Objective
Our client wanted to reward their well travelled, international guests with an immersive incentive experience that provoked a deep sense of connection, while fully incorporating the destination in unexpected ways. Every program element from welcome reception, team building, optional activities, dine around, and final night gala had to be stunning and truly memorable.
Challenges
- Program was delayed twice due to COVID
- 2+ years of planning meant creative concepts were re-worked several times
- Every program element had to be unique to the attendees and unexpected
- Guest attendance fluctuated from 400 in the initial planning phase to a final number of 260
- This was the first large incentive program in Whistler post COVID, which introduced several challenges including labour shortages and supply chain disruptions
- Activity program of 16 individual departure times over multiple days required deep collaboration with our industry partners and our client to adapt to the post-COVID conditions
- The hotel’s dining room was not large enough to accommodate the final night plated gala dinner; other suitable existing venues were already included in the program itinerary
Strategy
- Inspired by Whistler’s natural beauty, we wove the entire incentive program theme around fostering authentic connections with the destination and among the guests, including introducing guests to local Indigenous culture
- We highlighted Whistler through the use of 3 different off-site venues, an outdoor teambuilding event, 8 unique activity options, a dine-around program, local catering, décor, entertainment and gift baskets
- Smaller groups of 10 brought people together in a fun, relaxed atmosphere for teambuilding at Whistler Olympic Park
- Mountaintop “Live like a Local Experience” infused true local flavour. Guests could play together with fake snowballs, be entertained by trick mountain bikers, or socialize around outdoor fire pits
- A perfect off-site venue for the gala dinner didn’t exist so we designed and built an entire event infrastructure at the Whistler Sliding Centre. We transformed a concrete platform into an elegant gala event with stunning decor and lighting effects that complimented the natural environment. The impactful ambiance included a refined 4-course plated dinner, stage, dance floor, high-energy 10-piece dance band, an off-site catering kitchen and all supporting infrastructure.
The Result
Through a laser-focused lens of intentional program content, we delivered on our client’s vision of creating authentic connections among guests and with the destination itself. Although post COVID circumstances presented several challenges, our team thrived on implementing collaborative solutions to deliver an engaging and truly memorable incentive experience.
