"I am who I am because of who we all are"
THE MEANING
OF
UBUNTU
(uu-buun-too)
WHY UBUNTU?
ubuntu london is a small tribe of experts who have worked at the highest levels of the corporate, political and charity worlds. While our areas of expertise are varied, we share an approach to our work that puts people at the heart of everything we do.
We grew up hearing about the southern African philosophy of ubuntu. It’s a way to view the world - and we rather love it.
For us, it speaks to the qualities of ‘human-ness’ and interdependence - that life is about people, how they connect and are connected. In the brainstorming sessions in the worlds of strategies, communications and events, it is often forgotten that the end result is about the people involved: the performer, the audience, the speaker, the client, the customer.
With the approach of ubuntu, we put people at the core of the strategies, communications and events we create as the surest way to achieve the success you’re looking for.
OUR NETWORK OF CONSULTANTS IS LED BY
WHO WE ARE
LAURA
DENNIS
One of the UK’s leading event organisers, Laura has managed events that have raised more than £25 million for charity.
From incredible award shows and celebrity golf days to corporate conferences and fundraising galas for Team GB ahead of London 2012, Laura creates experiences that one can't forget - whether you’re the client or a member of the audience, or both!
Armed with a spreadsheet, meticulous organisation, creative flair and a fiendish sense of humour, she makes the seemingly logistically impossible, possible.
Dennis helps individuals and organisations across a range of sectors identify and define their mission and best possible strategy for the future. He approaches this from the perspective of storytelling, because stories that are compelling and resonate with their audience make for effective strategies. As Samuel Johnson said - 'words are but the signs of ideas'.
Always having a lot of both to offer, he helps you find your most powerful stories, be they in the form of strategy (as he has done for global businesses and major international political campaigns), speeches (for former Heads of Government and leading business executives), copywriting (for businesses and thought leaders) or scripts (for production companies and a former Prime Minister).
WHY UBUNTU?
WHAT WE DO
What does your future look like? How can you be successful in a world that is more uncertain and changing faster than ever before? Are you going be a company that inspires and shifts the paradigm? Will you let your future just happen or are you going to shape it?
With deep experience in running successful international political campaigns and advising the boards of leading NGOs and businesses, ubuntu london can help you work out what your future could look like and how you can realise it.
Our philosophy focuses on the relationships between your company and the people it connects with and we build strategies that are built not simply on what you do, but the more fundamental why you do it - your vision and inspiration. This philosophy is allied to a rigorous methodology that means the strategies we create in partnership with our clients both inspire and deliver.
We offer three different types of consultancy to help your strategic development:
DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE AND BRAND
All companies know what they do, some know how they do it, but very few can articulate why they do it (Simon Sinek, 2009). Believing that mission and purpose is the foundation of all inspired organisations, we work closely with you to clearly define your why and how it shapes your brand and what you do.
DESIGN YOUR STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS
Investing the time and energy to create or refresh your strategy can pay huge dividends. ubuntu london makes designing your strategy straightforward by providing a platform for your best thinking to come to the fore: mapping challenges and opportunities; identifying strengths and weaknesses; facilitating staff input and then transforming these resources into a strategy that we iterate with you into the final product.
IDENTIFY YOUR OPPORTUNITIES OF THE FUTURE
A consistent feature of successful organisations is the ability to look to the future and adapt to the changes, challenges and opportunities it presents. That's a difficult thing to do considering the pressure of everyday work. In partnership with every part of your business, we can help you spot and understand the different types of opportunity ahead, so that you know where to place your next big bet.
So if you want to start shaping your future, get in touch.
STRATEGIES
"Some look at things the way they are and ask why...
I dream of things that never were and ask why not?"
ROBERT F KENNEDY
"It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare for a little impromptu speech."
MARK TWAIN
Communication has the power to persuade, to move, to inspire, to win people to your cause and even make people look at the world a little differently. At a time when people are cynical about the nature of communications and are tired of the jargon and the spin, ubuntu london works with you - whether you are an individual or an organisation - to create communications that are authentic, compelling and truly reflect the power of your ideas.
To that end, we can help you with:
speechwriting
From Cicero to Obama (Barack and Michelle!) - and many best men inbetween - speeches have always been one of history's great forms of communication. Yet when they go wrong, they are - at best - a lost opportunity and - at worst - unmitigated disasters. Don't worry, whether your speech is political, corporate or after dinner in nature, you're in safe and experienced hands. We've worked with current and former heads of Governments, business leaders and Olympic athletes to help them persuade, inspire and tell their story. Working with you, we research, structure and write a speech that authentically fits your voice and personality and resonates with the audience.
copywriting
The words you choose to deliver your message are vital to making sure it lands well. Our team can help you find the right words for you and the channel - articles, digital media, animation scripts, white papers, marketing collateral, websites, tagline or any other format you might need.
presentation, media and speech training
Some love presenting to others, while others loathe it. One constant is that presenting is a requirement of modern life, whether it's in the office, to large audiences or in the media. The challenge is always to communicate your message as powerfully as possible while projecting the best of you. Through workshops and training sessions we have delivered to hundreds of professionals across sectors, we can help you deliver compelling, funny and memorable speeches, presentations and media appearances.
So if you have a story, idea or message you need to communicate, get in touch.
COMMUNICATIONS
ubuntu london has developed and can access expertise in all of these areas, with a powerful understanding of how they interact and impact the experience of your guests.
One of our areas of expertise is fundraising. With over ten years' experience in running high profile fundraising events, we know how to both create the right strategy for your organisation and integrate successful fundraising into every event.
We can work in a way that suits your needs:
EVENT MANAGEMENT
Working with you, we manage the event from conception to completion.
CONSULTANCY
You can bring in our event specialist to provide their expert knowledge to:
-
define your event strategy
-
support your in-house events team
-
project manage events
-
help with one particular element of your event, such as venue searches or connections to entertainment.
The way we work is based entirely on collaboration. We work closely in partnership with you to put together the event that will meet and exceed your objectives: we don't have our own agenda, so our goal is to realise yours by delivering sensational events.
So, it hopefully goes without saying - the first step of any great event is for you to get in touch.
ubuntu london
creates and delivers
fundraising dinners
award shows
experiential events
fashion shows
conferences
corporate team building
private parties
golf days
cricket days
boxing nights
press launches
weddings
and many others...
Events are much more than just logistics. Whatever your objective, events are experiences for the guest: to be enjoyed, to create great memories and to build valuable connections with your organisation. As ever - it's about the people!
That's why the power of events is being increasingly recognised as a vital part of how organisations market and express themselves.
Delivering that 'you had to be there' moment is never down to just one thing. At ubuntu london, we take an integrated approach to every event, where each dimension is in sync with another:
GET IN TOUCH
If you need strategy, communications and events support or have skills you think might be valuable to ubuntu london, then please don't hesitate to get in touch.