A fresh approach
Ever yawned your way through a staff development session… then forgotten everything by the next morning?
Attended a work social event that was… dare we say it… dull?
We can guarantee those events weren’t ours.
At Directors of the Extraordinary we specialise in celebrations, team building and professional development experiences that are anything but ordinary.
We’re the antidote to boring events & forgotten training, delivering serious results in a seriously entertaining way.
What we do in a nutshell
We find fun ways to achieve pretty serious stuff (check out our case studies), helping teams and businesses connect, uncover talents and communicate through interactive experiences inspired by game theory and evidence-based peer learning.
And sometimes…. We’re just here to help you have a great time, creating spectacularly memorable events for something a little less ordinary.
Our programs and events might be a little wild, but our processes are founded in behavioural psychology, peer learning and the science of gamification.
Gami’fi-cation, noun
The application of typical elements of game play, theatre and storytelling for extraordinary engagement, learning and shared moments of discovery.
A little bit of our story
Directors of the Extraordinary (DoE) was born out of a desire to create.
Founded by four siblings – Matt, Simon, Giovanna and Paul Shakhovskoy – Directors of the Extraordinary found its’ origins in a creative collaboration that quickly led to the establishment of the largest escape room in Brisbane. Building on the success of this first venture, the founder team turned their attention to other formats, rapidly developing a new genre of interactive entertainment and learning experiences that quickly found a following.
Experimenting broadly with a range of intricate learning programs such as gamifying a major pharmaceutical conference, sophisticated team building simulations and surprising new takes on traditional experiences such as wine tasting, our story is captured in what we have created.
What we discovered along the way is a genuine belief that there is virtually no people-centric business, learning or entertainment challenge that can’t be solved by smart interaction design. The business that emerged is both complex and simple:
- Creating extraordinary experiences through our multidisciplinary Design Lab
- Delivering a range of packaged and custom experiences through our talented events team
- Extending access to some of this magic through our growing network of licensing partners, and
- Finding every opportunity to continue to challenge the conventional and bring a little more magic to people’s experiences of work, learning and play.
Our Mission: To direct teams towards their extraordinary potential through fun, purposeful and completely unique team building experiences.
Programs founded in science for experiences that are anything but textbook
Our work is a blend of art and science: practical, evidence-led learning through discovery, packaged in creativity, theatre, storytelling and game design. We don’t just run training events, we create immersive social, team building and professional development experiences that put your team at the centre of the story.
We’re here to put an end to boring training. Instead of talking AT people, we invite your team to engage with the learning, taking a break from the everyday to immerse themselves in another world for breakthroughs in learning and discovery.
Our Vision
To be the most innovative team building company (this side of the solar system), consistently creating moments of connection & growth.
…
For far too long, there’s been talk of innovative approaches to team building and development, but before we burst onto the scene, rarely did anyone deliver something truly different. We take our commitment to delivering something better very seriously.
Frankly, we’re deeply unsatisfied if we’re doing something someone else has already done. That innovative thinking drives our business forward – creating new ways for teams to connect through discovery and fun.
Meet the team
Matt Shakhovskoy
Simon Shakhovskoy
Giovanna Shakhovskoy
Paul Shakhovskoy
Levi Wilcox
Harry Jensen
Lachlan Smith
Josh Lyons
How can we help you?
Our promise to you
Team building, reimagined
For a long time team building and learning and development has been talking about innovative approaches but rarely delivering something truly different. We take our vision and brand promise very seriously and are committed to crafting team building, bonding and learning experiences that move people from observers to contributors where they have moments of connection and discovery that shift how they work. This means taking the very best content and creating unique offerings where only the extraordinary will do.
Working in the fields of
- Team building
- Fun & celebration
- Learning & development
- Professional development
- Teacher & Student programs
- Custom built experiences
Our values
Check out some of our recent work with different clients:
