LeasePlan

14th – 16th September 2007

London

reason / objective

The UK had been selected as this year’s host of the annual European group’s corporate celebration aptly named the EuroGames.

The Project Team’s objectives for the event was to raise the profile of LeasePlan UK amongst European colleagues, promote LeasePlan’s relationship with staff, reward their hard work & leave guests feeling proud to be part of the LeasePlan Corporation.
The logistics of the event which Smyle had to support included 350 LeasePlan Group employees travelling from within the UK and 22 other European countries.

Smyle were delighted to be awarded the contract of managing & producing the EuroGames following an extremely competitive 9 way pitch.

concept / solution

A suitable hotel, Novotel London West, was sourced that essentially offered sufficient accessibility and could cater for all of the guests.

The hosts from each country were required to register their selected employees. Smyle had commissioned a bespoke web-site which collated all of the competitor’s details, everything from shirt size to dietary requirements.
Luxury coaches were co-ordinated to meet the respective international flights so that the competitors could be transported from the airport to the hotel then on to a private reception/helpdesk which for convenience had dedicated staff in attendance through out the weekend. Personalised lanyards detailing vital format information for the weekend & contact numbers were distributed upon registration. Any last minute changes made by the client were announced through informative room drops.

The venues main banqueting room was decorated to reflect a traditional English Pub theme for the 1st evening’s soirée – an informal dinner hosted by a very welcoming HM Queen look-alike.
 
The theme was set:

* a bar was built and installed on the stage serving real ale
* a blank canvas was utilised so that a traditional pub scene could be projected on the entire length of the 30 meter back wall
* client branded beer mats decorated the tables & bespoke designed pub signs hung in the air
* pub games had been installed including pool, darts, bar billiards, jenga, connect four, giant table football
* canapé size pub food was served on free standing old beer barrels which included mini fish & chips, mini Yorkshire pudding filed with roast beef,  mini bangers & mash and of course for desert - trifle!

Saturday - let the games begin…
The Games had to incorporate team activities offering both physical & cerebral challenges which would appeal to and cater for a cross section of age & fitness levels.

Smyle planned a site seeing treasure trail around London!

The guests were split up into 20 teams and pre-set Global Positioning Systems (GPS) were distributed. The teams had to compete in a unique GPS Monopoly treasure trail around the city using red route master busses - so that 4 distinctive zones in London were visited and trivia questions posed by costumed characters, answered.

Each team member was given a personalised rucksack with branded pens, pads, caps, waterproof capes and disposable cameras to capture photographic evidence.

After the days competitive site seeing, the teams headed off in double decker busses to the prestigious Hurlingham club for the main gala dinner. Smyle’s film department had followed the teams around London to gather footage which was edited in time to be screened during the awards ceremony and prior to dinner and dancing.

Buses then took the guests back to the venue where the hard core Europeans partied until the early hours in a private sports themed bar. As the celebrations were taking place an OK! style magazine documenting the weekend was being printed over night ready in time to be handed out as the competitors were escorted back to the airport for their return flights home.