Managing a big celebratory event for Samsung is always something of a challenge for Blue Square. A challenge (we’re happy to say) we pull off pretty damned well. But when we were asked to deliver a day and evening event for its entire Mobile Experience (MX) UK and Ireland team – with only three weeks’ notice – that challenge took on a whole new level of planning and execution. And then some.
From popcorn to whale bones
With such a fast turnaround, the only people Samsung MX trusted to pull it off was us. Which was both flattering and terrifying.
History and stardom
Armed with nothing more than a potential evening venue for the party and awards ceremony, we set about securing the contract with the Natural History Museum and sourcing a suitable venue for the daytime event. It needed to be able to screen engaging content, host live speakers, support Q&A sessions and – in keeping with the wow factor set by the evening venue – be as impressive as the Natural History Museum. A tall order in anyone’s books.
Many calls and site visits later, we plumped for the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square. The 700 luxury seats auditorium with 30ft screen provided the perfect staging for our production team. By branding the screens outside, and the popcorn inside, we gave the venue the celebratory feel it needed. And in keeping with the red carpet feel, Fearne Cotton was brought in to host the event.
Logistics for a statistician
While the production team worked on content and staging for both events, our team of event planners liaised with over 300 delegates and umpteen hotels, caterers, entertainers and designers to dress the venues and get everyone where they needed to be on the day.
Easy to say. Not so easy to deliver. The logistics involved creating a survey to work out the best way to get 300 people to and from the various venues, and planning coaches and hotels so everyone could change from business wear to party wear for the big gala event at the Natural History Museum. Specially printed ‘cinema’ tickets, given out at registration, provided all the personalised information everyone needed.
Lighting the blue whale
The Natural History Museum is already an incredible place, with its stunning architecture and iconic blue whale skeleton. But our production team went further. They lit the venue dramatically to give it an extra special wow factor. And did it in record time.
Unable to start the preparations until the last member of the public left at 6pm, the team had just one hour to transform the museum into a spectacular party venue.
Get me to the do on time
Meanwhile, with the Leicester Square event wrapping up around 4.30pm, our events teams were stationed at two hotels, coordinating check-ins, providing changing rooms, and arranging for guests to get to the Natural History Museum by coach on time and looking fab.
The evening was the success we’d planned for. An electronic violinist welcomed guests on arrival. Fifteen Unsung Heroes received awards. And the vast hall resonated to some classic dance anthems when the violinist was joined by a drummer and sax player.