Veolia is a €26 billion environmental services company with a global presence. Every year, the company hosts a management conference for 300 senior employees. For 2019, the CEO was keen for the conference to be completely different from previous events. This was especially important as the audience would not be based on grade or seniority, but rather anyone who had shown initiative and enthusiasm in their role.
KNOW
Having designed and stage-managed many Veolia conferences in the past, we knew that the purpose is for employees to learn about the company’s progress and plans for the future. But given the diverse range of delegates, this would need to be promoted and presented in a way that would make people feel excited to have received an invitation – and keep them engaged throughout the day.
FEEL
We started by generating a range of names for the event, narrowing it down to three before selecting the winning theme. Spark used an exciting combination of vibrant firework sparks and graphics on a jet black backdrop, colour-coded to different areas of the business. It created an instant energy that set the pace for the conference and made it feel like a celebration. Fluid planned and micro-managed the event, working closely with the marcomms and audio visual teams to make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible. We also designed and produced all the event collateral from the invitations and opening and closing animations, to name badges, materials for plenary sessions, breakaway stands and fun ideas for delegates.
DO
The glittering event definitely went with a bang, culminating in a huge party at the venue at Celtic Manor, Cardiff. Described as ‘the best conference Veolia had ever had’, levels of engagement were high throughout the day and the event really captured the imagination of delegates. The only problem is how we’re going to top it next year!
