Event MediaWorks 2011
Organisers MCI Group, Haymarket
Venue Sheraton Hotel & Towers Saigon
Delegates 137
Date July 20–23

The brief
MediaWorks is a unique training event for young professionals from media buying and planning agencies. Held for the second year at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Ho Chi Minh City, MediaWorks 2011 centred on a 48-hour pitch presentation challenge for delegates, where teams of 11 to 13 young professionals had to come up with a unique communications strategy for a real-life client (Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts).

Challenges
The key part of the training exercise required a very specific venue. As well as a ballroom for the event’s meet-and-greet and plenary training sessions, the venue also needed space for 13 teams to meet, plan and strategise separately.

Vietnam was chosen as host as it has a fast-growing media market. The event team went on site tours to both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, but found very few venues that could cater to these unique aspects. Only the Sheraton Hotel and Towers ticked every box. “The hotel was a natural fit as not many hotels in Vietnam have as many breakout rooms,” says Joyce Tong, senior project manager for MCI Group.

With many of the teams working through the night on an ambitious, but strict, deadline, these needed to be fully functional meeting rooms with catering for tea, coffee and snacks. “We had to pre-arrange for all-night catering,” says Tong. “As this was the second time the event was held at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, the hotel was more adapt and experienced at handling MediaWorks and its requirements.”

Execution
Delegates flew into Vietnam from throughout the region, with representatives from as far afield as Australia, Korea and India. The first afternoon saw them arranged into teams, with each made up of different nationalities and with representatives from a range of competing agency networks.

Each team also had a senior industry leader to mentor them through the assignment. Plenary training sessions were arranged for the second day, before the teams went about their task. For most teams that meant an overnight working session as they not only strategised, but created material and rehearsed for their 20-minute opportunity to impress the three judges.

With the judging complete by the end of the third afternoon, the entire delegation was transported to Cham Charm art gallery restaurant for the final dinner and party. The top three teams were announced during the party and were given a few more hours to tweak their work before presenting to the delegation, with the audience casting the vote to decide the final winner.

Comment
“It’s not a large event in terms of delegates,” says Andrea Hayes, group events director for Haymarket Media Asia. “But the unique way the training takes place means lots of coordination between guests, Haymarket, MCI Group, and the hotel.”

Timeline
February 2011 Confirmed venue
April Marketing for the event begins
May Opened registration process and offsite dinner venue confirmed
July Finalised plans with the venue
July 19 Arrived onsite
July 20-23 Event