The Three Day Field Trip
An immersive three-day workshop to see culture in action
Three days. Six company visits. 28 seats on the bus. Since 2016, our Three Day Field Trips have helped executives from more than 100 businesses to experience the culture of some of South Africa’s most highly engaged organisations first hand; asking questions of senior executives; looking behind the scenes on guided tours; and earning insider knowledge of what it is that makes great culture work. This unique concept has earned HAPPYSANDPIT a place right at the forefront of innovative culture learning.
How Does the Three-Day Field Trip Work?
This signature immersion is an energetic and fast-paced three-day activity, which always runs over a Tuesday-Thursday, and usually at set times of year on the South African business calendar between February and October. We have been privileged to gain unprecedented access to many of South Africa’s greatest and most fascinating businesses and are committed to continue providing the highest level of learning.
1. Leading Businesses
Since 2016, we have been privileged to visit: Afrihost, Anglo American Platinum, Capital Hotels, Cerebra, Comair, Creative Counsel, DHL, Different Life, Entelect, Flight Centre Travel Group, Hilton Hotels, Hollard, Investec, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, King Price Insurance, McDonald’s, Merchants, Microsoft, Missing Link, Nando’s, Ocean Basket, Rovos Rail, SA Taxi, Striata, Transunion, Unitrans and We Buy Cars.
3. Incredible participants
Since 2016, we have been privileged to host participants from: Absa, AECI, Alexander Forbes, Alan Gray, Allianz, American Tower Corporation, Bank Gaborone, Bank Windhoek, Bet Software, Botswana Fibre Networks, Capricorn Group, Conlog, DeBeers, Falcorp, Goldfields, Growthpoint, Harmony, Hollywood Bets, Hyundai Motors, Impala Platinum, Innovation Group, Kia Motors, Liberty, Liquimoly, Lusaka South MFEZ, Maxtec, Metropolitan, Mettus, Montego, MPI Holdings, Mr Price, Murray & Roberts, Old Mutual, Ooba, Platinum Life, Pnet, Polyoak Packaging, PPC, Price Forbes, Red Rocket, Rain, RMB, Sanlam, Sasfin, Sasria, Standard Bank, Solarvest, STBB, Sun International, TomTom, Transnet, Wecke & Voigt and many others.
2.Unprecedented access
We’ve had the opportunity to look behind the scenes and put as many questions as we can think of, to our culture-first host companies. We’ve spent time with the founders and CEOs, with the culture evangelists and creative people teams. We’ve worn funny hats, built Lego, and slid down all manner of slides. And we’re not close to done yet.
4. Unique expertise
Our job is to get you in front of the smartest, bravest, and most audacious organisations when it comes to culture that drives engagement. Often that means we get inside the biggest household names; the companies you might already consider to be synonymous with culture. But at the same time, we take great pride and great joy in introducing you to the hidden gems you may have never encountered. The lessons are everywhere and we love to find them!
Aug 6 – 8 (JHB)
Sept 17 – 19 (CPT)
Oct 15 – 17 (JHB)
The Outcome
There are as many outcomes as there are different people on the trips, but perhaps the key ones are these:
(1) You will learn how companies operating under the same labour law, tapping employees from the same pool as you, have built great culture that helps them to drive employee engagement leading to performance, loyalty and the other voluntary behaviours we most desire as business leaders, through a pandemic and beyond.
The days will be full of practical lessons you can implement immediately.
(2) You will be joined by up to 14 other like-minded participants who have had to face many of the same challenges as you. Experience tells us that new perspectives and previously unseen sides to a story can lift your thinking and take it in brand new directions.
(3) You’ll have the time of your life. Really. This is going to change the way you think about business and people management forever.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY…
This was the most amazing experience. I would recommend this to anyone who is serious about culture. HAPPYSANDPIT provides an ideal platform for exchanging ideas and facilitating creating thinking. It was a real eye opener.
An exciting and really fulfilling experience. I have brought back with me a wealth of knowledge and I am fully inspired to bring our culture to life in our organisation.
The greatest learning for me was to recognise the critical role the CEO and his/her senior management team play in actively driving the culture from top to bottom. Without this relentless drive of top management, it is hard to see how culture can be sustained.
Many of us, including myself, are immersed in the “trenches” of our businesses and don’t often take the time to lift our heads above the parapet. The opportunity you gave us to engage with passionate executives from very different businesses and fields of endeavour and to explore the distinctive cultures of highly successful companies, was a tremendous experience.