The Workplace Event recap: Breaking down siloes and building connections

Our stand with OMA

Visitors to our stand were invited to engage in conversation, enjoy a cupcake, and test their geographical skills with our Geoguessr game.

Team members including technical services director Steve Harding spoke about the complexities of technical distribution and how BMG handles specialist equipment to safely move it from A to B, by working with blue-chip manufacturers, distributors, and major 3PLs through our national reach.

With our global partner OMA present on the stand, their representatives shared their market insights within a global framework. When partnered with BMG’s centralised project management model, that insight ensures consistency across regions. Our partnership means that multinational organisations receive consistent, high-quality workplace relocation, clearance, and change management services wherever they operate.

Throughout the day and into each evening, the Networking Café was also a busy hotspot for teams to take a minute, relax, have a drink and make new connections. In the evenings it became even livelier, with a band taking over so everyone could take a moment for a well-deserved drink and a wind-down.

Unpacking sustainability

Our business development executive, Mathew Rathbone, sat on the “Beyond the Surface” panel to tackle sustainability changes in furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E). He was joined by sustainability leaders in the built environment; Joanna Knight of The Sustainable Design Collective, Michael Amos of Waste to Wonder, Praveen Gopalan of Macfarlanes LLP, Frame Hamilton of OCS and Sunil Shah of Acclaro Advisory.

Mathew emphasised that “you need to look at every aspect of the supply chain” to understand the entire lifecycle of FF&E and its carbon impact.

He detailed how BMG assists organisations in tracking their lifecycle assets and helps them source furniture for reuse, which might be rehoming an asset through a charity partner or ensuring that it is recycled and not sent to landfill.

The panel also highlighted the significant performance gap between what buildings should be doing and what they actually achieve – a 25 per cent performance gap that has persisted over the last 40 years.

Together, they concluded that organisations need to be educated on what their budget can realistically achieve, the carbon benefits of reuse over recycling and awareness of the predictive obsolescence of assets.

Hacking into workplace solutions

At our BMG and the OMA stand, visitors could explore interpersonal workplace solutions. We hosted a hackathon on removing workplace siloes and making evidence-based decisions.

Ian Baker, founder and director of the Humans and Places workplace consultancy, moderated the talk, and the topics were varied. Some participants argued that executive directors need to set an organisational tone by dedicating themselves to in-person meetings.

Others proposed the development of internal app-based platforms designed to connect employees across departments and document siloed workflows and data. These systems need to be accessible to all teams – including those in the head office, working from home, and the frontlines.

The impact of Covid and social isolation on modern workplace culture was an especially important part of the discussion. Some participants advocated that digitisation means we are more connected than ever, but others believed that in-person connection and collaboration cannot be so easily replaced.

One conclusion was clear; we need balance. From executive to frontline services, organisations need to host spaces for colleagues to connect regularly, both online and in person.

Geoguessr challenge

Our Geoguessr game certainly drew in some competitive attendees. Participants were shown a randomised location on a map, where they had to use their surroundings to work out exactly where they were.

While some players struggled to distinguish the Alps from a North American mountainscape, others used clues such as street signs, written language, and climate indicators to accurately find their randomised location on Google Maps.

£500 worth of prizes were won by our incredible five winners:

Mateusz Czarnota, with 18,182 points
Emma McLaughlin-Edwards, with 17,400 points
Ellie Caley, with 16,688 points
Sharon Slinger, on behalf of Ivy, with 16,681 points
Kelly Dean, with 15,792 points

Maybe all the winners should pursue a career in global workplace solutions?

Our takeaways

Together, BMG and OMA brought expertise and innovation to the forefront of workplace transformation conversations at The Workplace Event 2025.

Our Geoguessr challenge and hackathon engaged attendees, and our colleagues tackled key challenges in technical distribution and sustainability across the industry. By sponsoring the Networking Café, we helped foster meaningful dialogue around efficient, sustainable, and adaptable global workplace solutions.

Learn more about our services, our technical distribution services, and our partnership with OMA.

Get in touch with one of our regional teams or receive a quote today to find out how we can support your business moves.