corporate thrills reach new highsEn

corporate thrills reach new highs
Entertaining is no longer about cocktails and canape - instead, it's toys and tanks.
London firms are now taking their favourite clients on driving lessons. The only difference is, it involves a tank, as well as target practice using the vehicles' guns. The winner of the day's contest gets a chance to run over a car with the the tank.
'A lot of traditional corporate hospitality events like racing at Ascot and tennis at Wimbledon have been around lor so long, and so many companies have actually done these things,' says Rachel Enlaugh, an entrepreneur. 'Bur every year they have the same clients they need to entertain, so they have to come up with new and exciting ideas.'
Another event aimed at thrilling clients involves flying a jet fighter, reminiscent of the movie Top Gun with Tom Cruise. But catching the imagination of corporate customers is expensive. Entertaining at events like the Henley Regatta near London costs $600 a day, while a corporate hospitality seat at the Wimbledon tennis tournament can set you back $2,000.
'The budgets are huge. But it is much more cost-effective to keep that customer than to try and find new ones,' Elnaugh says. A day in a tank costs $400 a head, while a 30-minute flight in a jet adds up to $1,000. If you want something more authentic, a ride in a MIG-29 jet fighter in Russia will set you back $18,000.
'Entertainers are always looking out for new ideas, and increasingly they are actually creating everts in response to what is in the media and what is popular,' Enlaugh says.
Corporations are now able to offer trips up Everest or treks across Antarctica for their clients. They try to offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience their clients are unlikely to forget but hot-air ballooning and visits to health spas are still more usual.