It was with this focus in mind that Melissa Deslauriers, Assistant Director of Sales at AVW-TELAV in Toronto and Lara Hall, Marketing Specialist at Eagles Flight in Guelph, came together to work on the ultimate customer showcase."Presenting customer showcases is something that Eagles Flight are experts in. They have been educating their customer on their various service offerings for years. For AVW-TELAV it became an opportunity to showcase audio visual in a new and inventive way" said Deslauriers.
On a bright Wednesday in June the two combined their skills to present Redline Racing, a dynamic new conference program developed by Eagle's Flight. This was the first of its' kind in Canada. While Eagles Flight and AVW-TELAV had worked with customers south of the border on this service offering, never before had it been done in Canada. Using the strengths of both companies, the organizations' teamed up, along with the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, to present a unique service offering.
"In the past we have presented such events as AV 101", said Janet Jakobsen, Director Business Development for AVW-TELAV. "The difference this time is that we were inviting our customers and prospects to take part in a service offering that in turn could be used at their events". The event was not just about AV or what types of training programs are available. The event was about networking, experiencing the event and presenting a unique opportunity to take in the behind the scenes of an audio visual event in the making.
After more than six months of careful planning, the result was better than expected.
"We knew we were taking a risk by presenting an event on a Wednesday in the middle of June, very notably high event season" said Deslauriers. However, along with risk sometimes comes reward and reward it did. With more than 250 people in attendance the event was high energy and just the right mix of education and innovation. Not only were the attendees treated to a team building experience of attempting to win a road rally, they also learned how to use the new state of the art audience response technology in a game-like setting.
Redline Racing immerses the audience in the atmosphere of an international road rally race. As teams they decide between several options on the best route to the finish line.
Each route requires careful navigation of hazards and challenges, and decisions are registered through an electronic wireless keypad that automatically tabulates and records their every move. The key goals of the exercise are to have participants recognize the impact of goals and decision making, and to recognize the importance of balancing action with analysis.
AVW-TELAV's Audience Response Plus + system was the perfect vehicle to increase interactive discussion and enhance two-way communication for this game. At each juncture during the Redline Racing program, each team was asked to make a decision about the next step. Their decisions were entered into the audience response plus+ system and tabulated. Both the options and the results were displayed on a large screen for the entire audience to view.
"While participants are able to manually tabulate points, the audience response plus system allows the customer to maintain the energy in the room" said Ibnee Hosein, AVW-TELAV's AR Plus+ technical specialist on site. "We have even been on events south of the border where participants have tried to tabulate numbers in an effort to win, however the keypads keep them honest".
The showcase attendees ranged from Human Resource professionals, to meeting planners and producers to Directors of Marketing and Communications. The team took a realistic approach to the audio visual. Keeping the average audio visual budget for a client and event of this type in mind "We maximised impact by adding lighting, set design, both stock and custom items, and simultaneous interpretation" added Deslauriers. This gave many attendees a taste of what is available to them.
Eagle's Flight is an innovative leader in the development and delivery of practical training programs for the global business community. They specialize in the use of experiential learning, which fosters an environment of accelerated learning through self-discovery and participation.
"For us it was the best attendance at a showcase on record." said Hall.
Audio visual and training are tangibles. Those that experience this type of event will understand the features and benefits and in turn be able to sell these features to their peers and customers.
In the end everyone benefited. The event was timely, educational and stayed on track. A morning session in the heart of downtown Toronto that can assist our customers in understanding the value of investing in a great event can certainly pay dividends in years to come.
For more information about Eagles Flight visit:
http://www.eaglesflight.com/index.php