Summary:
A high-level executive event for a select group of business partner executives and senior global and APAC Sitecore executives to meet and discuss the needs and challenges of partners throughout the region.
The event itself included executive-level meeting facilities, an exciting but casual welcome dinner and a formal off-site banquet and walkabout.
Everything ran brilliantly and we had some lovely customer feedback.
Thank you Julie for all your help organizing our recent PAC. We had great feedback from our partners on the location and the seamless organization. We could not have done this without your support!
The Event
A high-level executive event for a select group of business partner executives and senior global and APAC Sitecore executives to meet and discuss the needs and challenges of partners throughout the region. These Partner Advisory Council (PAC) meetings drive company and partner investment strategies for years to come and so are a serious commitment by management and partners and are critical to the company's growth strategy.
Chill Out! had already run several PAC events in the UK and Europe so we understood the importance of this event for the APAC region.
The Client
Sitecore - Global IT vendor.
The Brief
The event itself included meeting facilities, an exciting but casual welcome dinner and a formal off-site banquet and tour. The client wanted suggestions for venues for the meeting itself and the gala dinner evening. Travel was always going to be a problem coordinating attendees from the many different countries and cultures in the APAC region.
The Spec
- 33 delegates
- All accommodation, travel and transportation
- Meeting facilities plus informal break out areas
- Welcome dinner, informal dining plus executive banquet (off-site)
- Translators as required plus a transcription of the meeting
- On-site local language plus English speakers
- Branded themed materials – lanyards, notepaper, pens and signage
The Challenges
- Finding a location that was accessible to delegates from a wide region
- Coordinating travel and transport arrangements
- Providing translation facilities for a broad mix of languages
- Find a suitable venue for the executive banquet
The Chill Out! Solution
Chill Out before Dinner
Having worked in the region before, we talked with our local contacts to suggest suitable locations and venues to meet the brief. From a list of options, we agreed with the client to use the Hyatt Hotel on Phuket island in Thailand as best meeting the travel requirements.
Coordinating travel, transfers and transport are all part of the day job and Phuket has a good infrastructure for group travel. However, the geographic spread and time differences of the various customer and partner delegates did require a serious amount of coordination with our local contacts and flexible meet-and-greet transportation – but everybody got there in time to chill out before dinner!
The Meeting
The meeting facilities were inspirational as can be seen from our pictures. We worked closely with both our local agent and the hotel to source multi-lingual translators and transcribers for the meeting. Detailed notes were made available to all delegates shortly after the sessions.
The Hyatt Hotel was a wonderful venue and an elegant host for the meeting. The arrival dinner in the Pool Bar was extraordinary with selections of regional food with a local twist to make our guests feel welcome. The meeting facilities and on-site support were excellent.
Executives Dining Out in Town
The Sala Bua restaurant in the Impiana Resort provided a spectacular beach front location for a fabulous meal which impressed everyone – even us! And we're tough to please!
The central location allowed our delegates to go walkabout and sample the local life in Phuket. Our delegates all managed to rendezvous with the return transport and the business discussions continued happily into the evening back at the hotel.
Summary
Having previously developed good relationships with local contacts, we were able to make recommendations that exceeded our clients’ expectations. Careful planning and clear communication can make delegates feel welcome and valued throughout the event, from their initial registration through to the flights home.
We were able to walk the client through the options and settle on these fabulous venues where we knew the local hospitality would impress the executives from all the guest companies. The results were amazing and the client - and their guests - were over the moon.
Customer Feedback
Thank you Julie for all your help organizing our recent PAC. We had great feedback from our partners on the location and the seamless organization. We could not have done this without your support! It's all down to the great people at Chill Out! Event Management Ltd