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John Lewis Empowered Leaders Event

Retail Internal Event Experiential
John Lewis tasked us with creating a week-long leadership event designed to inspire over 8,000 leaders across the partnership. Centered on learning and collaboration, the event featured interactive plenaries and breakout sessions aligned with a new learning portal launch. Delivered efficiently and effectively, it helped set the foundation for a cultural shift toward leadership that motivates and empowers, leaving attendees with a clear sense of purpose and direction.
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CHALLENGE

John Lewis engaged our services for an event for over 8,000 leaders across the partnership, where the key ask was to shift the culture from one of telling, to one of inspiring.
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INSIGHT

Learning was to be at the heart of every activity. Collaborating closely with the Partnership’s Learning and Development team, we ensured every step helped delegates to become ‘specialists in people’.

SOLUTION

Our team of creatives got stuck in, planning a week-long event that would bring all leaders together and leave them with no doubts that John Lewis and Waitrose could thrive under their fantastic leadership. As the event coincided with the launch of a new area on the Partnership’s learning portal, we built everything around the exciting new content leaders could find there. 

Around 1,200 leaders attended each day, and all enjoyed a large communal space, main plenary and four breakout areas where our designs ensured interactivity and impact. We created an engaging event that was both cost-effective in delivery and provided plenty of results against the organisation’s strategic objectives. 

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IMPACT

Over the course of the week, more than 8,000 leaders engaged with the event content, many for the first time in a shared, in-person setting. The format and delivery style landed well, with internal feedback praising the interactive breakouts and clear alignment to the Partnership’s learning goals. Most importantly, it provided a consistent launchpad for the new leadership development approach, helping leaders understand their role in the cultural shift ahead.