Afterwards
The event was meant to live on after the last guest. Here is the material, the lessons learned and where the model can take Publicis next.
Photo and film
Part of a global campaign
The material was not meant to feel like Swedish event documentation, but like part of Publicis Groupe’s global campaign “A Lion Never Gives Up”. The Edith Piaf moment at 17.12 was the most important image of the day, because that is where the global meets the local.
Two films, one visual language.
Day and evening were filmed at the same tempo, 120 BPM, so that the films belong together. The references were aftermovies from SXSW and Brilliant Minds: a film that begins with details and empty rooms and ends with people and energy.
The room in four modes.
Empty, during arrival, during the changeover and as a finished party venue before the doors opened.
The photo wall as a premiere.
Straight on, full length and with the logos visible from top to bottom.
One production, not five photographers.
White balance was set for faces, with a grey card at every lighting change and a shared grade afterwards.
A team led by Robert, Sebbe and Lavan, with six photographers and two videographers, documented the event from arrival to dance floor. Three editors worked on the material afterwards. Kehitys delivered 4,600 photos, both raw and edited, and four films, including one from the afterparty at Soho House and a recap of the entire production. The shot list followed Emma Thorp’s brief.
- 26.09Personal galleries
556 guests received a thank-you email with their own photo gallery and a downloadable archive.
- 26–28.09Selection and editing
All photos were delivered unedited to Emma over the weekend, so that Publicis could choose quickly. Kehitys also went through all 4,600 photos and made its own selection.
- → 07.10Second mailing
On 7 October guests received a second mailing with photos and the films from the day.
Candids
100 photos from the day
Of 4,600 photos, we have chosen 100. They do not show the speakers or the stage, but the people: clients and colleagues at the photo wall, conversations at the reception, the dance floor after ten and the last guests at Soho House. These are the photos that show Publicis turned a hundred together with its relationships.
Results against the brief’s three goals
Clients – 181 accepted.
Of 441 invited clients, 181 accepted, even though only 37 % had replied in August. The attendance list per account manager makes follow-up concrete.
Employees – the whole group together.
263 employees accepted, and the group was together from seminar to dance floor.
The industry – international content, strong presence.
47 media accepted. Three international keynotes, DJs from Paris and five partners, three of whom co-financed the day.
Key learnings
What worked
Four things that carried the day and can be built on.
One building for the whole day gave an unbroken experience.
Guests never changed venue. The changeover during the walking dinner turned the seminar hall into a club without the energy dropping.
The platform steered guest flow in real time.
Room assignments, tokens and notifications went out when they were needed. 363 guests were checked in within the first hour.
The identity held in every detail.
From the carpet at the entrance to menus, mirrors and black florals. The photos afterwards carry the brand on their own.
Clear mandates delivered a coherent result.
Publicis was responsible for client relationships, speakers, partner agreements and strategic decisions. Kehitys developed the concept and was responsible for production, the guest platform and creative deliverables. The clear division of responsibility combined Publicis’ brand and relationships with a single local delivery capability. The model is worth trying on more assignments and in more markets.
What we will do differently next time
Technology outside our control needs a backup plan.
An IT block stopped the save-the-date and the domain was shut down in June. Domain and sender are secured at kick-off.
The client list is the event’s most important asset.
In August, 73 % of employees had replied, compared with 37 % of clients. Clients reply later than employees, and that needs to be built into the timeline.
Every deliverable needs a decision date.
Graphics, signage and the photo wall came last in the chain and depended on many other parts being finished first. Decision dates go into the timeline from the start.
Ordering must be simple even at peak pressure.
Guests chose their drink in the app before the pass was scanned, adding an extra step exactly where the queue formed. In the next version the guest orders verbally, the bartender keys it in and the pass confirms the balance.
Define the impact metrics before the invitation goes out.
The platform recorded entry, bar, messages and competition participation. What was missing was systematic measurement of departures, use of photo galleries and the guest experience. Only about one in five guests had push notifications enabled. Next time, a measurement plan, channel strategy and a short guest survey are set before the event, so that results can be separated from actual impact.
Business, budget and responsibility
Partner financing was part of the anniversary’s model. Three financial partners and two on-site partners contributed to delivery, while Publicis remained the clear main sender.
Looking ahead
From an anniversary to a model
Publicis 100 was not the first time the model was used. It was the biggest test so far.
Tested for real
1,028 invitees, more than 200 people at work and a one-hour changeover, without anything falling through the cracks. Kehitys works the same way on every assignment: a small core with specialist expertise, a network that scales up when the assignment requires it and a documented way of working from brief to report.
The same model, assignment after assignment
Together with Publicis, the model has already delivered for Publicis’ clients: Aussie Curls 360°, a dedicated room for curly hair in shopping centres in Stockholm and Copenhagen with 739,000 in organic reach, Sensodyne Clinical White in Sweden and Norway, Head & Shoulders at the Stockholm Half Marathon and StarCup, Gillette Venus 25 years and Gillette × Barry’s. Each time, Kehitys has provided concept, production, recruitment, delivery, content and reporting.
Several markets, the same delivery
The model has already crossed borders: Aussie in Sweden and Denmark, Sensodyne in Sweden and Norway, EA Battlefield in four Nordic countries at once and Red Bull’s global format from Sweden to Denmark.
What remains after Publicis 100
The platform.
Invitation, pass, bar, push and gallery can be launched for the next event without building anything from scratch.
The way of working.
The steering document, role briefings, running order and risk plan exist and can be used again.
The data.
Publicis knows which clients came, which took part and which stayed. The next invitation can start where this one ended.
The photo library.
4,600 photos and four films from day and evening, plus 556 personal galleries the guests have already received.
Next steps
Publicis 100 showed what the model can do at its largest scale. The same model can be used for Publicis’ clients in the Nordics, for global initiatives that need to land locally, or for the next anniversary, wherever it is held.
Film and photos
See the day again
A selection from day and evening. Click an image to see it larger.
