Allstate NI brought together nearly 1,000 employees at Belfast's ICC in September for its very first Activate event, representing one of the largest corporate gatherings in Northern Ireland's tech sector.
The company invested significantly in the day-long programme, which featured speakers including physicist Professor Brian Cox, Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, and comedian Shane Todd, alongside interactive technology demonstrations and team recognition ceremonies.
Managing Director Stephen McKeown designed the event around the specific challenge of maintaining collaborative culture in hybrid working environments. For Allstate, whose Belfast and North West teams work directly with colleagues from India to the US, the investment in face-to-face connection represents a strategic response to remote working limitations.
READ MORE: Crossing the AI Frontier: AI in Action at Ulster University
"We work within a hybrid model, so our teams are integrated and work with colleagues globally, from India right through to the US," he says. "But that human connection is still incredibly important. That's something we focus on and something that we invest heavily in."
This approach reflects broader industry concerns about maintaining innovation and collaboration when teams are geographically distributed. Conversations and cross-departmental interactions of the type that typically occur in physical workspaces often drive breakthrough thinking and problem-solving.
“What we saw in the lead-up to Activate — and even more so in the weeks that followed — was a real sense of energy and joy across the organisation,” Stephen reflects. “It wasn’t just a one-day event. It created a ripple effect. People were talking, sharing, reconnecting. There was laughter, curiosity, and a genuine buzz that reminded us all why human connection matters so much.”
The event acted as a cultural showcase, injecting fresh momentum into teams and reigniting a sense of pride and possibility. From floor decals sparking curiosity to spontaneous conversations between colleagues who hadn’t met in person before, Activate became a catalyst for renewed engagement.
The Activate programme included VR technology demonstrations, interactive experiences, and structured networking opportunities designed to facilitate connections between different business units and technical teams.
Professor Brian Cox's presentation focused on scientific inquiry and the importance of questioning established assumptions. Stephen points to this as particularly relevant to Allstate's operations.
"One of the elements that stood out was the power of asking questions and not settling on an answer, and how those answers might evolve over time as our understanding evolves," he says.
Dame Kelly Holmes addressed performance mindset and mental health, topics that resonated with teams navigating organisational change. "She has an incredibly powerful story around performance mindset, but also around mental health and how you acknowledge change," says Stephen. "Sometimes the change that leads to your success is not always easy and certainly not a straight path."
The event concluded with awards recognising employee contributions beyond standard work responsibilities. The awards set out to highlight the connection between individual character and professional performance, reinforcing cultural expectations around community engagement.
The Allstate NI MD cited one example of a colleague who provided medical assistance during an emergency outside the Belfast office. "People stood up and did something for their community," he says. "How you build community, how you build connections - all of that creates a really powerful opportunity to engage."
READ MORE: AICON Launches New ‘After-Hours’ Series in Belfast
The event represents what Stephen describes as necessary investment in organisational culture during periods of significant change.
"Sometimes the journey to success is difficult, and navigating that often isn't a straight path," he says. "When you bring together people, ideas, skills, and disciplines, you start to unlock something deeper. You start getting a multiplier effect in terms of what you're doing, how you're operating. I think this region in particular really has an abundance of problem-solving skills."
For organisations managing hybrid teams, events like Activate represent strategic investment in maintaining the human connections that drive innovation and operational effectiveness. The scale of Allstate's commitment, gathering 1,000 employees for a full day, indicates the priority the company places on preserving collaborative culture despite distributed working models. The investment reflects Stephen’s view too that technology alone cannot drive transformation, it requires equal focus on cultural development and human connection to achieve sustainable organisational change.
Sync NI's Summer 2025 magazine celebrates women in tech across Ireland as we continue to encourage more women to enter the thriving sector and address the current gender imbalance. Read the Summer 2025 Sync NI Magazine online for free here.
