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About us

Why we started The Happy Prize Company

The Happy Prize Company was founded by Justine Clement, one of the team behind the launch and growth of one of the leaders in the prize management industry, Unmissable.

Unmissable started off life as a bit of an adventure for everyone involved, one which sought to understand people’s dreams and aspirations. The team were so taken by the idea of what was fast becoming known as the 'experience economy', that they spent a year researching and interviewing people to find out what their dreams and aspirations were. 

It turned out that what most people were aspiring to in the late 90’s/early 2000’s was a dream travel experience. A huge cultural shift had begun; people had gone from working hard in order to save up for, say, a fridge, or microwave (and been genuinely excited about that) to dreaming of a week’s holiday in Majorca or Marbella. One stage on from that and Unmissable began offering an evolution in the dream holiday mindset – experiences that created some serious memories, such as diving with Great White’s in South Africa, kayaking with Killer whales on Vancouver Island or perhaps flying a Russian MIG fighter jet. The concepts were so original, new and appealing that brands began approaching Unmissable to ask if they could use these travel experiences as prizes for consumer promotions, or rewards to incentivise and motivate their staff.

Following the sale of Unmissable, Justine has spent the last year considering, researching and experiencing a new type of adventure and equal interest in her life; wellbeing. She formed a startup called The Life Adventure because she noticed how many of us seem to find ourselves feeling anything from simply curiosity about our state of mind and how we operate in the world around us, to feeling entirely emotionally bereft. We dream of happiness, yet it often eludes us and there's a huge growing awareness around this. Regular and popular articles in publications such as the Sunday Times Style Magazine all point to the idea that whilst we live in a 24/7-connected world, we’re feeling more disconnected and stressed than in any other period in our history. Or perhaps we’re just more aware of it. With the launch of companies such as The School of Life in London and Mind Valley Academy in Asia, The Life Adventure sits alongside these as a resource for those wanting to delve deeper and make life a more enriching and rewarding experience, both inside and outside the workplace.

And so to The Happy Prize Company, which begins life by drawing upon both these experiences and bringing them together to offer dreams and experiences of a different kind. Meaningful, enriching ones, that brands and businesses can use to thank or motivate staff and customers. After all, organisations play a huge part in influencing the world around us. So if those influences are positive, the impact is enormous. It's not always been the case, of course, but with new ways of thinking and being and through inspired leadership, this is beginning to change. Forward-thinking companies are now seeing that continued success will rely upon a strong sense of purpose and a future where they contribute positively to the wellbeing of their customers and the people that work for them.

That's why we thought it was time for The Happy Prize Company. We seek to narrow the distance between companies and the positive impact they have on people and the world around them.