EMEA Product Launch for Healthcare Company, Noordwijk 2010
W&O was appointed following a 10-way agency pitch to manage the historic launch (the first in 6 years) of a ground-breaking contact lens solution, to a wide audience consisting of 250 sales and brand managers from EMEA.
Our Solution
Given the inspiration from nature which drove the research and development of this revolutionary product, W&O sought a destination which would provide synergies with the product and echo its attributes successfully. Water, air, purity, vibrancy as well as a dedicated environment was identified in the Huis Ten Duin hotel on a beach in Noordwijk. This property was contracted following an extensive Pan-European search, ranging from Malta to Cyprus and Budapest.
The three day event required both plenary meeting space and 10 break-out rooms for the country-specific sessions. W&O became the central point of contact for the client’s UK marketing team and worked closely with the Marketing Manager and the Product Manager in the UK, as well as later in the project, the US product team and the branding agency, in order to achieve a natural cascade of the branding and central corporate objectives to the EMEA audience.
The first day of the event focussed on the launch and the second day acted as a sales conference, supported by breakout sessions on POS training and training on the science behind the product development. The specific objectives of the event were:
- To familiarize and train the EMEA sales force with the new product
- To confirm the commercial objectives at EMEA and country level
- To energize and inspire the sales force in order to achieve a sense of common drive for success in each of the 10 participating markets
The Communication
The EMEA launch followed the US launch yet a new, tailored product branding was developed by a partner agency to assist market penetration. W&O worked closely with the creative agency contracted by the client in order to bring the new brand to life through extensive, yet cost-effective on-site branding solutions, ranging from banner ups to stage sets and on-site signage.
The Challenges
Programme changes on site were necessary, affecting both plenary and breakout schedules, due to unforeseen circumstances related to the supply chain. The client and W&O worked closely together to implement amends to programme, manage suppliers and communicate with the delegates.
The Highlights
Aside from the enthusiastic reception of the product itself, the delegates enjoyed the balance between the structured programme and the free time, which allowed them to network fluidly throughout the event.
Post Event Feedback
The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive with the event considered by all attendees as “fantastic” and a “huge success”, with the W&O team receiving lots of praise for the quality of the planning and on-site execution. Testament to the quality of our work, the client has invited us to tender for a new incentive programme which W&O won with a twin-centre proposal in Asia.
