Hong Kong Disneyland Resort surpasses past events’ success with a unique dinner to reward top-performing partners, writes Prudence Lui
Inaugurated in 2011, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort’s Celebration of Sales Excellence event aims to reward valued travel agency partners with an evening of extraordinary experiences, underscoring its commitment to partners and providing them with a better understanding of its brand values and service capabilities.
What set this year’s event apart from the previous years’ was a range of refreshing ideas for partners who have experienced the Magical World of Disney events before. Sales and distribution marketing vice president, Terruce Wang, said: “For the first time, Adventureland was chosen as the venue to symbolise the many adventure-filled journeys we have shared with our partners. This theme was also in line with that of the new hotel planned by the Resort, offering guests an immersive and Disney resort-style experience dedicated to the spirit of exploration.”
The event’s immense success in the last two years had certainly raised the bar for the planning team. Coming up with and executing a number of creative ideas all at once was a challenge, said Wang.
He added: “We formed a task force comprising members from sales and distribution, marketing, entertainment, park operations and F&B departments and kicked off the discussion last October.”
The queuing area outside Theater in the Wild was turned into a cocktail and dinner venue. Creative décor and music, coupled with the provision of straw safari hats and animal print scarves to guests set the mood for adventure and exploration.
“The Theater in the Wild queuing area had never been used as a dinner venue. Besides fully transforming the area into a safari camp within two hours so as not to disrupt park visitors’ experience in the daytime, the team had to work out the logistics, from power supply and venue decoration to background music.”
Another innovative idea was an exclusive show, Adventures Behind the Scenes, which offered story-telling between award presentations followed by backstage staff showcasing safety measures for fire settings behind the show Festival of the Lion King. The overall atmosphere heightened when some in the audience donned costumes and danced with the performers.
Wang added: “There were live cooking stations where the chefs interacted with guests by introducing the creative ideas behind specific dishes. The extensive buffet spread also featured favourite dishes from around the world. Earlier, even the invitation to guests was uniquely contained in a mini treasure chest. At the end of the event a log book with photographs taken at the event as well as a telescope were given to guests as souvenirs.”
As the venue was outdoors, the team also had a contingency plan in case of rain. The alternative venue Royal Banquet Hall was on stand-by, as were umbrellas for guests.
With 26 top-performing partners honoured, the event proved a great success, drawing the attendance of over a hundred top leaders of the Resort’s closest trade partners as well as positive feedback.
Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management commercial division director, Alcuin Li, commented: “What’s special tonight is the chance to enjoy some superb performances while sharing the joy of the award winners. I would definitely recommend the delicious food too. The Disney Cast also made us feel really welcome!”
