Mark Baxter, Founder of BAGGI said, “The vision for Together Fest is to make it the most inspirational, practical and fun wellbeing experience for colleagues in retail. Not only can they have a great time and unwind but they can also be equipped with practical tools to be used in their daily lives and take back into the workplace to help others."
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TOGETHER FEST
THE UK'S FIRST WELLBEING FESTIVAL FOR RETAIL
Staff from 100 of the UK’s biggest retailers have taken part in Together Fest -
the first wellbeing festival for retail workers run by industry charity the Retail Trust.
BAGGI helped the Retail Trust create the concept, name, theming, content strategy and brand design for the very first Together Fest at The Truman Brewery in London.
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MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK
Taking place during Mental Health Awareness Week, the event brought together nearly 600 people working for retailers including ASOS, H&M, Iceland, New Look and Superdrug for a variety of talks, classes and activities designed to unite and inspire people in the retail industry and help them live happier and healthier lives.
“Given the amazing content, we did not want this to feel like just another corporate B2B event. We wanted something that had that summer festival vibe and connected with people working on the frontline. Many of whom have had a pretty torrid time over the past couple of years.
So it was an opportunity to bring them together and celebrate the unsung heroes of retail.”
This is not only reflected in the event name but also the design, featuring classic music festival iconography and carefully planned content zones that included classes on fitness, breathing, yoga, cookery, craft workshops, and live entertainment including music and stand-up comedy. There was even an artisan coffee van on hand offering barista classes and the Retail Trust’s own ‘1832 Blend’ – a nod to the Trust’s origins at The London Coffee House. Colleagues were also able to screen print their own tote bags and t-shirts.
COME TOGETHER
Together Fest’s all-star line-up of celebrities and wellness champions included recording artist and songwriter Nicola Roberts who spoke about resilience and reaching out for help. Capital FM host and TV presenter Roman Kemp, who performed a live DJ set, and podcaster, entrepreneur and former Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing opened up about learning to live with anxiety and overcoming panic attacks. The event was hosted by presenter, author and flexible working campaigner Anna Whitehouse AKA Mother Pukka.
WELLNESS CHAMPIONS
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said: “We ran this event as an enormous thank you for the extraordinary contribution that everyone has put into retail over the last two years and we couldn’t be prouder of the brilliant response from the hundreds of people who attended and told us that they got so much out of the day.
THANK YOU
“Together Fest represented everything that the Retail Trust has always stood for by equipping people with the right tools to improve their wellbeing and by instilling a real sense of pride in working for the retail industry, and we hope that this has helped us to forge new connections and raise much wider awareness of the support we offer.
“The Retail Trust helped 200,000 people last year but there are millions of people in the UK who work in retail, many of whom continue to face ongoing uncertainty, stress and risk of burnout and still don’t know about the invaluable financial aid and mental health services that we provide. We desperately need more and more people, leaders and businesses to get behind the Retail Trust so that we can have a bigger impact in how retailers look after their people.”
