CASE STUDY: AVIS
The brand made famous with the line ‘We Try Harder’ wanted to switch things up for their incentive rewards event in Jamaica this year. They wanted to put on a conference that lived up to the theme of the event, ‘Best in Class’. So it was up to me to try harder too.
The event
Taking place at the 5-star, all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall Resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica, a high-level group of 80 guests were set to attend a ‘Best In Class’ incentive reward event for 3 days of fun in the sunshine. This would be something, if done right, the guests would treat as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So I had to make sure the event lived up to the setting.
The brief
My brief from Avis was very clear - to make this year’s “Best In Class’ conference different, surprising and, in the words of the client, they wanted to ‘take it up a notch’.
I was booked both to consult and then host the entire event so everything from the opening night to the business and team-building sessions through to the Awards Gala dinner at the end, was up to me.
As well as hosting, it was agreed I was also to perform various entertainment spots throughout - engaging segments to surprise and delight the audience across the entire 3 days.
The challenge was to fully engage both the attendees and their guests, who were not associated with the brand. A slightly different approach was needed to be as inclusive as it was informed by the brand.
The solution
Working closely with the US Business Marketing Director and onsite production team, I began by advising on the programme and timetable, writing all the stage content. This formed a coherent narrative that went from high energy interaction to more passive engagement equally so the audience would be engaged without getting exhausted. I also created and delivered several fun event themed segments for the attendees, ensuring everyone was fully involved whether an employee or not.
This went almost exactly to plan but as with all events like this (especially one in Jamaica during the rainy season), I was also responsible for advising and adapting for quite a number of changes on-site to allow for the inevitable (and unplannable for), so I was delighted to hear that - as the title would suggest - that this event was ‘the best yet’ for Avis, and so a massive win for me too. So much so, that shortly after the event I was invited to return in 2020.
“We’ve hosted this event for many years. Having Nigel host this year made it the best yet!”
“We received such great feedback. You were fun, engaging, and brought a different element to our event, thank you!”