26th June marked our first-ever Stir Creativity event: a day designed to help people step away from the everyday, shake up their thinking and reconnect with their creativity.
Hosted by Alive with Ideas and Creative Communicators Ltd, and co-curated with Darren Caveney of comms2point0, Stir Creativity brought together communications and marketing professionals from across the public, private and charity sectors.
The spectacular Bombay Sapphire Distillery in Hampshire provided the setting. We wanted something unique because an event about thinking differently deserved somewhere a little different too.
The idea
We know how fast-paced, pressured and ever-changing the world of communications and marketing can be. When deadlines pile up and the day-to-day takes over, finding the time and space to think creatively can become difficult.
Stir Creativity was our invitation to press pause.
It was created as a thank you to the friends, clients and collaborators who had been part of our journey, but also as a chance to bring a brilliantly diverse group of people together. We wanted to create a day filled with fresh perspectives, meaningful conversations and the kind of inspiration that follows you back to work.
It was a celebration. A reset. And – we hoped – a spark for whatever came next.
A setting made for fresh thinking
Bombay Sapphire Distillery gave us the perfect backdrop.
Surrounded by striking architecture, botanical glasshouses and the Hampshire countryside, guests were transported a world away from the usual conference room. It was a place where history, craftsmanship and imagination came together – and where creativity felt completely at home.
Guests also went behind the scenes to explore the distillery and discover the creative process behind one of the UK’s most recognisable gin brands. It was a full sensory experience and a fitting reminder that brilliant ideas often begin with curiosity, experimentation and an unexpected combination of ingredients.
Ideas worth stirring
At the heart of the day was a brilliant line-up of speakers, each bringing a very different perspective on creativity, storytelling and connection.
Writer, performer and podcaster Suchandrika Chakrabarti brought wit, warmth and sharp observations from her experiences across comedy, communications and journalism.
Dance leader and social innovator Zoie Golding MBE explored storytelling, bold ideas and the power of movement to create meaningful community impact, sharing the story behind The Big Movement and its work around men’s mental health.
Broadcaster turned podcast coach Zoe Hanson shared the power of finding your voice, telling your story and using audio to build more human connections.
Together, they reminded us that creativity does not belong to one discipline, role or type of person. It can be found in words, movement, sound, lived experience and the courage to try something new.
Creativity in good company
Stir Creativity was never intended to be a day of simply sitting and listening.
Just as much inspiration came from the people in the room: communications and marketing professionals with different experiences, challenges and ideas to share. There was time to talk, make new connections, exchange stories and enjoy being part of a community that understood the pressures and possibilities of creative work.
Add in plenty of good food, refreshments and a beautiful setting, and the day had exactly the atmosphere we had hoped for: relaxed, generous, energising and full of ideas.
What the day stirred up
Our first Stir Creativity gave people permission to pause, look beyond their usual sources of inspiration and spend time with others who cared about making communications more creative and meaningful.
People left with fresh ideas, new connections and, hopefully, a little more creative energy than they had arrived with.
Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to spend the day with us.
