Nordex approached EML with a unique brief: create a team-building experience centred around health and safety that was directly relevant to their world as a leading turbine manufacturer.
Rather than selecting an existing activity, Nordex wanted an experience that would engage participants while reinforcing key workplace messages. The result was Turbine Trouble, a fully bespoke investigative challenge designed and delivered by EML specifically for their business.
About Nordex
Nordex Group is a global manufacturer and service provider of onshore wind turbines, with more than 10,000 employees worldwide and operations in over 40 markets. Founded in 1985, the business plays a major role in supporting the transition to renewable energy through the development, manufacture, installation and servicing of wind energy solutions.
The Challenge
Health and safety training can often be information-heavy and difficult to bring to life in an engaging way. Nordex wanted to move beyond presentations and create an experience that reveals how teams read evidence, separate blame from cause, and spot the gap between reporting a problem and acting on it.
The challenge was to design an event that would:
- Reflect Nordex’s industry and day-to-day operations
- Reinforce health and safety principles
- Build collaborative investigation skills
- Explore the difference between individual mistakes and systemic failures
- Open conversations around reporting culture and accountability
Importantly, the activity needed to be engaging while still delivering clear learning outcomes.
Our Role
This is where EML put our stamp on the event.
At EML, we pride ourselves on our ability to tailor experiences to specific clients and objectives. When Nordex came to us, we didn’t simply adapt an existing activity; we built one from the ground up.
Our team designed Turbine Trouble specifically for Nordex, creating a realistic investigative scenario using industry-relevant themes and documentation.
From concept creation and content writing through to event management and facilitation, EML managed the entire experience. We then travelled to Carlisle to deliver the event at The Halston, ensuring the experience ran seamlessly from start to finish.
The Conference Format
Participants were divided into teams and tasked with investigating a simulated turbine incident using real-format documents, reports, and evidence packs.
Working under pressure, teams had to:
- Analyse complex information
- Identify inconsistencies in evidence
- Separate individual blame from systemic causes
- Manage differing opinions
- Reach a shared conclusion
As the investigation unfolded, teams explored broader questions around organisational culture, accountability, and how strong reporting processes must be supported by effective action.
The activity encouraged participants to think critically, communicate effectively, and collaborate towards a common goal.
Why This Format Worked
- The immersive nature of Turbine Trouble transformed important business themes into a practical, engaging experience.
- Rather than being told about health and safety principles, participants experienced them first-hand.
By placing teams in a realistic scenario, the activity:
- Encouraged active participation
- Created safe discussions around challenging topics
- Linked learning directly back to workplace behaviours
- Allowed participants to see problems from multiple perspectives
- Made key messages memorable and actionable
Most importantly, because the event was built specifically around Nordex’s industry, participants could clearly relate the learning back to their day-to-day roles.
The Outcome
The event brought together 100 participants in a highly engaging and thought-provoking experience.
Teams quickly discovered that effective problem-solving requires more than technical expertise. Success depended on communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and the ability to work through differing viewpoints.
The event sparked honest conversations around health and safety, reporting culture, and accountability, demonstrating how organisations can have strong reporting mechanisms in place, but still face challenges if action and learning do not follow.
By combining industry relevance with immersive team building, Turbine Trouble delivered meaningful learning while strengthening team connections across the business.
Summary
Turbine Trouble perfectly demonstrates EML’s ability to create bespoke experiences that go far beyond traditional team building.
Starting with a simple brief around health and safety and turbine manufacturing, EML designed and delivered an event that was entirely unique to Nordex’s needs.
Because the most impactful team-building events aren’t off the shelf, they’re built around your people, your challenges, and your objectives.
Plan Your Bespoke Team Building Event
While we offer set events that have been created to target team growth, EML Team Building can also design and deliver bespoke events that suit your exact needs. You tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll handle the rest.
