incentives: Case study
Lights, Camera, Action!
OBJECTIVES
Spanish pharmaceuticals group Chiesi Espana wanted to put on an incentive that would work as a team building exercise for its sales team to coincide with the launch of a new product. The event had to re-energise the sales team, create team cohesion and pride in the Chiesi Espana brand.
The idea was for a long-term project the team could work on, bringing out their creativity, improving team communications, and culminating in a rewarding event.
Spanish-based meeting and event management company Grupo Pacifico came up with the idea of getting the team at Chiesi Espana to star in an action movie, to be filmed on location at Petra, Jordan.
PROGRAMME
The event started in May 2008 with the ‘casting’ of the movie. Everyone attending the event was sent the script with their respective dialogue and costume needs, in order to shoot their scenes during their trip to Jordan. Nobody knew the entire movie plot or scenes, thus building up expectation for the event.
In September 2008 the team was invited to a check-in reception in Madrid. From there, they were flown in a private charter flight, customised with the Chiesi Espana branding, to the Jordan capital of Amman, where the activity was to start.
During the one-week trip, delegates were able to indulge in a host of activities, including 4X4 driving in the desert, sleeping in ‘haimas’ (traditional Bedouin tents) in the desert, swimming in the Dead Sea, camel treks, and cultural visits to Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba.
The group was accompanied by a movie production team and in between the leisure activities, the team undertook the filming of 28 movie scenes. The movie was an action adventure, with the group members taking on extreme character roles. Scenes included a plane hijacking (taking advantage of the charter flight), Roman spies, a gang of thieves, hired assassins, James Bond type heroes and Indiana Jones style stunts. At the climax of the event, a '1001 Arabian Nights' farewell dinner was hosted in Little Petra. All the staff were dressed in typical Arabian clothing.
The private charter flight back to Madrid was the end of the incentive. However, the project continued with the production and editing of the movie, and an Oscarsstyle premiere screening of the film at a cinema in Madrid in January 2009.
Delegates were invited to a glamorous, red carpet event, held at a leading cinema in Madrid, complete with paparazzi. After the event, each of the Chiesi Espana staff was sent a copy of the movie.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
The Grupo Pacifico production team wrote a script that was approved by Chiesi Espana general management. The plot had to include the project and product values of the company.
Production of the movie was handed over to a professional film maker, with script writers and cameramen. Filming was often carried out amid hard and complicated conditions, and the crew had to adapt themselves to the geography as well as work around the scheduled cultural and free-time activities.
The event in Jordan required a lot of logistical planning and support, since the leisure activities were continuous and sometimes challenging.
Jordan was chosen because of its dramatic backdrop, cultural and touristic attractions, and its moderate cost.
VERDICT
The event was hailed one of the most successful ever, by Chiesi Espana. General manager, Manuel Vivies declared it: “One of the best incentive events held by the company”.
