Event GroupM Confest APAC ‘11
Venue Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu
Organiser MCI Hong Kong
Delegates 620
Date April 4-13
The brief
Media investment agency GroupM wanted to bring together their five individual agencies along with specialist units from across Asia Pacific for a “festival of conferences”. There was also to be one day when the whole group would come together to look at future plans and celebrate their works.
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Challenges“Initially, it was going to be 350 delegates with 11 meetings, but the pull of this amazing opportunity means we ended with close to 600 people,” says Min Liu, of MCI Hong Kong. Expectations were high for both service and technical capabilities, which meant bringing in much of the audiovisual equipment from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
“The other challenge was to create an event that maintained the integrity of each agency brand and their individual requirements, while also developing a group identity,” says Liu.
ExecutionPlanning began five months in advance. “Kota Kinabalu was chosen because it is tranquil and yet has well-established infrastructure and air connectivity,” says Liu. MCI worked with the Sabah Tourism Office to ensure swift customs clearance. Large billboards at the airport greeted arriving delegates.
Each agency had individual dinners and entertainment, from cocktails at the Sunset Bar to cooking classes on the terrace. All of the function rooms and even the Chinese restaurant were converted into meeting spaces. “The Italian restaurant, Peppino, was also transformed into a chic joint called M Bar, which provided a common meeting point,” says Liu.
The main GroupM meeting and eMMies awards dinner was held midway through the conference. “This was a showcase for all the talent and hard work from across the region so it had to ‘wow’ the team,” says Liu. “The conference was emceed by CNN’s Anna Coren with special guest Sigourney Weaver, who discussed talent and technology, and hosted a special lunch for six lucky winners.”
The eMMies dinner followed a black-and-white ballroom setting, with animation curtains on both sides displaying winners’ names. The night finished with a performance from US star Siedah Garrett and her band.
A fun day was also planned with optional activities such as visits to the orangutan sanctuary and river rafting.
CommentMark Patterson, CEO of GroupM Asia Pacific, says: “We wanted a wow event that energised and united the group. It was everything we hoped for and more. We managed to create a true sense of group identity in an amazing setting.”
Francois de Henin, GroupM chief of global risk, says: “It was an extremely uplifting conference. The cocktail of entertainment, presentations, quality speakers, learnings and sharing was perfectly mixed, the execution faultless and the enthusiasm of the participants inspiring.”