To celebrate the launch of our new Cupcake, Whoopie Pie and Martini Making workshop, here’s a Whoopie Pie recipe that we make in the class.

The Oreo Whoopie Pie

Whoopie Pie Sponge

35g Cocoa Powder

300g Plain White Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

100g Salted Butter

175g Dark Muscovado Sugar

1 Medium Egg

1tsp Natural Vanilla Extract

125ml Full Fat Milk

Makes 6 Whoopie Pies

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Line two baking trays with baking paper or silicone mats.

Whisk together the butter and sugar.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Whisk in the egg.  Beat well.

Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe 5cm round cakes onto the lined baking trays.

Bake for 10-15 mins or until the cakes spring back when touched.

Allow to cool before adding your filling.

Whoopie Pie Marshmallow Filling

20 White Marshmallows

20 White Chocolate Buttons

20ml Water

Makes filling for 5 Whoopie Pies

Add the water to a metal bowl over a bain-marie on a low heat. Break the marshmallows in half and add to the water.

Stir for a few minutes and then add in the white chocolate buttons. Stir the mixture until the chocolate and marshmallows have dissolved. Let the mixture cool for 15 minutes.

Spoon the mixture on to one half the whoopie pie and sandwich the other half on top.

Contact MyChocolate to book your place on the cupcake and whoopie making workshop.

Ok, here goes:

Wear comfortable shoes

Surprise, surprise, this is number 1. We know, it seems obvious, but uncomfortable shoes will make you tired, irritable and ultimately less effective – they’re not called killer heels for nothing. So ditch the heels, and put on some comfortable flats. If you want to go all glamazon then bring the heels in a separate shoe bag and change at the venue. To aid further, try and sit down whenever possible and take plenty of breaks. Networking…organising…it can all take it out of you.

Don’t forget to eat

We’re going to sound like your mum here, but you really must eat. It’s so easy when you are running round to forget to take care of yourself. But it’s essential! If you are a client enjoying hospitality, go easy on the wine as the canapes usually offered can be dangerously insubstantial. Try and eat something filling beforehand and ensure you drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Watch out for cocktails – you don’t know how much alcohol they contain until you try to stand up!

Plan carefully

Whether you are the event organiser, or a client, planning can turn a social occasion into an excellent business opportunity. Is there anyone in particular that you wish to network with, impress, gain contacts through? If you can, do your homework and make a bee line for those people when you arrive. Remember: knowing what you want is the first step to getting what you want.

With these 3 top tips for surviving corporate events, success is practically guaranteed. Throw in a little chocolate, and it’s assured.

We are guessing you are people after our own heart, since you’re reading this blog. So to further whet your appetite, we’re  going to take you on a magical mystery tour of chocolate corporate event ideas.

Chocolate Making

We’re not ones to boast (promise!), but we’re pretty good at this. Well, it has been 8 years non-stop hosting this most popular of workshops. Cut, dip and decorate your own handmade treasures, pop them into ribbon tied boxes, then toast your newly found choc prowess with your clients.  Everyone’s happy – that is unless you arrive home with an empty box.

Chocolate Fountain

Picture the scene: you arrive at the venue, you’re booted, suited and fluted…it’s time to mingle. Now whilst the lucky few glide around delivering effortless quips, some of us (ahem) may feel a wee bit shy in such situations. And this is the beauty of the chocolate fountain. Awe-inspiring and endlessly delicious, the fountain is the leveller of all men. It’s an easy talking point…unless you have a mouth full of chocolate-covered profiterole, that is.

Wine and Chocolate Pairing

We are certainly partial to a glass or two of red, but coupled with a complimentary truffle and you’ll be in a very chocolatey seventh heaven. We consulted our lovely sommelier who helped us find the most delicious combinations. One of our many favourites? Deep tawny port with a rich cinnamon milk truffle. This event is popular with the menfolk too.

Chocolate corporate event ideas will get your taste buds tingling and bring smiles to many faces.

Contactthe MyChocolate office to discuss a bespoke corporate event for your clients.

It’s no bad existence.

However, of late we’ve been having fun checking out how the other half live  – you know, the half who have their own helipads and stuff.

We’ve done a little rekkie of the ‘net, and discovered the most extravagant corporate events experiences out there.

Here are the ones that most tickled our fancy:

Not Quite Do Wah Diddy

Yeh, Cheryl Cole is no slouch on X Factor, but dontcha just miss her singing with the other lasses? Well, fret no more! For a not so modest fee, you can hire Girls Aloud to sing at your company’s bash. For the older clientele, we have Depeche Mode or for the discerning older lady, hunky opera boys Il Divo.

Celeb Speakers

Did you ever read that book, ‘The Game’? The one written for men about how to pick up just about any single lady on the market? How about hiring Neil Strauss the author as your guest speaker? (NB Not quite sure how this will boost your company’s profits). Or you could bring in a certain Mr G Ramsay, but we wouldn’t recommend asking him for dating tips.

Drive a Bentley on Ice

We’re not totally convinced of the benefits of this one. Fly to the Finnish wilderness, take this classic Brit car for a spin on a frozen lake – this seems like some kind of advanced driving proficiency course. But the bit about the huskies and the traditional Lapp dinner sounds good.

Your Very Own Submarine

Yes, for an undisclosed amount,  you can drive your very own two-seat submersible.  Designed to “fly” underwater, The Super Aviator allows you to experience the wonders of the ocean without getting wet. Just don’t say, “Red October”.

Rent a Private Island

You’d have to have done something pretty damn impressive to get HR to agree to this corporate event. Bahamas? Seychelles? Choices, choices. As long as it comes with it’s own fully staffed bar and a white sandy beach, we’re not too picky.

However, when a nice lady kindly offered to give us free psychometric testing, we thought that sounded rather intriguing, so we sharpened our pencils and got to work. The results were genuinely interesting and revealing, and taught us much about the way our particular, tight-knitted group interacts.

Team building training is all about reinforcing positive group dynamics. However, it is just as important to be aware of what can go wrong.

Awareness of this allows you to rectify situations before they get out of hand. Here are the 3 most frequent team issues:

Alpha Tendencies

You know how in those nature documentaries, there’s usually a gorilla that thuds it’s chest and yells the loudest? Same with teams. There is often a member who works on the principle, ‘my way or the highway’, dominating discussions and being uncooperative if they do not get their way. They will also attempt to sabotage proceedings by undermining the authority of others, through subtle (back-stabbing, bitching) and not so subtle means (direct confrontation, aggression). This behaviour shows all the hallmarks insecurity. The best way to deal with these people? Take them aside, and really hear them out. If they feel they are being valued and appreciated, 9 time out of 10 they will pipe down.

Pack Mentality

Cases of sexual harassment frequently make the papers. However, there is another form of harassment stemming from pack mentality in the workplace in which multiple employees pick another employee as a “fall guy”, one who is singled out for excessive criticism or is given a disproportionate workload. More often than not, this person is someone who is has a mild and shy disposition, a character who stands apart from the crowd through socially awkwardness and/or eccentricity. Be alert to this behaviour; not only is it extremely damaging to the individual and to your group dynamic, it prevents you from seeing that person’s actual capabilities and contributions, as well as falsely absolving others of their responsibilities.

Infighting

Think of your company as an orchestra. If Jane in HR is a violinist and Matt in accounts is a bassoonist, your boss is the conductor, keeping time and creating harmony and solid rhythm…or not, as the case may be. It’s really important to be aware of how your boss sets the tone for the company culture. If they are conniving and play colleagues off against each other, chances are the staff will behave similarly; conversely, if the boss is kind, fair and considerate, the same qualities will be felt in the workplace overall. Awareness of this is vital when it comes to team building training. If you quietly identify to yourself your bosses positive and negative traits, you can work to balance these out with your own group dynamic. Easier said than done, but well worth it. Your boss may even sit up and take notice when they see how successfully your team is doing!

Things just ain’t what they used to be. And we mean that in a good way.  Once, corporate entertainment amounted to a sorry looking platter of sandwiches in a gloomy function room, and DJ Keith spinning a selection of 80′s classics. And these days? Even in this current economic climate, smart companies know that corporate ents are really worth investing in.

If done properly, not only do such events leave clients feeling mighty appreciated, they are also invaluable opportunities for networking. However, the key is in the words ‘done properly’.

With this in mind, My Chocolate present to you our Potential Pitfalls list – we’ve come up with the things that might go wrong so you get a head start:

Low Price = Low Value?

It’s one thing being price conscious. But it’s another thing to get sucked into buying the cheapest packages, as low prices don’t necessarily mean value for money. Don’t forget, you are aiming to make your important clients feel valued. Make the event feel like a stingy and miserly affair, and it’ll be worse than not having an event at all. Even if you have a shoe-string budget, it’s your job to find a way to make the entertainment feel generous and high-quality.

The Devil is in the Detail

It’s a dull business, but there is nothing like fine-combing a contract.

Always check exactly what is included in the corporate hospitality package and clarify any points that aren’t clear.

Similarly, always check the cancellation policies that have been put in place by the hospitality provider. What if your numbers go down at the last minute – will you still have to pay for the original amount of people? And what if the company cancel on you? Make sure there is provision for all of these scenarios, and most importantly – get it in writing!

Location, Location!

Ask for the locations of the facilities that make up the package.  They should all be close by, and if they are not within comfortable walking distance, confirm that (elegant) transportation will be covered by the event providers.

All that Glitters…

Do not be taken in by spectacular photography, costly looking brochures and collateral. These do not necessarily reflect what you will get on the day.

Ensure you visit the venue, taste the food and drinks, sample the service and, if possible, sit in on the workshop or entertainment that you wish to book. Don’t be afraid to ask for previous client recommendations and endorsements either!

And Remember:

You are always welcome to come down to My Chocolate HQ to discuss your potential event with us. Just give us a call, and we promise you’ll leave with a good taste in your mouth (that’ll be the hazelnut praline, then!).

One day that might mean figuring out the logistics of getting several kilos of chocolate, four of our lovely teachers, a cocoa bean treasure chest and 10 cases of dessert wine to Munich; on another it may mean rigorously taste-testing strawberry cup cakes and whoopee pies well in advance of a new workshop – it’s a hard life sometimes!

Our Top Tips for Planning Your Event:

• Make sure that invitations get sent out in good time, with a clear date to RSVP. Factor in chasing up responses before the last date to reply to, and don’t forget to include dietary and access options on the invitation.
• Time to break out Excel! There’s nothing like a spreadsheet to properly plan crucial timings. Have timetables for invitations; acceptances; organising accommodation and travel; delegates’ options; tickets for conference dinner, the full caboodle. And don’t forget a timetable for the day itself, with allocated roles for your team.
• Your team will only perform smoothly if you fully brief everyone on their roles and relevant information. Make your expectations clear, and then be sure to fire them up with your belief in their individual abilities.
• When deciding on your venue, shortlist at least 3 separate locations. When you pay your visit, bear in mind the location, facilities, friendliness of the staff and services available at no extra cost. Don’t forget to taste the food and wine while you are there. (And yes, that’s a must!)
• Take advantage of the in-house team at your conference venue. They will be familiar with the venue and able to offer free advice and help.  They are also likely to have information available to assist you in organising such an event, or their event manager should be able to advise you as part of the overall package.
• Get advice from your entertainment agent for what works best in different venues. Usually live music works well for drinks reception and mealtime (we’re thinking less Kraut Rock, and more Bossa Nova, however!). Watch out as stand-up comedians can be loose canons, so best stick to a speaker who is talking on a pre-agreed and relevant topic for 30 minutes or so after dining.
• Take a break: it’s going to be a long day, so if you can, stay at the venue, or close by the night before. Don’t forget to plan some breaks for you and your team throughout the day. Put your best foot forward – we know you’ll do a fabulous job!

What Are Your Objectives?

Take the case of our workshops. Now, some might say that learning to make delicious milk chocolate praline is enough of an objective for anyone – but not so. With all corporate events, it is important to be clear about the objectives. These objectives should tie in to corporate goals, and the type of event you have will be strongly influenced by the outcome you are trying to achieve.

Positive or Negative

A key choice is whether your aim is a positive or negative one. Have your staff been particularly spangly, clever and lovely this year? In that case, you want to reward staff for a excellent year. Which means in our language, pop open the champagne and get those chocolate fountains flowing! Or are you trying to overcome psychological barriers that hinder communication? This requires a very different approach, where you try to establish relationships between people who don’t normally interact.

Planning

Suppose you are wanting to build better relationships between two separate departments. You could try mixing them in groups and at tables during mealtimes. However, left to our own devices, most of us with hunker down with those we know. To counteract this you could try briefing everyone beforehand to encourage them to mix, or even produce a formal seating plan.

After the Event

The planning you need to do not only includes the corporate event itself, but also what happens afterwards. Because once the ribbon is untied from the boxes, and the choccies devoured, people have a bit of a habit of going back to their old ways.  The Choc Doc prescribes the following:

• identifying and removing, where possible, boundaries in the working environment that permanently divide people into groups. This can include desk arrangements and different dress codes
• creating cross-organisational process teams (with real objectives) to maintain the  initiative and break down the barriers
• ensuring that you carry on reminding your staff how very much you appreciate them, with reward and recognition schemes, social events and celebrations for key achievements as they happen. Hell, you can even make them home-made chocolate!

Imagine a world with apples but no oranges. Socks but no tights. Bowler hats but no berets. Or, most scarily, chocolate chip cookies…and no vanilla cream truffles. This, ladies and gentlemen, would be a world lacking in diversity. Boo. And diversity is the name of the game when it comes to building a great team.

Just calling a group of people ‘a team’ does not an effective team make. We’ve been thinking about what creates the best, most cheerful and smooth-running collaborations and have come up with a few pointers.

How to Guide: Building a Good Team

1. Take a good look around are your fellow team members. Is your team predominantly made up of the same people or is it a good mix? If it is fairly homogeneous, perhaps it’s worth asking whether such a group can truly represent the views of the customer? Have they got the knowledge they need? Can you find people with different backgrounds to join the team?
2. With this in mind, beware of trying to mould people towards any point of view. The point of differences is that they enrich the idea pool, so be receptive to their suggestions, even if you might not immediately agree.
3. Look out for any quiet ones. Why aren’t they contributing? Do they feel excluded? If you think it’s a confidence issue, it might be worth taking them quietly to one side, and letting them know that their opinion is valued.
4. We know it’s tempting to have an easy life, but don’t pretend to agree when you don’t. Differences can be fuel for developing ideas.
5. Look for common ground. Core beliefs are often the same when surface beliefs are different. Focusing on core beliefs can help you as a team get back on track when there is disagreement and conflict.

Blast and damn. Those stockbroker fellows seemed such ideal candidates for the basket-weaving course, but now you say it, it might not be quite the ticket…

Or ‘Explore your options to get more for your money.’ In these belt-tightening times, that’s second nature to most of us. Whether it’s a case of scouring the internet for the very cheapest flights, or swapping Net-a-Porter for Outnet (shopaholics unite!), we’re all down with saving the pennies.

So keeping it short and sweet, here are My Chocolate’s 4 ultimate tips for better corporate entertainment:

1. Make sure it entails some kind of vice. Betting (day at the races, day at the dogs), strong liquor (whiskey tasting is a safe bet) or any kind of death by chocolate is a sure  fire thing.

2. Get the music right. Whether it’s live or piped, avoid any particularly controversial genres, (happy hardcore, particularly cheesy RnB, Jedward). Our advice?  You can never go wrong with a little Aretha Franklin or Earth, Wind and Fire.

3. For goodness sake, don’t let it involve any of the following dubious categories spotted on client ents websites: mentalists, inflatables, ventriloquists, Paul McKenna.

4. Make it memorable. Sometimes work can feel like ground hog day, and truly great corporate entertainment is an unbeatable opportunity for your clients (and not forgetting you!) to step out of the box, and experience something completely different. If it gets you excited, chances are they’ll enjoy it too.

Bon chance!