Publicis 100th Anniversary
A hundred years of history. A day looking forward.
Produced by 
Background
Where it began
Publicis was founded in Paris in 1926. Ahead of its hundredth anniversary, Publicis Groupe Sweden & Denmark wanted to do more than celebrate its history. It wanted to bring clients, employees and the industry together around a shared picture of the future. The brief had three goals: clients should feel chosen, employees should feel proud, and the industry should see a company going somewhere.
Preparation
Five months of preparation
Grand Hôtel was booked five months before the day. From then on, Publicis and Kehitys built the experience together. 1,028 personal invitations went out, client by client. A dedicated guest platform held the entire guest journey in one link, from the invitation to the photo gallery the day after. Leo’s brand guidelines came to life in everything from the carpet at the entrance to the mirrors in the restrooms.
25 September
The Day
On 25 September, 549 guests came to Grand Hôtel. In the afternoon, Mark Ritson, Dr. Jana Werner and Andrew Tindall spoke in the Winter Garden, interviewed by Publicis’ own leaders. The seminar closed with Edith Piaf, and while the guests went upstairs to the walking dinner, 550 chairs were carried out. Within an hour the hall was a club.
The Evening
NEXT CENTURY
At 18.30 the doors opened to the party. The same room was now a club, with DJs from Stockholm and Paris and an open dance floor until midnight. Six bars kept the evening going. When Grand closed, 189 selected guests went on to the afterparty L’Amoureuse at Soho House.
Results
The results
All three goals were met. The clients came, the whole group gathered in one room, and the industry saw a Publicis looking ahead.
“YOU ARE THE BEST!! Thank you once again for a truly magical evening that we will never forget! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the hard work on every single detail to make our 100th anniversary an incredible afternoon and party!!”
Afterwards
What remains
After the day, Publicis has 4,600 photos and four films, an overview per account manager of which clients attended, and a guest platform that can be restarted for the next event.
The report
The story in six chapters
This report goes through the entire project in detail, from the first brief to the finished report: the decisions behind the experience, how the production worked, what the day delivered and what Publicis can take with it. Six chapters, to be read in order or on their own.
The Brief
Why Publicis celebrated, what the day was meant to achieve and why Grand Hôtel.Goals · concept · venue
02
Preparation
Five months of preparation: organisation, guest list, platform, brand identity, goodie bag, partners and speakers.April – September
03
Production
Build day, technology, operations and the contingency planning behind a day in a listed building.24–25 September
04
The Day
One guest’s day, from seminar to club in the same room, and the afterparty at Soho House.25 September, 13.30 – 03.00
05
Afterwards
Photo and film, lessons learned and where the model can take Publicis next.Photo · film · lessons
06
All the Numbers
All the numbers from the day, gathered in one place.KPI · data
Produced by Kehitys
Kehitys was Publicis’ creative production partner for the anniversary, responsible for concept development, production management, the guest platform, scenography, technical coordination, show and post-event material. Publicis owned the direction, the relationships and the key decisions.