Outsmarting the pandemic while creating a compelling, safe, in-person sales event for hundreds
Challenge:
2021 was a successful year for ZEISS–a pioneer in scientific optic lenses–and they wanted to both celebrate and kick off their new year with their first in-person event in two years. For their annual National Sales Meeting (NSM), ZEISS leaders wanted to create a jaw-dropping, epic in-person event––but do so in a way that was both healthy and safe. ZEISS turned to Trademark to create a “Covid-safe Bubble” in Palm Springs, CA, where attendees would experience three days of general sessions and breakout content, an Awards night, team-building, and evening events–all in the same location for the whole week–that felt magical, memorable, and unique.
Answer:
The event was held at Omni Rancho Las Palmas resort as a Covid-safe bubble. Trademark/ZEISS required proof of vaccination, COVID PCR advance tests, and rapid onsite COVID testing to be able to attend. And then the fun began!
- Work: A “Lead the Pack” and “Ocean’s Eleven” theme celebrated ZEISS’s strong position in the market and put the spotlight on the sales team.
- Values: True to its values, ZEISS held a team-building Lego(™) competition to benefit American Printing House, one of the largest charities for low-vision people. Attendees created Lego(™) Braille and other educational products.
- Fun: The sales meeting was located in the Coachella Valley, so the Trademark team played off of the well-known festival location with a ZEISS-chella closing party. As a recent Event Marketer article explained, the party atmosphere “mimicked the multisensory Coachella experience. Among touchpoints: myriad bars, a VW bus photo booth, tunes spun by Club Mesh, an appearance by fire performer ZOR Fyregod (think: fire breathing tricks and flaming swords), performances by a professional saxophonist who flawlessly played along to popular dance songs and, capping off the night, a silent disco under a full Harvest Moon.”
As relayed from Matt Woelbern, head of marketing-US Go-to-Market at ZEISS Vision Care US, “These types of events are very important to get people together for that camaraderie, for that energy and to kick off the new year. And our salespeople are very competitive, so they like to be recognized in front of their peers. So it’s about getting sales excited, getting them together and exiting with as much energy as possible… the following Monday we want them to think, ‘That was a great NSM and now I’m ready to hit the road.’”
The Numbers:
300 attendees
40 sessions
5 networking events
Countless laughs, memories, and motivators