Top executives cook up strategy at annual meeting in Amsterdam
Our challenge
Vattenfall, a long-standing inspiranten client and one of Europe’s leading energy suppliers, was planning its annual kick-off conference, which would bring together 120 top managers from many of its European locations. inspiranten were asked to plan and implement the entire logistics operation for the two-day event, working in close cooperation with the client. The planned programme would also include an evening celebration for everyone at the end of the first day’s events. Our particular challenge was designing a programme which could integrate internal company presentations and guest speakers, coordinating their content while also leaving plenty of time for informal networking.
Our solution
After extensive research, we decided on Amsterdam as the ideal location for the conference. An impressive venue was found: Beurs van Berlage, a nineteenth-century commodities exchange now converted into a modern event location, offering the perfect combination of historic atmosphere and contemporary design.
Over several weeks, our team worked together with Vattenfall’s two in-house moderators to develop a tight programme for all parts of the event. The final line-up for the two days combined internal presentations on strategy, invited guest speakers and a series of structured workshops. The mixture offered plenty of variety and lighter moments, but also meant tight timekeeping was essential. Managers responsible for specific projects introduced colleagues to their teams’ work with an accompanying poster presentation. Despite the tight schedule, informal networking was not neglected: the evening’s closing event involved a combined quiz and cooking experience, conducted in a light-hearted (but competitive!) atmosphere, which allowed colleagues to get to know each other better.
Our success
The demanding schedule, featuring information-rich presentations from Vattenfall executives and outside speakers, went off without a hitch. In a series of structured working groups, conference participants focused on further crucial strategic and operational questions, coming to collaborative solutions and agreeing on action points. Both the daytime and evening sessions prompted productive conversations on many aspects of the business.
Feedback from participants confirmed that the cooking competition was a massive hit, as was the general atmosphere of the venue, with the client pleased with the choice of a historic building with cutting-edge business facilities.