Business Events Sydney pushes the experiential envelope with a fam trip that marries creativity with customisation.
Hot idea
Bring technology into the programme, such as projection mapping, to enhance creative delivery
Event brief
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Business Events Sydney (BESydney) organised a four-day familiarisation trip for key prospects and clients from its core markets in Asia, namely, China, India and Japan. Besides strengthening ties with these trade partners, the event was also an avenue for the destination marketer to showcase new products and experiences in Sydney and its surrounds to inspire future incentive events.
BESydney worked with a host of local industry suppliers, strategic partners and government agencies to pull off a spectacular show that would also convince clients who had already visited Sydney that this destination warranted repeat visits.
Highlights
BESydney took the familiarisation trip to a whole new personalised level. After conquering the world-famous Harbour Bridge, delegates were treated to a panoramic view of an art and light projection show on the sails of the Sydney Opera House, as the day of their climb coincided with Vivid Sydney, an annual festival of light, music and ideas.
Another highlight was the welcome dinner-in-the-dark hosted in Luna Park, which featured projection mapping technology to deliver a multisensory dining experience. Projected designs changed along with the programme and presentation of food.
The closing dinner was memorable too, one that was infused with Aboriginal elements on Goat Island. It came with a surprise performance by the Australian Girls Choir and a dazzling explosion of fireworks over the Harbour Bridge to conclude the event.
BESydney’s efforts yielded positive payoffs: Delegates spoke of their newfound good impression of Sydney, and discovery of fun experiences in Sydney’s suburbs that they did not think were possible before. Think sand dune quad biking in Port Stephens and horse riding at a ranch within a two-hour drive from Sydney.
Challenges
This was one of BESydney’s biggest fam trips, in terms of participant numbers and investment dollars, according to BESydney’s regional director for Asia, Sinead Yeo.
“It’s not always easy to combine different markets together into one core programme. We worked around that by splitting the various markets up into different activity groups. For example, the Indian group visited the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground and spent time with (Australian) cricketing legend Stuart MacGill, while the Japanese contingent went to Manly Beach, as beaches were high on their requests,” she said.
To overcome the other major challenge of catering to the food preferences of different nationalities, BESydney arranged for separate dining experiences. During combined dining sessions, organisers opted for an array of Asian and vegetarian offerings to tickle everyone’s taste buds. BESydney also impressed with its swift response to last-minute requests. One chilly day after scaling the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it had its scheduled restaurant prepare a hot soup within 30 minutes, in time for the arrival of all groups.
Event BESydney 50th Anniversary Sydney Familiarisation
Organiser Business Events Sydney
Event company Business Events Sydney
Venue Various hotels and attractions in Sydney and regional NSW
Date May 26-30, 2019
Attendance 21 corporate clients, travel agents and media
