Case Studies
LEGO x Christian Foley
Building trust to create a meaningful Learning Through Play experience
The Brief
The LEGO Group was looking for a speaker who could bring its Learning Through Play philosophy to life at its UK & Ireland conference. The session needed to reconnect colleagues with creativity and playfulness while creating a shared experience that felt engaging, inclusive and true to LEGO’s values.
Our role wasn’t simply to recommend a speaker. It was to understand what LEGO wanted people to experience and find the right partner to make that happen.
Our Approach
Every successful event starts with understanding.
Before recommending a speaker, we took time to explore the purpose of the event, the audience, the local context and what success would look like. Those early conversations helped shape a clear brief and ensured that every recommendation was grounded in LEGO’s ambitions rather than a generic solution.
Christian Foley’s unique blend of spoken word, storytelling and participation made him an excellent fit, but finding the right speaker was only part of the process.
Working closely with both LEGO and Christian, we helped shape the workshop so that it remained true to the Learning Through Play ethos while creating an experience that felt accessible, engaging and enjoyable for everyone in the room.
Throughout the planning process we acted as a trusted partner to both client and speaker, creating clarity, encouraging open conversations and ensuring everyone felt confident about the programme before the event.
It’s an approach we often describe as being a “Talk Doula” — creating the conditions for both client and speaker to do their very best work.
The Outcome
The workshop was energetic, creative and highly participatory.
Colleagues wrote, shared ideas and even rapped together, with Christian creating an atmosphere where people felt comfortable stepping outside their comfort zones and embracing creativity without fear of getting it wrong.
The session delivered exactly what LEGO had hoped for:
A shared creative experience
High levels of participation across the room
A practical demonstration of Learning Through Play
A memorable and uplifting conference session that continued to generate conversation afterwards
Client Feedback
One piece of feedback particularly resonated with us:
“Ellie completely understood our idea and ambition from the first call and made the whole process incredibly easy and collaborative. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”
What This Reinforced
Projects like this remind us that successful events don’t begin on stage.
They begin with listening.
With understanding what an organisation is trying to achieve.
With building relationships based on trust.
Only then can we recommend the right speaker, shape the right experience and create the conditions for meaningful learning.
For us, that’s what partnership looks like.
Building Trust to Deliver the Right Event Experience
The Brief
I was approached to support the planning of a Designated Senior Mental Health Lead event, helping identify and secure speakers who would resonate with the audience and support the event’s objectives.
As with many events in the education and mental health space, there were important local considerations, sensitivities and changing circumstances that needed to be taken into account throughout the planning process.
Our Approach
Rather than focusing solely on finding speakers, I spent time understanding the wider context.
What were the organisers hoping to achieve?
What challenges were they facing?
What would success look like for their audience?
This early understanding helped ensure that any speaker recommendations were aligned not only with the event theme but also with the specific needs of those attending.
Before confirming bookings, I arranged conversations between the organisers and potential speakers so that everyone could feel confident the content, style and approach were the right fit.
Supporting Decision-Making
As the programme developed, there were several occasions when circumstances changed or new considerations emerged.
My role became less about logistics and more about helping the client think through options, weigh up decisions and navigate uncertainty.
Through regular conversations, we explored potential approaches, discussed concerns and ensured decisions remained aligned with the event’s purpose and audience needs.
The Outcome
The event was successfully delivered with a speaker line-up tailored to the audience and objectives.
Most importantly, the client felt supported throughout the process and confident in the decisions being made.
Client Feedback
Reflecting on our work together, they shared:
“She took the time to really understand the purpose of the event, the local context and what we were hoping to achieve.”
and
“She quickly built a relationship based on trust, and I always felt confident in the guidance she provided and the decisions she helped me make.”
What This Reinforced
This project was a reminder that successful events are rarely just about content or speakers.
They are built on understanding, trust and partnership.
The visible outcomes matter, but often the most valuable part of the process is creating enough trust for honest conversations, thoughtful decisions and genuine collaboration.
That is the part of the work I value most.