Two Days, Three Worlds: Inside P&G South Africa’s OGSM 26/27

A new fiscal year represents more than a date on a corporate calendar. It is an opportunity to review what has been achieved, clarify what comes next and bring an organisation together behind a shared direction. For P&G South Africa, their 26/27 OGSM carried an additional significance. The company was also celebrating 30 years of operations in South Africa.

Held at Montecasino on 29 and 30 June 2026, the event brought together 150 employees for two days of strategy, recognition, participation and team building. The programme needed to acknowledge the organisation’s history while maintaining a strong focus on the future.

It also needed to move through several very different experiences without feeling fragmented.

Beginning with energy and history

P&G officially commenced operations in South Africa during the 1990s. That history became the inspiration for the opening day’s retro theme.

Bold colours, nostalgic visual references and playful design details gave the conference environment a distinctive identity. Rather than treating the decade as a costume concept alone, the styling connected the event to an important chapter in P&G South Africa’s story.

It established an energetic atmosphere from the moment attendees entered the room, while creating a visual contrast with the more formal celebration planned for later that evening.

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Making participation part of the programme

The OGSM was intended to be a participative experience, not a sequence of presentations delivered to a passive audience.

One of the opening day’s highlights was a Family Feud-style icebreaker hosted by Mark Dio. Employees were invited onto the stage to compete, respond and work with their teams in real time.

The activity changed the temperature of the room. It added humour and spontaneity while encouraging employees to interact outside the structure of the formal business sessions.

Participation was not treated as an additional element around the agenda. It was included as part of the agenda itself.

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Transforming the environment

Following the daytime conference, the venue underwent a complete transformation for the gala dinner and awards ceremony.

The bright retro palette was replaced by black, white, gold and silver. Pearls, mirrored disco balls, metallic details and illuminated architectural elements introduced a more polished evening atmosphere.

The theme, “Celebrating 30 Years,” appeared throughout the environment, from the entrance experience and photo area to the table décor and stage content. The transformation gave the anniversary celebration the weight it deserved. It created a clear shift from planning the future to recognising the people and achievements that had shaped the previous three decades.

Awards, entertainment and live music completed the evening, bringing employees together for a celebration rooted in company pride.

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Moving beyond the conference room

The second day included breakaway sessions followed by Crew-Manji, a structured photographic discovery experience.

Working in teams, attendees explored Montecasino and interacted with its spaces, people and distinctive features. The challenge encouraged observation, creativity and collaboration while giving employees an opportunity to experience the venue from a different perspective.

After a first day centred on business direction and celebration, Crew-Manji provided a more active and informal close to the programme.

It reinforced team cohesion without relying on a conventional team-building format.

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Creating one connected journey

The challenge in delivering OGSM 26/27 was not simply managing several programme components. It was ensuring that each one contributed to the same overall story.

The conference acknowledged where P&G South Africa began. The strategic sessions focused employees on the road ahead. The interactive activities encouraged participation. The gala dinner honoured 30 years of achievement. The final team challenge brought colleagues together through a shared experience outside the ballroom.

Each part had its own identity, but all of them supported a common objective: beginning the new fiscal year as one organisation, aligned behind a shared ambition.

That is what turned P&G OGSM 26/27 from a two-day corporate programme into a complete employee experience.