager & Head of Touring – Trafalgar Theatre Productions).

After a top notch lunch, Emma Bennetts (People and Culture Director) delivered an update on EDI&B and colleagues took part in a discussion-based workshop around this subject. A fun, team-building activity rounded off the afternoon’s proceedings, where colleagues were placed into teams and put their DIY and creative skills to the test with the construction of Bee Hotels!

Following a tasty dinner, actor and comic Rob Madge took to the stage to introduce the evening’s entertainment. Guests were treated to fantastic performances from Stagecoach Fareham and Hedge End, and one of the stars of last year’s Kiss Me, Kate, Georgina Onuorah.

We hope the day provided an opportunity to have an open and honest conversation about Respect – perhaps the most important of the Trafalgar values.