It is never easy hosting VIPs who are themselves in the business of delivering memorable events to their clients. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort called on Marvel Super Heroes to lay on a spectacular annual Celebration of Sales Excellence Awards Ceremony to thank top-performing trade partners and inspire them with new business opportunities, at the same time celebrating the grand opening of the resort’s third hotel, the 750-room Disney Explorers Lodge.
Name of event: Grand Opening of Disney Explorers Lodge and Celebration of Sales Excellence 2016 Awards Ceremony
Type: Stakeholders appreciation programme
Venue: Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
When: May 16, 2017
Pax: 500
EVENT OVERVIEW
A two-part event hosted by Hong Kong Disneyland Resort combined the launch of Disney Explorers Lodge (DEL) with an appreciation and recognition event for travel trade VIPs.
More than 500 VIPs, including government officials, travel trade partners, business partners and media from the Asia Pacific region attended the grand opening, which was centred on an outdoor stage nestled in the hotel’s pool garden overlooking the outdoor Rain Drop Pool.
EXECUTION
Disney performers kicked off the opening in Disney’s inimitable style and presented the exotic cultures of the four regions that characterised DEL. The performance took guests on a spectacular journey around the world.
The opening was followed by a networking cocktail party in a lush garden setting that celebrates the cultures of Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa, which transported guests to the far corners of the world.
Travel trade VIPs and trade media were given a comprehensive Marvel experience as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as they joined the Celebration of Sales Excellence 2016 Awards Ceremony (CSE) held in the Cinderella Ballroom of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Conference Centre, which was specially transformed for the event.
Experiences include a “top secret briefing where important intel on the evil Hydra forces were shared”, and an immersive Marvel-themed CSE event experience where they were issued S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Credentials and subjected to “stringent security checks”.
In the ballroom, the floor was divided into two teams using captivating lighting designs: team Captain America in blue and team Iron Man in red. Each dining table was decorated with a rose floral centrepiece, surrounded by props with a Captain America or Iron Man theme, such as Captain America’s shield.
Building up to the secret briefing, the resort offered an exclusive preview of its seasonal campaign “Marvel Super Hero Summer” – complete with back stories of Doctor Strange, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and other Marvel Super Heroes – to outline the mission to recover the Portal Nexus before Hydra’s forces.
Injecting a wow factor to the awards portion, Captain America, Iron Man and Spider-Man made their grand entrance to celebrate the winners’ moment of glory. In the grand finale, the top travel trade partners had their photo moments with the Super Hero trio.
Other guests also had their photo moments with each Super Hero. With tips on using table props, guests were quick to strike the iconic pose of the Super Heroes. Guests could also bring home the table props as a special memorabilia.
The Super Hero theme extended to the sumptuous international buffet spread. Appetisers were laid on in the ballroom, while the spread of mains stretched from one end of the corridor to the other end outside the ballroom. On the other side, the Super Hero-themed dessert creations that looked as good as they tasted tempted guests’ sweet cravings.
CHALLENGES & TRIUMPHS
The launch was an outdoor event in what is usually hot weather. However, heavy rain had also been forecast, making a well-thought out rain and sun plan essential. The two plans called for different event settings. A backup stage for the opening ceremony and performances was set up in the hotel’s lobby area in case of rain.
DEL-themed paper fan and bottled water or umbrellas and ponchos were also prepared for distribution to guests at various locations, depending on the weather. Fortunately, the rain stayed away so the paper fans were distributed to keep guests cool.
Ferrying the VIP guests from DEL grand opening to the CSE event at Cinderella Ballroom was another high-precision operation. The aim was to keep waiting time for the VIPs to a minimum so the shuttle services ran on a continuous loop to transport around 300 guests within 30 minutes.
Some trade guests came to the event with family and friends. HKDL was determined to give VIPs’ and their travel companions an unforgettable Disney experience – so separate programmes were also arranged for the companions.
Handling the media was another challenge due to the size of the media guest list and their focus. Different programmes were developed to tailor to the needs of 150 media friends from different regions, markets and mediums.
EVENT OUTCOME
In combining a grand opening ceremony with CSE, this year’s events delivered on key objectives, according to HKDL.
It made top-performing travel trade partners feel valued from the effort Disney made to stage a spectacular awards evening. Travel trade partners were also impressed at being immersed in a unique themed event that showcased the upcoming seasonal promotion.
HKDL also successfully secured the support of valued trade partners on the resort’s third hotel, Disney Explorers Lodge, and the seasonal campaign “Marvel Super Hero Summer.”
The programme also allowed HKDL to fully showcase the capabilities of its in-house Business Solutions and Events team in planning and executing an event filled with numerous wow moments that leveraged on Disney’s unique brand of entertainment, the flexible combination of indoor and outdoor venues in all events, the flair of Disney chefs in putting together a top-notch culinary experience spread across two locations, and the behind-the-scene efforts to ensure the event ran with clockwork precision.
Proof of the event’s success came in the impressive ratings given by guests – 90 percent of participants rated their overall experience of the event within the top two tiers on a seven-point scale. The satisfaction levels on event arrangement, F&B, transportation, etc. were also higher than last year’s.
“Impeccable attention to details from every team made sure that the stay and the experience is top notch! Everyone felt welcome and special. Blending Marvel characters into culinary experience is beyond imagination. Well done!” said a partner from the Hong Kong and Macau travel industry.
The launch of Disney Explorers Lodge enhances the resort’s ability to promote its MICE business with a new capacity to accommodate larger groups at the resort and develop new product offerings from corporate clients.
The resort now offers 1,750 rooms with ample accommodation to attract more incentive travels and large scale events to the resort. The resort hosts an average over 600 MICE events a year for different companies and industries.
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