The egtabites are back in 2014 with a new batch of creative and innovative ideas worth sharing. By chance, our first egtabite is n. 40, a number very important for egta this year as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary!
We start off this special year with an egtabite on a B2B event that was organized by TV3 Sweden. Creating a successful B2B campaign can be very challenging as clients attend one prestigious event after another and it may be hard for broadcasters and sales houses alike to come up with something surprising, new and engaging. TV3 decided to think out of the box and put together a special dinner that succeeded in building strong personal relationships and giving an unforgettable experience to both employees and clients. At the same time they drew attention to their brand, TV3’s new slogan – “strong characters, strong feelings” and the new autumn programming schedule.
The concept
The aim of this event was to reach out to clients, journalists and suppliers. TV3 achieved this by inviting them to a special dinner hosted by TV3 employees in their own homes!
Beforehand, employees had been divided into 36 groups of three people from different departments. One hosted the diner while the others were in charge of decoration with TV3 logos and promotional material. They were given the mission to act as company’s ambassadors towards the company's key customers and partners.
The event was designed so that all individual dinner parties would reflect TV3's brand. While the decoration in the house, including table settings, music, flowers, scented candles and the food were identical for all 36 dinners, each host and their house added a different dimension to their dinner.
The guests were unaware of this plan and expected the usual gala dinner at a restaurant. Upon their arrival, the surprise was unveiled. Groups of 8-12 guests were driven to their separate venues and during the ride they listened to a pre-recorded radio show with the topic: "You must be nervous going to a dinner party without knowing any of the other guest.”
During the dinner, in order to focus the conversation around TV3’s new autumn schedule, the guests watched trailers of the new shows and received a handout with the new strategy. The hosts had prepared discussions topics to keep the conversation professional but at the same time it proved to be very relaxed thanks to the cosy atmosphere.
Once the dinner was over everybody met in a club for the final party to cement relationships and exchange impressions about the joint experience.
The results were two-fold: the employees felt proud to work for a company which valued their role as company ambassadors and the clients were part of a memorable experience which led to long-term professional relationships.
Why does this matter to egta members
In summary, a unique experience was created that brought together and inspired TV3’s employees, partners, clients and suppliers in an environment that was both familiar and unexpected at the same time. The home atmosphere proved to be an ideal place where participants relaxed, communicated and discussed TV3’s new strategy. The slogan was brought to life as the employees served as the "strong characters" while the dinner provided the "strong feelings."
This type of event might not be possible to implement in every market but it is a good example of how thinking outside the box and taking a risk pays off in most sectors, including the TV and Radio business. |