ABOUT

Background:
For the 2017 On & Off Trade National Sales Brief, Heineken brought together their On and Off Trade sales and marketing teams and Star Pubs & Bars colleagues for the first time in five years. The event was hosted in Newcastle at The Sage, a customer of Heineken’s and was the largest to date with just shy of 650 employees attending. The venue was chosen for its ability to be transformed into the immersive event that Heineken had in mind. The objective was to inform, inspire and motivate their sales teams ahead of 2017, recap on the year just gone, and give delegates the opportunity to engage with all of the brand teams across each area of the business, understanding their visions for the future.

Solution:
The three-phase event took delegates on a trip to the ‘Heineken City’ where the idea was to represent each of the Heineken trades – On-Trade (bars), Off-Trade (supermarkets) and Star Pubs and Bars (pubs). The event was far more than your typical conference. A 48 x 16 foot fully projection mapped set was built on the main stage and was the platform for the shows opening ‘Heineken City’ animation and the various brand’s presentations across the two days. On day one the sheer size of the set made for an impressive start to the conference for all 650 delegates. Our creative team worked with the brand’s presenters to create presentations specifically built to take full advantage of the projected set.

Each year the evening’s entertainment is eagerly awaited and this year it didn’t disappoint. The different brands created their own bars, pubs and experiential activations to give other employees the chance to get a feel for their brand personalities, making it easier for them to engage their client’s post event. Day one was to inform; the evening was to experience the brands, and day two was to give delegates the opportunity to directly engage and interact with the business in a more personal and engaging way, outside of the typical presentations. 29 trade stands were built around the venue’s concourse for delegates to explore, representing the winding streets of the city. The stands promoted the support tools available to Heineken employees that allow them to do their jobs more effectively.

Outcome:
The production was complex, with numerous challenges surrounding the event management, venue restrictions and extremely tight turnaround times. The transformation of the concourse into the immersive evening event was done in just 2 and a half hours and day two’s exhibition was built overnight. With a lot to do and little time to do it in, there was no room for error. 24/7 crew onsite for the entire event ensured a seamless production which was essential to the event’s success.

Vicky Halle, Event Manager at Corporate Events commented, “Having worked with Heineken for many years it was great to have the opportunity to produce such an interactive and engaging conference for their sales team. Everything from the projection mapped content to the trade stands was really engaging and successfully produced. A memorable event for all! It was also great to get such commitment from all the brand teams and stand owners, everyone was so excited ahead of the event, and by working across the business as a whole we came together to produce one of their best events yet”.