AN Ipswich employer has shelled out on an awards bash to put other office events in the shade.Ipswich-based call centre firm Call Connection pulled out all the stops with a staff right royal celebration on Saturday believed to have cost in the region of £200,000.

AN Ipswich employer has shelled out on an awards bash to put other office events in the shade.

Ipswich-based call centre firm Call Connection pulled out all the stops with a staff right royal celebration on Saturday believed to have cost in the region of £200,000.

Around 300 staff attended the annual ceremony, which took place in a marquee complex covering more than 10,000sq ft which had to be transported down from Liverpool for the event.

Nine days of preparation work went into transforming an area at the grounds of Ipswich Rugby Club into a medieval banqueting hall and a temporary “nightclub” dubbed Club Royal Connection.

Jesters, entertainers and character actors, including a King Henry VIII were brought in to get the staff celebrations, based on the theme of kings and queens, off to an impressive start.

Employees were treated to a falconry display, and feasted on a medieval-style banquet which included venison, suckling pig and baron of beef. There was also a free bar, and the revelries continued until 2am.

An awards ceremony with 15 accolades for staff was followed by Queen tribute band Queen On Fire and a turn by an Elvis lookalike, representing “the King”.

Call Connection founder and managing director Graeme Kalbraier said although the event was not cheap, it was worth the money and effort.

He said: “While it might be regarded as a great deal of money, as a percentage of our turnover, it's about half a percent. I think it's a small price to pay for what we get out of it, and the genuine good feeling it creates among our staff.”

The company is celebrating an award-winning year, after scooping a number of accolades including one from the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best companies to work for, for its staff ethos.