Event Dell Future of Computing
Venues Multi-destination across Asia Company Dell
Agency Jack Morton Worldwide
Group size 9,000 people from 5,500 companies
Date April 2008 to January 2009

THE BRIEF
Dell wanted to conduct a global road show for its commercial customers to share the company’s vision and strategy to simplify IT. The road show included 27 cities across Asia and the company wanted branding consistency.

Dell hired experiential marketing agency Jack Morton Worldwide (JMW) to execute the event in Australia, New Zealand, China and Hong Kong.






CHALLENGES
“Running live product demonstrations was a challenge,” says Magdalene Ang, Asia Pacific Japan events manager at Dell. “It was a technology road show, so we had to prove that the technology worked in front of customers. This put a lot of pressure on the teams to ensure seamless demonstrations.”

Transporting the road show’s products across borders was also critical. “We had to take extra care with China and Hong Kong because of the Olympics,” says Ang. “We knew it would be difficult to transfer electronic equipment into China. JMW pre-empted this by arranging specialised Customs documents, which helped us to clear Customs in a speedy way.”


EXECUTION
Planning for the event took three months and began in January 2008. Cities on the schedule included Hong Kong, New Delhi, Seoul, Singapore, Beijing and Sydney. At times, there were shows running simultaneously and consecutively. Flexibility was key as the road show functioned as a “live set”, allowing products launched mid-tour to be added on as the shows took place around the region. 

Dell communicated with clients via a customised online portal that focused on electronic mailers, registration and post-event surveys. 

This allowed for localisation to be incorporated, especially with language, enhancing the customer’s experience. This was crucial to Dell’s image as a global corporation.

“For on-site execution, we left it to the local teams to advise what works best. For example, executive lunches, solution demonstrations and product displays,” says Ang. “They also had the final say in the agenda and key topics to be presented. There was a lot of leeway for customisation and practicality.”

COMMENT
“Dell was pleased with the results of the Asian road show,” says Ang. “JMW acted as our brand custodians and conducted the execution with our local team. 

“I would recommend them as an agency, not just because they executed the show well but because they put themselves in the customer’s shoes. JMW had a 360-degree perspective and their local teams also added value by giving essential insights. This is critical when you are running a global campaign or event.”