|
NAME: POJ - President’s Trophy Convention and
Gala Dinner
BY: Nippon Travel Agency (Australia) Pty Ltd
CLIENT: Prudential Japan
PAX: 2000 (including 400 children)
TYPE: International incentive event
WHERE: The Darling Harbour precinct was used as the location for
a stunning waterfront welcome reception, in which the 2000
Japanese guests were treated to a thrilling water ski show and
fireworks. The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre was used
for the three days of business meetings and the gala dinner.
NO. ON ORGANISING TEAM: Three main people - Director of Sales -
Asia, Event Manager and Project Manager
|
|
WHAT YOU DID: The
Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre was responsible for two
main components of the event - the business sessions in the
Harbourside
Auditorium and the gala dinner held in the Exhibition Halls. The
Convention Centre’s highly skilled audio visual team assisted
with the design and subsequent construction of the custom set
used during the business sessions. The audio visual team also
provided all the staging , lighting, audio, projection,
recording equipment and signage for the Harbourside Auditorium
business sessions. The team constructed a 230sqm stage for the
gala dinner highlight performance by a famous Australian singer
(client confidentiality prevents us naming them). A spectacular
four-course banquet was created by executive chef, Detlef Haupt
, for the gala dinner.
ABOVE: Fireworks over Darling Harbour were a highlight of
Prudential Japan’s stunning waterfront welcome reception.
BELOW: The presentation ceremony for Prudential Japan’s top
employee of the year in the Harbourside Auditorium. |
Using only the
freshest Australian ingredients, Detlef produced dishes such as
Western Australian snow crab with wasabi caviar and green tea
noodles as well as ‘Rossini’ style veal loin.
DIFFICULTIES: The main challenge was the very short turnaround
time between the previous client finishing in the Harbourside
Auditorium, and the start of the Prudential event. The previous
client finished their event at 6.30pm and they had a completely
different room configuration to the needs of Prudential . All
stage construction, lighting, audio and projection were required
to be completed by 3pm the following day for rehearsals to
begin. OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES: More than 60 audio visual
specialists from the Centre were rostered throughout a rolling
overnight shift, to ensure that all the work was completed on
time. The rehearsals took place as planned without delay. Key
audio visual staff were also accommodated in local hotels, so
they were on hand to assist with the turnaround. SPECIAL
TOUCHES: The Harbourside Auditorium set-up incorporated more
than 300 lighting fixtures and one tone of dry ice, which was
used for some of the special lighting effects. The Centre also
made use of the skills of one of its Japanese concierge staff,
who acted as a “roving translator” throughout the event.
CLIENT’S COMMENTS: Our Sydney convention was one of the best we
have had. There’s always a reason behind every success, and in
the case of our Sydney event it was teamwork. Our Prudential
staff and the Centre staff all worked together to deliver a
memorable event. Specifically, I was very happy to work with the
Centre’s director of sales - Asia, Kristian Nicholls, because he
really understands a client’s needs.
|
