Summary:
Our role is to understand our clients’ needs and objectives and translate those into an event that is judged successful by the Delegates, Sponsors and the Client. In this case, our experience of running high-profile VIP events in various London venues meant that we could confidently recommend a solution.
The Sofitel provided the elegance and charm that was a clear winner with our client but came with its own challenges for the on-site plenary staging. By working closely with the venue and our trusted-suppliers we created an outstanding event, in this case both on-site and on-line.
Our client and their delegates enjoyed the whole event and were full of praise - which is all we really want.
Would we recommend this event? Yes! Very much so. It was inspirational.
The Conference
This conference was for a very long-standing client of Chill Out! and we work with them on many events every year. This was the second of their EVOLVE events and by far the most complex. These UK events are part of a global EVOLVE tour featuring executive board members and VIP speakers.
This event was simultaneously live-streamed across Europe as a taster for future EMEA EVOLVE events with separate streams for Customers and Business Partners.
The Client
VMware Global IT Vendor
The Brief
The brief for this particular event threw up some immediate challenges. The client really wanted a 5-star location with old-world charm - usually not too difficult in Central London. However they wanted a high-tech feel to the event which was to be streamed live, including the break-out sessions, to multiple locations across Europe. 5*.. old world.. high-tech? Not usually good bedfellows. We had a couple of options but there was one clear choice - if they were available for the committed dates!
The Spec
- One day conference with main plenary in 5* venue
- 3 x break-out sessions running concurrently
- Planned 120 delegates with 40+ each in break-out sessions
- AV & production
- 3 x VIP sponsors with exhibition space
- Live event streaming plus live polling across Europe
- External guest speaker (Felicity Aston – British Polar Explorer)
- Branding & signage, Badges, Agendas, Lanyards, Pull-up banners, Giveaways
The Challenges
The dates for the event were already fixed based on executive management availability which limited our choice of suitable 5* venues. The Sofitel provided the elegance and charm that was a clear winner with our client but came with its own challenges for the on-site plenary staging.
Streaming multiple live sessions on-line required a dedicated high-speed internet uplink and tight management of speaker session timing, especially as there were external ‘special event’s happening in London during the day.
The Chill Out! Solution
Sofitel London - always a pleasure!
We have run hundreds of events in a wide variety of London venues, and so were able to recommend several venues. The Sofitel is a beautiful and elegant venue for high-profile events, and yet offers a flexible meeting space that really works for smaller mixed plenary and break-out sessions. Unusually for a 5-Star hotel, they are always a pleasure to deal with and worked closely with us to accommodate registration and a small exhibition space within their central catering area.
They were able to supply the dedicated high-speed internet connection required by our livestream supplier. That they were also in a prime location to view the RAF 100 Centenary fly-past during the day only affirmed our recommendation to our client.
The Meeting
Despite its old-fashioned charm, the Sofitel is extremely well equipped with dedicated audio-visual facilities. Some rooms, however, have low ceilings and feature chandeliers which in our view are not always suitable for every event, particularly for larger audiences. In this case we worked with our preferred AV staging supplier to create a bespoke branded stage and backdrop to fit inside the in-house plasma screens. This gave us the impact and branding we wanted while keeping the presenters more visible and making best use of the in-house facilities.
The importance of good timing
Our live-stream supplier worked with us to set up separate on-line registration sites for Customers and Business Partners. This worked well for managing the on-line sessions for several hundred registrations. As on-line delegates were registered for individual sessions, it was important to keep to time, especially for the break-out streams.
We used room captains to coordinate sessions and ensure that every speaker ran to time. We displayed messages directly to on-line delegates with links to live news feeds and to warn them of the delayed start to the afternoon proceedings. Meanwhile our London delegates enjoyed the spectacular RAF air display live from the balcony of the hotel.
The RAF, a Polar Explorer and and Olympic Hero - what else?
If the RAF fly-past wasn’t enough to excite our delegates, the client wanted an inspirational speaker to round off the day’s proceedings. Felicity Aston gave an empowering presentation about being the first woman to ski solo across Antarctica (http://www.felicityaston.co.uk/).
Judging by the social media comments and our feedback survey forms, Felicity managed to inspire her entire audience, in-person and on-line. Felicity had a tough act to follow as our speaker at the January event had been Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards who was said by all to be hugely entertaining!
Conclusion
Our role is to understand our clients’ needs and objectives and translate those into an event that is judged successful by the Delegates, Sponsors and the Client. In this case, our experience of running high-profile VIP events in various London venues meant that we could confidently recommend a solution. By working closely with the venue and our trusted-suppliers we created an outstanding event, in this case both on-site and on-line.
Comments and quotes
Would we recommend this event? Yes! Very much so. It was inspirational.